"Ha... nice landscape," Naruto furrowed his brow upon hearing the deep voice of his tenant. It had been a few days since he began hearing these sporadic words and phrases at rather inconvenient moments. They were seldom coherent.
"What are you talking about?" He asked, genuinely surprised by this mention of the Whirlpool Country.
"In the Second War, the Uzumaki clan was wiped out by Kiri, Kumo, and Iwa," the fox, who seemed uninterested and let out a yawn, replied without much enthusiasm.
"Hey! What Uzumaki clan?! Fox!" Naruto couldn't contain his frustration. He hoped for answers, but all he received was silence. Growling angrily, he realized he'd have to get used to it. The fox mostly offered cryptic and unhelpful remarks, possibly to confuse him.
Shaking his head, Naruto continued his journey, determined to find answers.
~Hours later~
44 children.
678 adults.
These were the remains that Naruto had managed to identify. It was evident that the children were air nomads, as were many of the adults. The rest appeared to be firebenders. A significant battle had clearly taken place, but the monks had succumbed before the larger number of firebenders.
As he covered the last well with earth, the shinobi felt a sense of closure. It had taken him some time to arrange everything, as he didn't want to rely on clones for something so solemn. He proceeded with the utmost respect.
On a wide plain below the temples, he granted a dignified burial to all the airbenders he could locate. Although there were areas he hadn't yet examined, he believed he had found them all.
Although the firebenders were the ones responsible for all of this, Naruto gave everyone a proper burial. In his view, everyone deserved at least one grave for their eternal rest, even though he wasn't particularly religious.
With a sigh, Naruto plunged the shovel into the ground. Glancing at the darkening sky, he realized that night was approaching. Tomorrow would be another day.
Ever since he arrived in this world, he had scoured every corner in search of a way to return home. He had even attempted to recreate the clash of the Rasengan and Chidori, but the Chidori was beyond his grasp, and a confrontation between his Rasengan and a clone's yielded no answers.
His ideas were running dry, and he could only continue his search. He hoped to find something useful in this temple, but thus far, his quest had proven disheartening.
"I wonder if they miss me," Naruto mused sadly, gazing at the stars. He thought of Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei, Ero-sennin, Grandma Tsunade, Shizune-nee, and all the others. "I miss them," he admitted, his thoughts trailing off as he turned to find a place to rest.
Today had been a long day.
...
"Why do you defend them? You've given them a great gift, hehe, and they only use it to slaughter each other. They don't deserve your respect."
"You're wrong, Kurama. You respect everyone around you, and they'll respect you. Even if some don't deserve it... there are people who deserve more than respect; they deserve understanding."
"I don't understand…"
"You'll understand someday, when you find someone who understands you, just as you'll understand them."
"Hmm?" The Kyubi within his jinchuriki's body opened his eyes slightly as the words of his creator penetrated even his dreams. "Understanding?" He snorted, feeling a sense of displeasure at the mere mention of that word Jiji liked to use so much. Nestling into the recesses of his prison, he prepared to slumber for a few weeks until something interesting happened.
The fox's large ears perked up, and its eyes opened when it sensed something, or rather, someone. It found the presence intriguing. Slowly, as it rose to its feet, the fox revealed a smile, baring its sharp teeth. It appeared that something interesting was on the horizon.
...
Abruptly, Naruto woke up, his eyes snapping open as he sensed an unusual disturbance. Leaving the cave beneath the temple, he gazed at the sky, his confusion deepening as he witnessed black clouds slowly swirling around the temple. His bewilderment increased as a fierce blizzard ruffled his hair.
With a mighty leap covering 30 meters, he reached the temple's walls and scaled them to the top for a better vantage point.
"Oh, no..."
...
"What are you doing now?"
"How do we stop it?"
"Aang!" A teenage girl, approximately 14 or 15 years old, with dark skin and long brown hair tied in braids, her eyes a striking shade of blue. She wore a large blue and white coat, typical attire of the Water Tribe.
"Katara, get down!" The other individual present resembled the girl, sharing her brown hair, blue eyes, and tanned skin. His head was partially shaved, with the remaining hair tied in a ponytail. He swiftly pushed his sister to the ground as several rocks sailed perilously close above their heads. The wind was intensifying, carrying dangerous objects along with it.
The two natives of the Water Tribes gazed at the source of all the chaos.
Before them stood a 12-year-old boy, slender and bald, adorned with tattoos of arrows on his head and hands. He wore orange and yellow attire, but what truly caught their attention was the radiant white glow of his eyes and markings. He was enveloped in a growing bubble of wind that mirrored the blizzard wreaking havoc.
"Aang!" The girl made an attempt to reach out to the Avatar, but her words were swallowed by the deafening tumult. "I know you've lost so much here! I understand your pain! I lost my mother too!"
"Watch out!" Sokka hastily pulled his sister behind him as the feeble walls of the house they had sought refuge in were ripped from their foundations and hurled overhead. "We need to leave! It's too dangerous here!"
"We can't abandon him!"
"Do you have a better plan?!" As the siblings argued, they failed to notice the rocks precariously hanging from a cliff above them, until it was too late. Sokka took swift action, shoving his sister aside and closing his eyes as he braced for impact.
"Hey, buddy... Are you alright?" Sokka blinked and raised his eyes to see a younger boy than himself holding the massive rock over his head. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. The boy effortlessly hoisted a rock larger than himself and seemed unfazed.
"Uhh... I think I stained my pants"
[ If you want to read advance Chapters then go Pat reon and purchase a membership according to your choice and support me.
PAT REON I'D: Alzero ]
