Yo, First off thank you all for taking out the time to read the story that came off the top of my head randomly I appreciate you all taking out the time to read it.
Second off, I'll be writing the story on a (Hopefully) Biweekly basis right now I'm enjoying writing this story but I'm also writing plenty of other stories as well as dealing with a hectic life so if there are any late releases that's probably why so thank you for your patience. I may impulsively upload a chapter early if I feel really good about it.
Finally, I highly appreciate the reviews so far I'm always happy to take any constructive criticism that'll help better my craft so please feel free to give your thoughts on the story so far I'm thinking I may begin responding to reviews like I've seen in other stories in the next uploads but let me know how you guys feel about it.
Text rant over lol, as always thank you for read and I hope you enjoy.
- Ken
{...}
Chapter 2: Hello and Goodbye
It was quiet.
Normally this would have been a blessing for the young man currently laying on the roof watching the clouds pass by in the sky, usually he would try to make out shapes that the clouds would make while lazing around. The boy could only reminisce about the times he had spent with another boy who had been quite the loudmouth on a day similar to this one.
"Shoji? What's a Shogi? Sounds tasty."
"No you idiot it's a game about strategy, you use a bunch of pieces with different roles to try to take the other side's king…"
"Oh… Sounds complicated."
"It is but it's fun… maybe."
"You're a weird guy, Shikamaru."
"...You don't have to play if you don't want to."
"...Sure, I'll play!"
"Even if it's boring?"
"...I don't do it very often but… playing with friends is never boring."
The shogi piece in his hand flipped into the air before the black haired boy caught it as it fell back into his hand, he gripped the piece into his hand before he looked back up at the sky above a sad smirk on his face.
"You were the weird guy… idiot."
Shikamaru Nara said while he looked at the shogi piece in his hands, "You just going to sit there and brood or are you going to say something?" Shikamaru said before the sound of footsteps were heard approaching them.
"Shikamaru."
The voice greeted in a calm tone while Shikamaru slowly turned to look toward the newcomer, "Neji." Shikamaru greeted just as calmly while the Hyuga looked off to the side.
"I wanted to check on you."
Neji said while Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the other teen, "How uncharacteristically caring of you." Shikamaru said facetiously while Neji resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the crassness of the black haired teen.
"How's Hinata?"
Shikamaru asked while Neji walked over to sit beside the Chunin, "Devastated to say the least, it doesn't help that most of our family supports the decision. She still hasn't left her room since the official announcement." Neji explained while Shikamaru sighed.
"Figured, she didn't even get a chance to say anything to him."
Shikamaru said while Neji looked toward the sky, "None of us did." Neji said before the pair sat in silence for a few moments, both of their thoughts in a similar place in regard to the blonde idiot they called their friend.
"You mind if I say something crazy?"
Shikamaru said while Neji looked toward the black haired teen, "It wasn't your fault, you shouldn't blame yourself so heavily. We all made it back alive." Neji said while Shikamaru let out a heavy sigh from his mouth.
"It should have been me and you know it. I was the commanding ninja for the operation, the brunt of this should have been my burden. Not his."
Shikamaru said while Neji shook his head, "Naruto wouldn't want you to feel that way." Neji said while Shikamaru nodded his head.
"You're right, so I won't. The crazy thing about this is if I wasn't the son of the Jonin commander or had a future spot on the Leaf Village's great families council then it would have been me walking out of those gates."
Shikamaru said while Neji raised an eyebrow, "You're saying this has something to do with Naruto's status?" Neji asked while Shikamaru looked at the shogi piece he held in his hand before he gripped tightly.
"I'm saying that this entire thing had to have been deliberately made to target Naruto or else it wouldn't have made sense to go at him directly instead of at the one in charge."
Shikamaru said while Neji's eyes widened slightly in surprise, "You believe that this is part of some kind of plot to get rid of Naruto from the village? I doubt Lady Tsunade would have made a choice like this, they seemed close." Neji said while Shikamaru nodded.
"I agree, but there could be a chance that the decision wasn't just her own. There could be more people at play here with some kind of intent."
