Chapter Two
AN: I would like to start off this next chapter with a huge thank you! I was surprised by the amount of "story alerts" and "favorite story" lists I received for the last chapter. I hope that you all continue to enjoy where this is heading, and don't be afraid to tell me your thoughts. They are always very much appreciated!
XXXXXXxxxxxxx
The sun had dipped below the horizon, but there was still red and orange in the sky. Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief. Now he could focus on his revenge.
A small orb appeared in the sky where the sun had disappeared. It looked to be moving closer, for its size became larger and larger. Sasuke watched as it moved into position above his head. When it sped down toward him, Sasuke jumped back. He channeled his chakra into his feet, so when he landed the momentum would allow him to jump higher and farther than before. It didn't seem to be quick enough for the orb engulfed him. At first all he could see was black, then he felt a strong pulling sensation. His body protested against the strain, his muscles tensing under the pressure. Ears popping, eyes watering, lungs gasping, heart pounding, he almost thought he was going to die. A bright white light shocked his eyes so he closed them, squeezing them as tight as they would go. He could still see white spots behind his eye lids, so he moved his arm up to shield his eyes. His body was tense, he couldn't force himself to relax. At one point the pain became so severe he was sure he screamed, but his ears never picked up any sound.
When the pressure let up, he was too disoriented to fall correctly onto a very hard ground. His body splayed as he tried to catch his breath. He swallowed then forced his eyes to open. At first he couldn't see anything but darkness, then he rubbed them and was able to make out shapes in the distance. It seemed he had fallen in between two very large buildings. He noticed large garbage cans, and debris littering the ground. The alley was dark, but he could see street lights in the short distance.
Sasuke moved his arms so he could rest on his elbows. Every move he made was painful, he had to breathe through his teeth so he wouldn't make any noise. There was a sensation that crawled up his back, it almost felt as if someone was watching him, but as he looked around there wasn't anyone else in the alley. Forcing his protesting body into motion, Sasuke stood and started limping toward the light.
When he made it to the opening, he stopped and looked in both directions of the street. There were several people walking along the paths running the full length of the buildings. More than the two buildings he was standing between was large. They towered overhead way into the sky, with lots of lights coming out of the many windows. One building in particular captured his attention.
It was placed in the middle of the square in the shape of a triangle. There was one word written across the top.
Pizza.
Sasuke had never heard of this word before, but he assumed it was some kind of food place for he could smell bread baking on the wind. He wasn't hungry, but he was concerned. Just where the hell was he and how did he get there? Was it another trick of Orochimaru's? Or was it something different?
There was a small group of people walking past, so Sasuke limped closer to them so he could ask them some questions.
"Excuse me? Could I ask you a few questions?" He kept his voice calm, and allowed his body to remain unthreatening.
The older man stopped to look at him before he ushered the two younger ladies along. They walked quickly to the corner then crossed the street without looking back.
Okay, maybe they were intimidated by his sword? Didn't matter, he would find someone else to explain his location. It couldn't be that hard to find someone willing to answer his questions.
XXXXXXxxxxxxx
Sasuke must have walked the entirety of the village, for the sun was rising in the east, and his stomach was starting to make a fuss. At least the stiffness in his body had subsided with the long walk.
Not long after he left the many tall buildings, he found a beautiful sandy beach. The water was warm and salty. An ocean or a sea perhaps. There was a tall building shaped into the letter T residing on a small space of land a little ways into the water. It was quite the architecture anomaly, so Sasuke was curious as to what it was for. He was tired though, and hungry. His thoughts switched back to finding a decent place to rest. The beach would of been nice for finding some fish, but it would not be ideal for sleeping. Sasuke decided to tap one of the many marks on his arm to bring forth one of his summoning scrolls. A bird would give him the perfect view for finding what he needed.
He had refrained from summoning the bird earlier to error on the side of caution. Now he was pretty confident there wasn't anyone around who would be able to challenge him. Sasuke hadn't sensed any chakra signatures, and there didn't seem to be any samurai either. The village must have been full of civilians. It was better this way, less chance of a confrontation if he happened to break any of their laws. He was unfamiliar with their laws and regulations, so staying under the radar was the current plan. If he could manage to find someplace to lay low until he figured out where he was, that would be the most ideal situation.
"Summoning jutsu," he whispered.
White puffs of smoke rose into the air only to dissipate, before a large brown hawk appeared. The bird was very familiar with Sasuke so he didn't have to greet it in a certain way, before he was scaling the side of it, and taking a seat on its back. Once in position, they took off into the sky.
Wind whipped Sasuke's hair in all directions, but with the sharingan he was able to remain focused. He noticed a large forested area all the way on the other side of the village. Sasuke leaned in the direction of the forest and the bird complied. It only took a few minutes for them to reach the trees. Once there his tapped the hawk on its neck and they started to descend. When the bird reached the ground, Sasuke hopped from its back and patted it on its side.
"Thank you old friend, until next time."
The hawk squawked then disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.
Now that he was in the forest he could get his bearings. Water was the first priority, then food and a place to sleep for a few hours. He had some food reserves in his few belongings, but he didn't want to risk using them all without a way to find more. So he started walking. Where there was water, there would be a source of food.
