KG: No! Thine eyes do not deceiveth you! Now, I imagine some ( a lot) of you are pissed off at me and wondered what I was doing. Well, I can't answer that. All you'll need to know is...well, I told you I would come back. DId you ever really doubt me?
Wifey: I never doubted you. I never had faith in you to begin with.
KG: I'm used to you though.
Music of the Week: As We Fall by Riot Games
Quote: "Just because a door appears closed it does not mean that it is locked - nor that it will not open with the right heart, call or touch, " by Rasheed Ogunlaru.
Kushina opened her eyes. The smell of disinfectants led her to believe that she was in the hospital. The bright lights made her squint and she slowly tried to ease herself to an upright position. She didn't remember what had happened to her. Everything seemed to be flying at her in a myriad of pain and flashing lights. Once she tried to move, she found her body screaming at her with an intense fiery sensation that kept her pinned down.
"What happened?" Kushina wondered until she heard her room door open. A gasp made her turn her head. She noticed Yukimaru, Guren, and Shi come through the door.
"Kushina-san, you're awake!" the young boy claimed. She saw him walk to the side of her bed and place some flowers in a vase for her. She wasn't sure what to make of their presence, but family was always welcome regardless.
Meanwhile, Guren and Shi closed the door and surrounded her. Neither needed to guess what she was thinking. Her eyes told them enough. "You fainted at the Hyuuga residence. Hiashi-sama personally escorted you to the hospital. You've been asleep for at least a week," Shi said. He held up her head gently to give her water. Kushina gratefully accepted the gesture.
As the water slide down her throat, she began to remember. She remembered speaking with Hiashi Hyuuga, and then came a surge of spiritual pressure from within her body. As the valve which kept Naruto's power in check, allowing it to grow with his current human body, she felt like her entire had almost been breaking. It was almost as if so much power had grown within Naruto that her body was utterly incapable of handling all of it. Speaking of him, where was her son?
"Where...is Naruto?" Kushina asked. It had not been spoken of, but due to her connection to him, both by the powers of the Shinigami and their Uzumaki ritual of engagement, she had been able to sense him fairly well, even over twenty miles away. Now, she felt like she couldn't even sense him at all. That worried her a great deal.
The redhead did not like the mood in the room. It was as if dread had touched their faces and filled their spirits. Guren was the one to speak. "Erm, Kushina...by order of the Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto has been deemed a hazard to the stability of Konoha. He was...escorted into the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility about five days ago until there has been word of what to do with him," Guren replied.
Crack
The wall behind Kushina fractured itself as her body began to glow with righteous white fire. Her eyes burned with anger. So intense was her fury that the glass of her window cracked as well. It did not take the windows long to buckle between the overwhelming pressure. The window sill snapped in two making Yukimaru scream as the glass exploded over his body. Guren quickly took the young boy away while Shi covered the rest of his body from the flying pieces of broken glass.
The three was the way her hair swayed in the air like a malevolent, yet holy beast. Whatever pain, what ever burning sensation, whatever aching feeling her body was experiencing, Kushina did not care. She found the strength to grab the sheets and pull them off her body. "Kushina-san, you shouldn't be out of bed!" Shi claimed worriedly.
As soon as Kushina felt her feet touch the floor, she wobbled for a moment, her body unsteady from her days in the hospital. "Tsunade, this better be some kind of sick joke dattebane! My son better be alright or I'll remove your damn head from your shoulders!" Kushina inwardly threatened. She grabbed the handle of the door and turned around.
"Take me home! Tsunade and this damn village have screwed my family over for the last time!" She claimed.
"Kushina, wait! You have to listen. I think...I think the Hokage might have a point. Just...look outside," Guren claimed. Oh, Kushina was going to look outside, but it wasn't going to be from a window. It was going to be through her own eyes outside of the hospital. To even hear what her blue-haired family member had said left a sour taste in her mouth.
The three quickly picked up their things and ran after her. They were just in time to see Kushina shove her doctor into the wall. "Touch me again, and I'll make sure your hands don't operate on anyone again!" she roared with steel in her voice. Nurses, doctors, and patients moved out of the woman's way as her very aura shattered the glass windows and pierced the tiled floors. Tsunade Senju, Kushina could forgive a lot of things! Kushina HAD forgiven a lot of things! But you would rue the day you messed with her son!
Kushina hadn't even forgiven fully forgiven Tsunade for the previous excuses. This was most definitely not helping. If you thought that just because you were the Hokage, the leader of the village that Minato had once been the leader of, she would go easy on you then you damn sure had another thing coming!