Shikamaru said while Neji looked toward the ceiling tiles they were sitting on, "That's a heavy accusation." Neji said before Shikamaru just nodded his head again.
"Yup."
Shikamaru said while Neji looked toward him, "While I can't say I can exactly disagree with you, I'm just wondering even if this was a scheme… What exactly would we be able to do?" Neji asked while Shikamaru held up the Shogi between their faces.
"I'm not trying to brag but when it comes to Shogi I've unfortunately been a prodigy in the game going nearly undefeated even against my father as of yet. Do you know who was the first person to ever beat me in the game?"
Shikamaru asked while Neji shrugged, "Perhaps your father finally gained the upper hand." Neji said inquisitively while Shikamaru merely chuckled at his dark haired peer.
"Unbelievably it was Naruto… The first time we had ever played when we were kids he had won a full set of three games against me… the kid hadn't even seen the game before and he crushed me while I was teaching him, the so-called genius."
Shikamaru recalled with a small smile on his face while Neji's expression was filled with surprise at the boy's story.
"That had to be the first time I had ever put effort into anything, after he beat me I studied the game even more than I did before just to beat him. Once I did, I asked him how he was able to beat me before he surprised me."
Shikamaru explained before Neji's eyes went to the piece in the black haired teen's hands the way he held it dearly had caught his eye.
"Naruto, he just pointed to this piece, the pawn. I used to just send those pieces out to gain an advantage as stereotypical as that is, yet he grinned pointing at the piece and just said they were cool. I told him they were just pawns, not much is cool about them."
Shikamaru said with a shrug before he tossed up the piece before he caught it in his hands again holding it out in front of the pair of boys, the same way he remembered a young Naruto holding the piece out to him in the past.
"All pieces are important, even the pawns."
Shikamaru said while Neji sighed, "He was an important friend to you more than you let on." Neji said while Shikamaru held the piece in his hand that read 'Pawn.' on it.
"Yeah, he's an idiot but he has always had a good heart. I want to do whatever I can to make sure that Naruto is safe, hell maybe even find a way to bring him back home. All of my friends are important to me, I have him to thank for reminding me of that."
Shikamaru said while Neji had the tiniest of smiles on his face looking at Shikamaru's uncharacteristically passionate face, the black haired teen must have noticed that he was making the face because he quickly dropped it.
"I guess Naruto has a way to cause people to break their characters. I'm with you in trying to get to the bottom of this and hopefully bring Naruto back home…It's too quiet around here."
Neji stated while Shikamaru huffed, "That's the understatement of the century, it looks like we've got our work cut out for us. I'm actually going to have to put in some effort again huh? What a drag…" Shikamaru expressed as usual though Neji knew that the boy's demeanor was different from his words he was more than ready to do what it took.
"Hey! There you two are!"
A loud voice came from the other loud platinum blonde in the village while Shikamaru and Neji turned their faces toward the landing blonde along with a pink haired girl who gave a simple wave with a look of confusion on her face.
"Have either of you seen Naruto around? Me and Ino have been looking around since we got back to the village, which is odd because you'd think we would have heard that idiot from a mile away."
Sakura said while Ino took a step forward revealing a potted flower in her hand, "I recognize this flower believe it or not, it's a little white clover I practically forced on him back in the day. I just found it with a cryptic 'Thank you' on it, now where's the idiot so I can give it back to him?" Ino said while Shikamaru slowly looked toward Neji.
"Guys?"
Sakura asked while Shikamaru broke into a sweat, he had completely forgotten that these two had been on a mission in the Land of Springs for the past week and half along with Kurenai. They didn't even have the slightest clue.
"Jeez and I told him no refunds either… Why are you two acting weird? Did he do something and you're both trying to cover for him? Now I get it, he left the flower because he obviously did some crazy prank and felt bad! Well he won't get away that easily!"
Ino yelled with a shake of her fist while Sakura only felt the creeping sensation that something was very wrong crawling up her back, "What happened to Naruto?" Sakura asked with more of her concern leaking into her voice.
