1882.
Naruto knelt and stared at the slightly brown water for a moment. He looked up at the wagon that was halfway submerged in the slow-moving river, the red wood pierced with bullet holes, and a lifeless body sitting halfway through the window while another had been left on the banks for the land and sky's creatures. Between him and the other side of the river stood a massive pile of neatly stacked wood, clearly man-made, extending about fifteen feet along the riverbank before tapering off at a sharp curve. He stood up, the sound of his guns clinking lightly as he did so. Adjusting his gun belt, he began walking slowly through the water, stopping near the end of the woodpile and rolling his pants up further. On the other side of the bank, a brown stallion carried a rider who stopped at a point where Naruto could clearly see him.
"Afternoon, sir," The man acknowledged.
"Hello," Naruto replied as he continued his approach. He halted at the curve and finally spotted them - almost sixty men lined along the riverbed.
"It seems like you and I have a keen eye, choosing this beautiful spot," the man said, spitting on the ground and scanning the surroundings. "You were pretty quiet over there. Almost didn't hear you."
The small army had set up camps along the riverbank, initially engaged in drinking and casual conversation. However, their focus shifted to Naruto upon spotting him.
"You look nervous, friend. Are you doing alright?" the man asked.
Naruto simply nodded momentarily. "Yeah...just wondering why so many of you fellers are camped out in one spot like this. Seems a bit impractical," he remarked.The man nodded in agreement, "Yup...boss didn't want us wandering off too far."
Another man joined them, an older individual with a bandage over his left eye and a scar on his chin. He remained silent, instead directing his gaze toward the wagon before returning to camp behind the woodpile."You wouldn't happen to be following us, would you?" the man inquired. Naruto shook his head. "This here is just a coincidence. I was camped a few feet that way...I'm a newspaper writer, you see. Headed over to Sagebrush."
The man seemed amused by Naruto's response, spitting out another wad of chewing tobacco and sitting up. "Sagebrush is... that way," he pointed southwest. "You're going the wrong way."
"Am I?" Naruto chuckled, scratching his head and looking around. "Well, shoot, I guess I got turned around."
"Before you go on your way, I gotta say, you look very familiar."
"Do I?" Naruto queried.
"Yeah, you do. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and that strange birthmark. I think you're Naruto Uzumaki, the bounty hunter."
"That's a big claim," Naruto replied, watching the older man reappear. The younger man whispered something to him, and he frowned.
"I think we've got off on the wrong foot here. What are y'all's names?" Naruto inquired.
The older man sighed, continuing to stare at Naruto. "Is something wrong?" Naruto asked.
"I don't think you are who you say you are. A newspaper writer... they're called journalists," he remarked. Naruto raised his hands, quickly dropping them as both men drew their guns.
"I just had something in my eyes," Naruto said, chuckling nervously. "You keep playing dumb. I think you're much harder than you let on," the older man said, while the younger man cocked his revolver. "Why were you hiding like that?" the younger man inquired. Naruto glanced at the flowing water for a moment. "Well, when one is standing among sixty outlaws who are drunk and easily offended... I think it's in one's best interest to hide," Naruto explained, his eyes scanning the tents as a few men had positioned themselves behind him with their guns pointed.
"Is Gozu right?... are you following us?" the older man questioned. "Yes, sir," Naruto replied simply."Bounty hunter?" the man continued.
"Yes, sir."
"While I want to shoot you for your brazen impudence, I think you best be on your way... Who are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for a feller named Haido and his crew, heard they were spotted near a bar not too far from here." Naruto responded.
The older man stared at Naruto. "You know who I am?"
"Yes, sir. Danzo and the Root. A bad man who runs with even worse men," Naruto said. "Killing folks on a whim... or so I've heard."
"Do you want me to kill you?" Danzo asked.
"No... I'd prefer to kill you first."
"You ain't gonna kill me, friend. Many have tried, and many have failed. I won't die to no gun, no bounty hunter, or lawman... death will take me in my sleep."
"Whatever you say, sir," Naruto replied. Danzo uncocked his gun and put it away. "Godspeed, friend," he said as he disappeared behind the woodpile again, followed by his men.