The mature redhead exited the hospital and, for the moment, she was shocked by how much destruction the village had sustained. She could also feel the pressure in the air. Her son had done this. She didn't know how, and she didn't know why, but her son had done this. Yet, she knew it was more than that. Something had happened to him. Something had happened to them both. Naruto's mother knew this when she saw the massive scar in the ground which had been torn through the entire village from endpoint to endpoint. Kushina was very worried. Not about the village per se, but about her son. If he had done this then what was happening to him?
"Kushina, wait! You can't leave! You could still be hurt! If Naruto was sent there then the only person who can get him out is the Hokage. Not even the Hinoken group has that kind of authority, Besides, you can't threaten the Hokage!" Guren called out.
Kushina stopped for a moment. It was a moment that the three Uzumaki members wished she hadn't because as soon as she did the ground splintered beneath her feet. "Watch me!" Kushina replied, her voice much darker than either of the three had heard of her before.
-x-
Naruto panted as he ran and ran. How long had he been running? He wasn't sure. He never seemed to get tired, but he never seemed to make any progress either. It was dark wherever he was. Yet, he kept running and running. He didn't know why. Was he running to save someone? Was he running to get away? He knew the answer to neither question. He just kept running.
"Why do you run, Child of Death? Do you fear me that much?! I opened your eyes to the glory which awaits you! Merge with me! Merge with me and become a god amongst gods! You despise him right? Jashin? We could end him, destroy all which he holds dear. What holds you back? What binds you down?"
A voice, loud as thunder and sharp as steel, spoke to him. Suddenly, Naruto felt very hot. He had been running for so long yet this was the first time he actually remembered sweating. His open-toed sandals burned like the floor he ran on was covered in hot magma. The pain fired through his senses, but he kept running.
He could hear people screaming. The flames which danced around him burned all that he could see. Clearer and clearer the darkness seemed to get, but even now Naruto wished it had stayed dark. He would not need to see the gruesome display of citizens running through the streets, stepping over each other in panic. He would not need to see swarms of the deceased cutting through bodies of mortal flesh like it was naught but paper.
"Stop it!" Naruto thought. He wanted to act, but force of immeasurable weight stopped him. He was only allowed to watch as houses were razed to the ground, children, parents, and adults were slaughtered. A kingdom of burning ash and sulfur filled the skies.
"Is this what holds you back from our merger? This village?! Why let them tie you down? They will only betray you in the end as will all who bear mortal flesh! I would never lie to you. Have you forgotten that they hid your parents from you?! Have you forgotten how much they despised you?! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN HOW MUCH THEY HURT YOU?!"
The voice would not stop. Naruto tried to focus his power as much as he could, but his seal burned with even more intensity than the surrounding heat had. He choked for air while he clutched his arm. Everyone was screaming, but he couldn't help. Everyone was dying, but he couldn't act. Even with the powers of the God of Death at his disposal, he was unable to move through with action.
"Do you know why you can't move? Do you know why you can't ask? Do you know why...you can't fight me? Because you know I'm right. What you see is what you truly desire! What you see...is retribution! We can guide their souls to the afterlife and torment them for the rest of their miserable existences! See? Even your family agrees with me…,"
Naruto's eyes widened as he saw a man stood atop the Hokage Tower. Beside him rested the many members of the Uzumaki clan that Naruto had so readily called his family. It was utterly impossible for him to mistake the statue of his mother. She stared down upon Konoha with an unholy gaze. "It's not enough," Kushina said.
"It will never be enough for these fuckers! We should finish off the rest of them!" Tayuya replied. There was not a single one of them that thought otherwise and that terrified Naruto more than it should have.
"All in due time, stupid daughter of mine. Besides, we already have the first key. We just need the other four. Isn't that right, Godaime-sama?" Risa asked. She and the others turned around to see Tsunade, the Hokage of Konoha, bound head to toe in dense, constricting chains which rendered her strength a complete nonfactor.
"All of this! You would do all of this just because I had Konoha's best interests in mind?! The exile was only temporary! It was never meant to come to this! Kushina, this the home that Grandfather and Mito-baachan fought to protect! You would dishonor both their wishes for this?!" Tsunade asked.
Kushina chuckled and flipped some of her hair to the side. "You know what they say, Tsunade, one man's destiny is another's man's ruin. This has nothing to do with Mito-baachan. You're just in the way. I told you that you would rue the day you messed with my son again," the redhead swordswoman replied.