He walked down an incline, knowing that there had to be maybe a creek or a stream. A forest with the amount of density as this one, usually had some kind of river. The trees were a mixture of pines, and what looked to be large oak. If he had to guess, the oak trees must of reached around forty to fifty feet tall. If he could find a source of water, one of these trees would be ideal for posting up to sleep. Their branches looked strong, even way up high. It would also keep him up away from whatever predators lurked around. If he didn't find something better he would use them.
Within a few minutes, Sasuke stopped and listened. Off in the distance he could hear the sound of running water. It seemed that his assumption was correct. Being in the forest was calming to him. With his knowledge of different plants and animals, he saw no problem staying within its confides until he was ready to find out where he had ended up. Sasuke was able to make out some small nocturnal creatures hiding under bushes, and eyes peaking out of burrows. There were some animals just waking up and scurrying from their homes. He could see several rabbits running about, looking for food. His sharingan was very effective for seeing the different details that a normal eye would of missed. So not only was he a witness to these creatures daily lives, he was able to see a small creek tucked in behind some brush.
He gently moved the bushes out of the way with his hands, and eased down onto the bank. Sasuke wasn't concerned about the little amount of mud that attached to his pants, for he could just make out a few little fish swimming in the water. He reached a hand into the water, then brought it to his lips to test for salt. There was none, it was fresh.
Sasuke reached into his shirt and brought out a small container. It was hidden in a pocket, protected by seals. Made it less likely to lose. He filled the container with the fresh water, then made sure the cap was tight. A fire would have to be made so he could be sure the water was safe to drink.
Leaving the bank, he brushed the mud from his pants and looked for a small opening in the trees for a nice place to light a fire. He didn't have to look for long. There was a large opening at the bottom of the next ravine. It would be well protected from the elements with the hill blocking the wind from one side, and a rock face blocking another. He could place a fire in the center, then put his bedroll against the rock face. So he spent some time looking for medium sized rocks to create a fire pit. There were several just laying next to the large rock face so he used those.
He would have to find some dry wood next. That would be more of a challenge. From the look of the forest it had rained just a day before. The bark on the trees were quite moist, and the dead twigs, sticks, and branches on the ground weren't dry enough either. Good news though, if he could get his fire ball jutsu hot enough, the moisture from the wood wouldn't pose that much of a setback. So he gathered the fallen branches and sticks. He didn't think he would need that much considering the sun was already gracing the sky with its presence. The food problem could wait until he rested a few hours. It would be better to hunt while he wasn't so tired, less likely to make a mistake.
Sasuke set the wood he had gathered into the pit, making sure they were spaced correctly for proper air flow. He focused on his chakra flow, then released a stream of fire from his mouth. The concentrated fire heated the wood then caught the flame. He was sure that the fire would spread without anymore of his help, so he set about releasing his cooking pot and utensils to heat the water.
It was all very serene work, bringing his mind back to the basics. In this setting he didn't have to think about Orochimaru, or Itachi, or the others from the Leaf. He could just focus on his own survival. Sasuke hadn't been so relaxed for a long time, he had almost forgotten what it was like. So he just continued to let his body work to make this small haven as comfortable as he could. Letting his mind go blank, and listening to the little sounds of the forest. He could hear the animals waking up from their slumber, the tiny birds singing some lovely songs. The frogs croaking in the background, giving the birds song a base to steady it. He almost wasn't aware of his eyes drooping, and his head nodding. So he brought the boiling water from the fire and set it beside the dirt hill. After he awoke it would be cool enough to drink.
With that, he made himself comfortable on his bed roll and drifted off to sleep listening to the beautiful song of the forest.
XXXXXXXxxxxxxx
It was a beautiful morning. The sun was peeking out over the ocean causing the water to sparkle with reds and orange color. Raven was glad she had woken early so she could get a head start on her meditation. The weather wasn't too warm yet, and it was still a bit humid from the rain they experienced the day before. Perfect conditions for centering herself.
Her friends were still sleeping, so she had no need to stay in her room. She preferred to perform her meditations on the roof of the tower when the weather was so nice.
Raven was a few minutes into her ritual when she felt a presence, the likes of which she had never felt before. She opened her eyes and scanned the water.
There wasn't anything unusual. She looked to one side of the tower, then the other. On the beach below she spotted a man. He didn't seem to be threatening, he was just walking along the side of the ocean. When he was closer she could just make out the indication of a staff, or a sword resting on his back. He appeared to be looking up and down the tower, as he stopped walking.
She didn't know what to think of him. Yes she had seen others taking morning strolls along the ocean, but never anyone dressed the way he was. Raven couldn't see much detail, but she could tell that his hair was dark and the outfit he was wearing was light on the top and dark on the bottom.
He didn't seem to notice her, for he turned back the way he had come and started walking again. After a few steps, he reached into his shirt and pulled something from it. Raven couldn't see what it was, but seconds later a white puff of smoke erupted from the ground and a large bird appeared.
It was quite impressive, Raven had never seen a bird so large before.
The man didn't waste any time, for he climbed up the side of the bird and rested on the center of its back. The bird itself seemed to know what was going on because as soon as he was settled, it used its large powerful wingspan to lift them into the sky.
Raven watched them soar high above, then circle around and head for the forest. They didn't stop until they reached the tree line. She lost track of them when they lowered below the tree line.
She still didn't know what to think of him. Though she found herself to be quite curious. Raven decided she would find out what she could about him, but first things first she had to finish her meditation.
XXXXXxxxxxxx