Naruto placed his hands on his hips and sighed, recalling his mother's description of him as a lucky boy. He had never quite understood her, but during the last two years, facing down several barrels and walking away from numerous gunfights, he finally comprehended her words.
Naruto exited the river, unrolled his pants, and retrieved his boots. He hurried over to his horse, quickly mounting it, and pulled out a map from a pocket on his saddle. He stared at it for a moment before circling a small square that read, "Sake Sake store."
At 6:30 PM it began to rain and the once solid ground became a sinking, muddy mess. Naruto dismounted the horse and decided to continue on foot, leading the horse carefully by the reigns. If he continued to push the beast the way he did, a broken leg would befall it eventually. He must've been an hour away from here, the heavy rains made sure he was constantly squinting, barely able to see the road ahead. "Lucky...yeah right." He thought as he pushed himself and his horse through the mud.
"Hey!."
Naruto stopped and looked back. A carriage was quickly approaching, the driver waving at him. He stopped and calmed his horse. "Easy boy." He whispered. He pulled his hand through the sleeve and into the inside of jacket, his hand wrapping around the Pearl grip of his revolver. "You headed up to Sake Sake store?," the driver asked. "Sure." Naruto replied.
"looks like you've fallen on a bad time," the driver stated, pointing to the clouds above and chuckling. "Well I'm waiting to fall on a good time" Naruto said while wiping rain from his face. The driver laughed, "Well I got some bad news for you son...this here weathers going to get worse. Me and my passenger have been running from a cloud as black sin since the morning."
"So you're planning to stop by Sake Sake choice for the night?," Naruto asked. "Yup." The driver stated, "Can I borrow a ride from you?" Naruto inquired. "Well it's not up to me...lady in the wagon has final say."
Naruto nodded and let go of the reigns to his horse, "stay here," he said simply. He walked over to the window and knocked on the glass, a young woman extended her hand and pulled the window open. "You wouldn't mind if I rode with you for the next hour or so would you?."
He stared at her waiting for an answer. Staring into her milky white eyes, blind. She nodded but didn't anything. Naruto clearly understanding awkwardly ran back to his horse and grabbed the reigns. "Mind if tie this feller to the back?," he asked. "Go ahead." The driver stated.
He instructed the driver to drive a bit slower, telling the man that he didn't want the horses to fall over on them. He entered the carriage and sighed, "Thank you," he said simply. The woman opened her mouth to speak but suddenly caught herself. She once again simply nodded.
Naruto leaned out of the window and looked back. The dark clouds had grown increasingly darker, everything for twenty miles behind them seemed to have experienced an early nightfall.
The carriage made its way over the bridge and the driver grinned. "Bars in view now. We should arrive in fifteen minutes or less." He shouted.
Naruto stared at the woman. Even though he knew she couldn't see him it still felt odd to stare at her. "My names Naruto Uzumaki," he finally said , crossing his arms and leaning back. The woman nodded and stayed silent for a moment before finally speaking, "Hinata Hyuga," her voice was weak, the best comparison that came to mind for Naruto was the meow of a kitten. "Hyuga...sounds familiar." Naruto said, he inspected her some more. Expensive clothing that would've been considered aristocratic, jewelry and a family ring. "Rich family...hmmm, I think it's...I can't remember."
The carriage came to a slow halt and the driver quickly hopped off, grabbing his rifle and swinging it over his shoulder. "Lady Hinata...Mr...I never caught your name." The driver shouted over the howling wind. Naruto leaned forward, "Naruto Uzumaki," the driver nodded and introduced himself. "I'm Ko...anyway we're here. You two head on inside while I store the horses."
Naruto quickly opened the door and extended his hand, "Allow me," he said. Hinata's hand scanned the air, bumping into Naruto's hand. She reluctantly took it and he helped her out. Removing his leather duster coat and holding it over her head as they ran inside. Practically knocking the door down.
Naruto surveyed the people in the bar, one old bartender and a group of young people sitting in a corner.
Naruto smirked. "Aren't I one of the luckiest bastards to ever live."