"Kushina, I care about Naruto too, but the safety of the village came first! One person's life does not equal the tens of thousands of others! Minato would never…," Tsunade never managed to finish her statement before a blast of light exploded from Kushina's palms utterly obliterating the Godaime Hokage from the top of the Hokage Mansion.
"Now no one will EVER speak that name to me again. Is that right...sochi?" Kushina asked staring up into the sky. The others of the Uzumaki clan stared with her. Naruto did not wish to look up as well, but he did. Once he did, the image that he saw would be burned into his head for many sleepless nights. He saw...himself floating in the air above the burning village. With white fire eyes that carried the souls of eons of the dead, he held out his hand. Soon that too was covered as well.
"That's right, Kaa-chan. The age of mortals is over! Now is the age...what I say it is,"
Naruto started at himself having finished those words. They sounded dark, twisted, and disturbed. Yet, the power he was feeling was very much like his own at the moment. Then, Naruto noticed the empowered form of himself stare directly at him. The Uzumaki clan members stared at the young blonde as well.
"SO MERGE WITH ME AND FULFILL DESTINY!" The Naruto in the sky shouted as he turned his hand towards the one on the ground. He then fired with all his strength. A blast of pure white energy exploded from his hands and engulfed Naruto below.
It felt hot. It felt hotter than anything he had ever felt previously. Though, no matter how hot it felt, he couldn't scream out. His lips were sealed shut and he could only watch in horror as his very body faded away into nothingness. Was he...dying?
"Nii-chan? Nii-chan! Wake up! Naruto-nii!"
Naruto's eyes shot open and he released a heavy breath he had been holding. His eyes had him looking up at a dark stone ceiling. To his side rested Yuri. A worried expression was upon her face. She touched his face and he saw her hand covered in his sweat. "Yuri?" Naruto asked.
She quickly nodded and walked over to a pail of water. When she walked over to it, Naruto quickly noticed he was not in his family's medical area. Usually, medical areas didn't have iron bars at the entrance. He tried to move, but his body forbade him from doing so. That same burning sensation from earlier was currently happening.
"I'm glad you're finally awake. You...were asleep for a really long time, a week I think. You were screaming 'No, No, No' over and over, and you had a high fever" Yuri said.
At these words, Naruto felt like he was still dreaming. He had been asleep...for a week? What had caused him to nearly collapse for a week? Better yet, where was he now? He didn't remember a whole lot. Everything was very hazy. He had just finished showing Yuri the form that had been granted to him by the Shin. After that...everything was blank.
Yuri took the wet cloth and wiped the sweat from Naruto's face. "Yuri, where...are we?" Naruto asked. The young redhead shivered at his question. It was not something that Naruto missed. As for herself, Yuri knew there was no point in trying to be funny. It was a very serious situation and, no matter how she felt, it had to be addressed.
"You...umm, you've been arrested my Konoha and detained in the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility. You've been detained because you were...deemed a threat to the village's security. I...I tried to explain that it wasn't your fault, but no one would listen to me. They came while you were unconscious on my lap. They tried to take you, but I wasn't going to let you be taken alone for something I know wasn't your fault. In the end, they took me with you. I've been feeding you for the week while we've been here," she replied.
Naruto's mouth felt dry. Him, a threat to Konoha security? No, that was impossible! It had to be some kind of sick joke that he wasn't in on! But, no joke would have him behind bars. He stared at Yuri. She wasn't lying to him. She continued to wash his face as he tried to process these words. His breathing quickened.
"Nii-chan?" Yuri spoke.
"Why does the Hokage allow that boy around the village? Lord Hokage should really have more consideration for the people."
"He's going to turn on us one day!"
"Here, take the mask! Now get out! Go Away!"
"Stay away from that boy. He's dangerous!"
"You should never have been born! Someone as worthless as you could never become Hokage! YOU'RE A THREAT! GO AWAY! DISAPPEAR!"
"Merge with me, and end this age of mortals! We are not the threat! They are! To the newly formed Earth which shall be cleansed through fire and brimstone! MERGE WITH ME!"
"Nii-chan!" Yuri shouted which made Naruto's breathing return. He stared at her, but...he then exhaled. He still couldn't move, therefore he couldn't turn away from her like he wanted to. This...this sounded like a bad dream.
"Yuri...what...what did I do?" he asked, his voice rather soft. It was that softness that truly made Yuri not want to tell him. She didn't know what she was supposed to say. He looked like he was in greater distress and Yuri never wanted her brother to be in pain. It wasn't doing good for her either. This constant worry for him. She wished she could kiss him and make him feel better, but...would that even have the effect?