Neji went to speak but was cut off by Shikamaru holding his hand up in front of him, probably due to the concern of Neji's lack of tact. The lazy boy cleared his throat and looked at the both of them with as collected of an expression as he could muster.
"Naruto… as of 3 days ago is no longer a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf…"
Shikamaru broke the news before Sakura immediately slapped her hands against her mouth, her eyes widening while Ino blinked at Shikamaru before she chuckled at her lazy teammate, her eyes went to the small flower in her hands.
"Hilarious, yet again Naruto's flare for the dramatic comes out! Jeez he must be paying you guys a lot to act this well for a prank, tell him to come out and take this damn flower! Naruto! This isn't funny, don't just cryptically leave a product in front of my store!"
Ino yelled taking a couple of steps past Shikamaru calling out to her fellow blonde trying to get her attention, Sakura looked toward Ino with a sad expression, she could hardly accept it herself but her friend was expressing straight up denial.
"Ino…"
Sakura trailed off, she could tell immediately that Shikamaru was being serious. She herself was struggling to keep her composure from the news, guilt washed over her because she could only think about the promise asked of him.
"Ino… he's gone."
Neji said while the girl stopped her pacing on the roof a little ahead of them, they saw her arms jerk slightly, nearly dropping the flower in her hands while looking at the expansive village.
Not a single speck of orange to be found running around.
Her thoughts lead back to the time her and Naruto were wearing Kimonos looking out into the night sky after a successful mission, she had bugged them to relax while her fellow blonde was as gung-ho as always about getting home.
He eventually caved and the two of them found a nice little spot to moon bathe she remembers calling it, there wasn't anything too massive that happened while they were both there in that moment. She remembered the earnest look in his eyes.
She remembered when they laughed their asses off at their whole fiasco of a mission, turns out the prince liked chubby women the whole time and basically all of their efforts meant nothing in the end to their success. She doesn't remember when she started noticing but Naruto laughed with his heart instead of his mouth when something made him really laugh.
A tear ran down Ino's face while the flower in her hands gently swayed in the wind while her ponytail danced on the back of her head.
"... I just remembered… I don't think I ever told you what this flower meant… huh Naruto?"
Ino lamented to the wind while the rest of the teens on the roof silently joined her, all of their thoughts all on the same orange clad individual. Turns out you really don't know what you have...
Until it's gone.
{...}
The sound of geta sandals clacking echoed through the hallway toward the entrance of the Hokage's office, a white haired man's eyes narrowed as he took each step toward the door. The door quickly swung open revealing Jiraya the Gallant, one of the three great Sannin and Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku with a visibly upset look on his face as he faced his old friend at her desk.
"Ah Jiraya, you're later than I thought you'd be."
Tsunade responded calmly while Jiraya wordlessly slammed a scroll on her desk, the scroll read 'Contract' on it while the woman looked toward it.
"You mind explaining why on the day I came to retrieve Naruto and start his training journey, I was immediately summoned to end his contract with the Toads of Mount Myoboku?"
Jiraya asked with a slight growl in his voice before Tsunade looked toward her old friend with a serious expression. "The Toads are aligned with the Leaf Village, Naruto was banished from the village therefore making his contract with them null. Make it quick." Tsunade said before she went to stamp another piece of paper before Jiraya slammed his hand on the desk roughly.
"Why?"
Jiraya asked while Tsunade looked back up from her paperwork, "The failure of the Sasuke retrieval mission, his involvement with the Kyuubi-" Tsunade said listing off the reasons before Jiraya growled.
"Are you hearing yourself right now?! Naruto wasn't in the wrong for any of that, you know that just as well as I do!"
Jiraya raised his voice while Tsunade glared at the white haired man, "Lower your tone. I'm the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf. Old friend or not you will not raise your voice at me." Tsunade said in a threatening tone while Jiraya sighed before quickly looking around.
"Where's Shizune?"
Jiraya asked while Tsunade looked back toward her old teammate, "I sent her on an errand." Tsunade responded while Jiraya sighed.
"Good, we can speak candidly. Now what happened?"
Jiraya said while Tsunade pushed her paperwork to the side, "The council had met in regard to Naruto. It had been decided there that he would no longer be a shinobi of the hidden leaf and be banished from the village." Tsunade said while Jiraya raised an eyebrow.
"Those old bastards? You never agreed with them on anything, why didn't you just ignore them?"
Jiraya asked while Tsunade huffed, "You honestly believe it's that simple? Like I could just constantly ignore the voices of the people all I want?" Tsunade said while Jiraya's expression softened.
"What did they say? What did they threaten him with? Why was it that you decided to agree with them on something like this?"
Jiraya fired away questions while Tsunade's fist clenched, "Did you know that even after everything he's done... nearly 70% of all of Konaha wanted him gone?" Tsunade asked while Jiraya took a step back in surprise.
"Even a few of the great families agreed with the decision to get rid of Naruto, hell the Hyuga were nearly adamant about it. Even Shikaku, the Jonin commander, said it was for the best if Naruto wasn't around, I never realized how deep the scars from that day ran through them."
Tsunade said while Jiraya gritted his teeth, "He saved them and wanted to protect them. He cared about them and they just threw him away?" Jiraya asked while Tsunade closed her eyes.
The blonde Hokage focused to before she responed to the white haired man, "The scars of the Leaf when it comes to the Kyuubi run exteremly deep, to ignore those scars as the Hokage would be a massive disservice to them." Tsunade said while Jiraya pointed his finger toward her.
"That wasn't on him either! Minato wanted Naruto to be treated like a hero! He's not a monster, he deserved the chance to prove them wrong."
Jiraya passionately exclaimed while a heavy slam of a fist caused him to stagger, "You think I don't know that!? Do you think that any part of me enjoyed doing this? What the hell would you have had me do!?" Tsunade yelled while Jiraya looked at the blonde.
"What… what the hell was I supposed to do…"
Tsunade trailed off while she began to tremble, Jiraya's eyes widened as he looked at the blonde Hokage before he took a breath and weaved a hand sign.
"Release."
Jiraya said before Tsunade's eyes widened before they relaxed her very image in front of the white haired Sannin began to fade. Slowly the room itself had begun to change, the desk once pristine looking had been heavily damaged, pieces of a chair had been scattered on the floor, and paperwork one neatly stacked on the desk littered the ground.
Jiraya slowly turned to the sound of a quiet sob spotting his old friend, the real one, not the genjutsu she had put up.
His heart sank when he saw her, the normally strong and proud woman he had come to know throughout his life…
She looked so defeated.
Tsunade had a presumably empty sake bottle next to her while she sat up on the floor, her back against the wall, her knuckles slightly bloodied.
"Damn… I should have figured you'd see through it."
Tsunade said with a crass chuckled before Jiraya quickly went to her side crouching in front of her.
"Tsunade…"
Jiraya said while the blonde woman kept her eyes to the floor, "A Hokage does what's best for their people… no matter what." Tsunade uttered almost wanting to spit after saying the words.
"Naruto… he was so good. A heart like that only to be treated like garbage, he didn't deserve this. Yet I couldn't do a damn thing."
Tsunade said while Jiraya sighed, "Is there a way to bring him back? To make the banishment null?" Jiraya asked while Tsunade shook her head.
"Even if there was… Danzo has the village turned against him. With a simple damn picture."
Tsunade said grimly while Jiraya narrowed his eyes, "Danzo… that bastard." Jiraya said, getting up before turning toward the door.
"The hell are you doing?"
Tsunade asked while Jiraya turned back toward the blonde, "Something has to be done about that bastard before it's too late." Jiraya growled before Tsunade shook her head.
"And then what? Make yourself an enemy of the village?"
Tsunade said while Jiraya clenched his fist, "I'd gladly do it for what he did to Naruto. A village that hates him, the same village he and his father protected the place his mother called home. That's no place I'd want to be involved with anyway." Jiraya said while Tsunade gave him a look.
"Jiraya… they're scared. They're angry. Naruto's just a kid but after what a lot of them had lost I can see why they act the way they do."