Thankfully or not, Yuri didn't have the time to answer. Instead, there came a Jonin operative. "Uzumaki Naruto? Good you're awake. Come with me! You too, Uzumaki Yuri" He said unlocking the door. He then stepped inside, but as soon as he did he was overcome by a massive amount of spiritual pressure. He then noticed Yuri glaring at him.
"I hope you go to the eye doctor soon because, in case you haven't noticed, Nii-chan is too hurt to move! Either get him some help or get your people down here and tell him!" Yuri demanded. Despite the pressure, the Jonin sent a harsh glare towards her.
"Remember your place, genin! I can have you charged with obstruction of authority if you talk back to me like that again," he remarked. It was then that he heard the walls of Naruto's cell crack and crumble. He spared a glance to the wall. It was close to breaking. He then turned back to see Naruto, his gaze full of steel, and his fists clenched. Though bedridden the blonde was not so helpless that he couldn't make the man regret talking to his cousin as he had.
The man cleared his throat. "Well, it doesn't matter. You coming with me was merely a formality, but we can save that for later. Anyway, Uzumaki Naruto, effectively immediately, by decree of the Council of Konoha, you are hereby striped of your shinobi rank and hitai-ate. For endangerment to the citizens of Konoha you are hereby exiled from the village for six to seven months. Konoha outposts in other nations are prohibited as well. Your sword and a backpack with standard shinobi supplies is waiting for you as soon as you can move," he read.
Silence surrounded the cell. Like the tightening coil of a long snake around their throats, Yuri and Naruto were left speechless. It must have only been a few seconds, but those seconds must have felt like hours. The pressure, the...the...the weight of those words was enough to make one person...break.
"What?! You're exiling Nii-chan?! But it wasn't his fault! I even wrote a report describing what happened! I hate writing reports! Have you all lost your damn minds? Something was manipulating him!" Yuri exclaimed with heat in her voice.. Her teeth nashed against each other. She could feel something in the back of her mind snapping.
"Calm down, you're getting too angry," Sanbi spoke. Yet, he could feel the surge of his power rising through Yuri's body. The bijuu could feel his host slipping away. Her anger was rising higher and higher.
"You...You...ungrateful...self-serving...self-righteous...undeserving bastards! Nii-chan has saved all of you countless times!" Yuri snarled with her fingers clenched.
"You would do well to remember that you're speaking against an order from your Hokage, Genin. His exile isn't permanent. He is saving the lives of many Konoha citizens by removing his presence from the village, or did you not tell him that he attacked the Uzumaki clan and nearly killed Uzumaki Komachi while under this…'manipulation'?" the jonin asked.
Naruto widened his eyes in disbelief. He...did what? He nearly killed Komachi? A shiver ran through his spine. No. He couldn't have. He would never… This. This wasn't a bad dream. This was a nightmare. His body felt cold. His chest felt tight. He...he couldn't breath.
"And my future dream is to become the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody! Somebody important!"
"We're all here now," Yura said getting everyone to nod in agreement with her.
"That's right, we also have Uzushiogakure. We have enough members to be an official clan. But whether we're a clan or not, we're Uzumaki right?" Guren asked and everyone nodded, even Shi and Komachi.
"That's right. We're fuckin' Uzumaki! No one can mess with us!" Tayuya exclaimed. Everyone nodded.
Guren kissed Yukimaru's forehead. "It doesn't matter if you're full-blooded, half-blooded, or even related to us. Yukimaru, you're an Uzumaki just like us," Guren said and Yukimaru shook his head happily.
"Nicely said Guren, Tayuya. We're all here and it doesn't matter how. However, I have to say...," Risa said as she stood before her nephew. She grabbed Naruto into a hug getting the others to smile.
"Sorry you were alone. Sorry you had so many sleepless nights. We're not going anywhere this time," she said. Naruto just nodded.
"I know you aren't. Cause I'm going to protect us all," Naruto returned.
Yuri's silence gave the jonin as much as he needed. "Unless you can prove this...manipulator actually exists and that they were the one behind Uzumaki Naruto's rampage, then all you report has done was add what you assumed happened. Evidence is all that matters. I suggest you learn that quickly. As for you, Uzumaki Naruto, I'll bring the prison doctor and they will give you an overall check up. As soon as you are cleared to leave then you will be escorted out. I suggest you not toy with the order," The jonin said. He quickly turned around and left, but not before locking the cell doors.
Yuri turned to face Naruto. "Nii-chan, don't listen to him! I know I don't have proof, but I know you weren't the one who…," Yuri turned around and she noticed the blank stare on the blonde's face. His entire body seemed unresponsive, as if he had been forcibly disconnected from the world around him. Yet, the shiver in his arms was apparent. Yuri did not wish to tell him, but within her heart, the smallest seed of contempt had grown towards Konoha. She knelt at his side and hugged him.
"If...if they exile you Nii-chan, then they better exile me too! Yura-nee and I will never leave you! I love you, Nii-chan. No matter what anyone says! You'll never be a monster to me," Yuri said. She held him as tight as she could. She then was rewarded by him leaning his head on her shoulder. Her fingers raked through his hair. Fine Konoha, if you didn't want her Nii-chan, then she would take him. All of him.
-x-
"I have made my decision, Yura. Until this matter can be resolved, and Naruto can properly show me that he's under control of his powers he won't be allowed back inside Konoha's walls. I can only assume that six months is a good time for that," Tsunade replied.
"If that's the case, then with all due respect Tsunade-sama, you're an absolute idiot!" Yura replied which made the Hokage narrow her eyes. For the normally most reserved member of the Uzumaki clan to speak out like this was rather interesting...if very disrespectful. However, Yura didn't give the busty Hokage the chance to reprimand her.
"How is exiling Nii-sama going to "prove" to you that he can control his powers?! Better yet, why should he have to prove anything to you?! It feels like all his life he's been doing nothing, but proving himself to this village over and over and over again! When will all of you realize that if you actually helped him instead of isolating him like some dangerous animal then he would give you what you wanted so much?!" Yura asked vehemently.
Tsunade stood up and opened her window. "Look outside at the village, Yura! It's nearly destroyed! Reports of festering spirits come to me almost daily. With Hinako and Hizashi Hyuuga's sudden appearances in combination with Naruto's mysterious summoning beast, people are asking questions and many are assuming he's responsible. This is as much for the village as it is for him," the blonde Hokage explained.
"As much for the village as it is for him?! It's never been about him! Not once has it ever been about him! It's always about you and these people who constantly take advantage of him! Onii-sama always told me that Konoha people valued everyone! Everyone was treated like brothers and sisters here! He always had nothing but good things to say! Well, I don't know of any family that exiles their family members!" Yura responded back.
"Yura, I have been accommodating of your attitude, but do not forget that I am your Hokage. You will give me the respect I deserve. I know this will be hard for Naruto, but this is for the best. I'm sure of it!" Tsunade claimed back.
Yura's frown deepened. Oh, this was for the best? This was for the best?! Then why wouldn't Tsunade tell him that she was basically destroying his dream?! "If it's for the best, then tell me can a former exiled shinobi become the leader of a village?" Yura asked.
The blonde medic nin visibly shivered. She then looked away from the Uzumaki female, a look of sadness on her face. Her fingers clenched against each other as she felt the weight of Yura's words. "Part of being an adult...is giving up the things we want the most...even our dreams," Tsunade replied.
Yura widened her eyes. Shock, rage, disgust, all of these emotions filled her body. She then grabbed her hitai-ate. "You...You...You people disgust me! I never told Onii-sama this, but...I had reservations about Yuri and I coming to Konoha. It was always just the two of us, but...Nii-sama was the guiding light in our lives. If he was with us then change wouldn't be so scary. I came to love him so much. I do love him very much. Maybe...I love him too much. I love him so much that what you and the rest of the cowards in this village DOESN'T CONCERN ME!" Yura said.
In one fluid motion, which surprised Tsunade, Yura Uzumaki tore off her Konoha headband and threw it on the ground. "If you exile Onii-sama, then I resign as a shinobi of Konoha! I'm going with him! Wherever he's going, I'm going, and none of you can stop me!" Yura replied. She turned around before Tsunade could give a response.
The eldest sister of the two redhead Uzumaki opened the door and was a tad surprised to see Kushina standing there with Guren and Shi. Tsunade did not want to admit it, but a flash of fear flew through her body when the former redhead looked at her. Kushina's once red hair was glowing with white hot flames. No doubt her powers were in full blossom. She would look very beautiful if she wasn't so terrifying.
"Shi, Guren, take Yura home. I believe she's said her piece," Kushina said. Neither sought to refute her. They collected Yura and left the room while Kushina stepped inside. She then closed the door.