Tsunade explained while Jiraya thought back to the incident itself, the entire world practically shakes at just the mention of the attack at the leaf village.
"I just wish that they would have given him the chance…"
Tsunade trailed off while Jiraya huffed, "This isn't what Sensei would have wanted…" Jiraya said while Tsunade's brown eye gleamed.
"Well the Third Hokage didn't do a very good job of preventing that, did he?!"
Tsunade raised her voice, tossing the empty sake bottle at the wall causing it to shatter before the two Sannin sat in silence.
They both silently mourned their departed teacher for a moment.
"This was planned out carefully, Danzo used Naruto as an enemy to gain more favor with the village… if they hated Naruto then he could unite the Leaf under that hatred. I have zero doubts that he's probably going to use this as an opportunity to try to forcefully become Hokage."
Tsunade explained while Jiraya pointed back at the door, "All the more reason to do something now, I can understand the strategy of using Naruto as a source of hatred but he's a Jinchuriki. Wouldn't it be better to keep him around as a deterrent from other hidden villages from attacking?" Jiraya theorized while Tsunade looked up toward her old friend.
"He can't control him."
Tsunade said, causing Jiraya to pause, "Knowing Danzo he probably thought the same exact thing at one point, however he can't control Naruto. A Jinchuriki that won't bend the knee is nothing more than a threat to him." Tsunade explained while Jiraya gave her a slightly puzzled look.
"So sending him out into the world is a better solution? He's got to be planning something involving Naruto… worst case something involving the Akatsuki."
Jiraya said while Tsunade's eyes slowly widened, "We have no proof right now, a baseless assumption would only make things worse." Tsunade said while Jiraya reluctantly agreed.
"This is my fault Tsunade… I take full responsibility for all of this."
Jiraya said while Tsunade looked toward her friend, "How is this your fault? I was the one who caved, it's even worse because deep down.. I thought I would be protecting him from the rest of the village's hatred by sending him away…" Tsunade explained while Jiraya shook his head.
"I was the one who put you in this position, Sensei asked me to be the Hokage first and I turned it down not to mention even after his death I turned it down again. If I had become Hokage instead of shoving the burden onto you…"
Jiraya said while Tsunade kept silent, "However, I believe in you. I always have so I don't regret going out to find you, you are what's best for this village right now. Way better than me." Jiraya said while Tsunade huffed.
"Still nothing to blame yourself for you idiot."
Tsunade said while Jiraya shook his head, "I blame myself because I was made his godfather… I swore to protect him and be there for him every step of the way. Yet, I left him to be lonely so I can't fault Sensei for a sin I made myself." Jiraya explained while Tsunade's eyes softened looking at the white haired man.
"Naruto scared me too honestly… Not because of the Kyuubi or even because I blamed him for anything with the Leaf… I just couldn't bear to see myself mess up his life, I didn't think I was fit to be a father figure…"
Jiraya said while Tsunade felt her eyes watering again, "Jiraya." Tsunade said while the other Sannin put his hand up.
"I was wrong, just like Minato said I would be… Now I've got to take responsibility for that."
Jiraya said while walking over to Tsunade helping her off the ground while the woman trembled slightly.
"Tsunade…"
Jiraya said before the blonde woman met her old friend with eye contact before he gave her a slight grin.
"I'm going to get him back."
Jiraya said while Tsunade blinked away her forming tears before she hugged the man in front of her tightly. "Jiraya… promise me… promise me you'll keep him safe." Tsunade said while Jiraya hugged his old friend back just as tightly before he nodded his head.
"On my life. He will be safe."
Jiraya said before he released Tsunade from his embrace, he then walked toward the damaged desk where the scroll sat on a still solid part of it.
"Null."
Jiraya said weaving a hand sign before pointing his palm at the contract causing it to burn.
"Jiraya, are you sure?"
Tsunade asked while the white haired Sannin watched the scroll burn in front of him, "This road is going to be extremely hard for Naruto, but believe it or not I have nothing but faith in him. If anyone will be able to survive the world it'll be be him I'll iron out the rest of the details once I find him" Jiraya said while Tsunade cracked a tiny smile at the man.