Tsunade took a calming breath. "I'm glad you're awa…,"
The Hokage didn't get to finish her sentence before she noticed her mirrors crack. A frown marred her face until she turned back to Kushina. "This is the third time, Tsunade." Kushina said, her voice reverberating through the room. Though unnerved, Tsunade rose an eyebrow in confusion.
"This is the third time that you and this village have messed with my son! One, Sarutobi allowed his jinchuuriki status to slip into the masses which gave my son some of the most terrible years of his life. Two, neither you nor Jiraiya honored our wishes to keep check of him. That I understand, perhaps the both of you did have urgent matters. Fine, but this...this is the third. Damn. Time! You imprison my son, exile him, destroy his dream in one. Single. Action. I truly applaud you Tsunade. You've never made me want to kill you this badly dattebane!" Kushina remarked.
Instantly four Anbu surrounded her, but Kushina didn't pay them much of a concern. Her entire attention was focused on the Hokage in front of her. "Luckily for you, Yura practically spoke for me and what I was going to say, but I'll leave you with this. I don't know what "good" you think you're doing, but you have done it for the last time. Naruto will be taking up his "exile" with the Hinoken group. If you know what's good for you and the rest of this village...you'll allow that. But I'm watching you, Tsunade Senju. I warn you. I'll make you rue the day you came back to Konoha to take office here!" Kushina finished.
Without another word, she turned around and walked out of the room. Tsunade released a breath and fell back into her chair. The Hokage closed her eyes and released a sigh. "I want the Uzumaki clan monitored from now on. I don't want to think it would happen with Mito-baachan's family, but they...might become a threat," Tsunade said. One of the Anbu quickly saluted her and stormed off to ready the appropriate personnel.
-x-
Naruto stared down at a single backpack and his sword on a table. It was as the jonin said, only a backpack containing the essentials for shinobi and his sword were all that were awarded to him during this time. The blonde exhaled. When the doctor came, he had given the okay that Naruto could move. Sometimes, Naruto had to curse his healing factor, but that wasn't Kurama's fault. It had saved him many times, and it did at that point. It was just a bit unfortunate. So...Naruto was moved out of the cell with Yuri and...here they were.
"Uzumaki Naruto? Hurry up and collect your things! Any longer and you run the risk of longer imprisonment!" A guard called.
This...this was actually happening. He, Uzumaki Naruto, was being exiled from his home. He couldn't even say goodbye to his family, his mother, or his friends.
"Shut up! He's still feeling stiff! Just give him a few more minutes!" Yuri called back angrily. Even though it wasn't right, her response did make Naruto smile. Kami, he truly loved her sometimes.
"Thanks Yuri-chan," Naruto replied. He found his head turned and pulled into a sweet kiss courtesy of the young Uzumaki. She stared into his eyes and smiled.
"I don't care what happens to me Nii-chan, but I'm not letting you go alone! If I know everyone else back at home, they feel the same way!" She replied. Naruto gave her a smile as well. It probably wasn't his best, but he hoped she felt its meaning.
Finally, both were escorted out of the Konoha Correctional Facility. It took about an extra hour to get from the center of the facility which turned out to be at the center of a volcanic area. Once this area of fire and rock turned into lush green trees, they were both left alone at the center of the room.
"Too bad I couldn't get any of my own supplies," Yuri said. She took off her Konoha headband and placed it in her pocket.
"Listen Yuri-chan, maybe it would be better if you..,"
"Finish that sentence, Nii-chan, and I'll give you the biggest lump that your pants never could! I'm staying with you and that's final," she replied, a cheeky smile on her face. Despite himself, Naruto didn't stop the next smile that came on his face, even with a slight grimace. Yuri was pretty scary herself when she had to be.
With a heavy heart, confused mind, and young redhead lover, Naruto turned away from the road which would lead to Konoha and walked in the opposite direction with Yuri. The sun rested in the sky over them lighting the path as they walked.
KG: Yes, yes I know it's short, but it will have to do. I admit it might be a little off-putting, but I'm trying to plant myself firmly into the story again. So I might as well start somewhere. I actually had more fun coming back to this than I thought. Doesn't help that I had basically two years to think over where I was taking this thing. Now I imagine some people will comment on how bad my writing was before and it wasn't worth going through it again to get to this point. I can't say anything to you guys. You'll have to find the value in that yourself.
Wifey: Just imagine if you drop it again.
KG: I promise not to let that happen this time. Anyway, take care. SEND ME CREAM SODA!
Derek: Waaaaaaah!
KG: Dammit.