"He still has your necklace right?"
Jiraya asked while Tsunade nodded, "Of course." The blonde said while Jiraya nodded his head.
"Good, that should at least make it a little easier to track him down. Before that I have to make one more stop."
Jiraya said while Tsunade tilted her head slightly confused, "A stop?" Tsunade asked while Jiraya took a look toward the crooked picture of Minato Namikaze on the wall of the office.
"Naruto is owed something."
Jiraya said before he walked toward the door, stopping briefly to turn toward the blonde Hokage. "Tsunade… you're the strongest person I know. It's ok to be weak sometimes, you don't have to hide it from me at least." Jiraya said while Tsunade looked down at her fist before she relaxed it looking back up toward her friend.
"Right."
Tsunade said while Jiraya gave her a grin, "Don't worry about Naruto and don't beat yourself up. We gotta get back at that Danzo so I need you in top shape." Jiraya said, giving a thumbs up.
"Who are you trying to give me orders?"
Tsunade said with a chuckle while Jiraya chuckled as well, turning to leave the room before Tsunade stopped him.
"Thank you."
Tsunade said while Jiraya wordlessly nodded the grin never leaving his face as he exited the room.
Tsunade turned toward the window looking at the rest of the village, she could practically still see Naruto jumping from roof to roof to her office looking for a mission.
"Naruto… Are you still ok out there?"
{...}
A tree branch shook while a figure flew through the air before landing on another branch. Naruto was jumping from tree to tree quickly, the wind blowing past his whisker like marks on his cheeks while he grinned. From what he could remember he was almost at the docks, there he would take a boat to his first stop on his world tour.
The Land of Waves.
Naruto flipped to the next branch before flipping to another one perching on it like a bird before he took a breath.
The boy was a little dirt covered and his orange jacket that he held so dearly was in tatters covering his body. The last five or so days in the forest had been a bit of a pain, he ran out of food scrolls on day 3.
Damn his metabolism.
However the good news about it was the blonde had gotten better at hunting, if you could call better a few squirrels and an overly ambitious raccoon. Food was food so he felt proud he was able to catch those things if anything, Naruto pulled out a piece of squirrel jerky he made quickly eating it.
"Still not Ichiraku's but not too bad if I say so myself!"
Naruto said cheerfully before he took a look at his ruined map Kakashi had also packed up for him in the bag. "So… uh. I think the docks are left from here…" Naruto said slightly confused before he looked back up, spotting nothing but trees in front of him.
"Uggh! Stupid map! Left. Right. There's nothing but freaking trees! How the hell am I supposed to find anything like this!?"
Naruto whined loudly before he sat on the branch criss-cross before he rubbed his chin in a thinking pose. "Come on think, there's gotta be a better way to navigate… think about what Kakashi Sensei taught…" Naruto tried to think but only remembered Kakashi giggling to himself while turning the pages to his pervy book while they swayed through the water.
"Well that doesn't help… What about Pervy Sage!" Naruto exclaimed while he tried to remember his trip to get Tsunade with the white haired man.
"Remember Naruto when approaching a good angle one must use all five senses."
Jiraya explained while he was tip-toeing with Naruto following behind.
"Sight."
The man said while looking around, "Touch." Jiraya said before running his finger on the cobblestone.
"Hearing… hush."
Jiraya said while Naruto gave his mentor a look of pure astonishment mixed with confusion while the sounds of water splashing were heard by the two males.
"Ah Smell!"
Jiraya said while he started to smell the air, Naruto just blinked before the Sannin nudged him.
"Come on boy Smell!"
Jiraya urged while Naruto sweatdropped, "This seems like this for something gross." Naruto said while he reluctantly smelled the air.
To his surprise he was able to smell something clearly, the scent was sweet like flowers but it was also warm and damp.
"I can smell it Pervy Sage!"
Naruto cheered before Jiraya narrowed his eyes at the boy, "Quiet! You're going to get us caught!" Jiraya said in a hushed yell before he licked his finger.
"Taste."
Jiraya said before he placed his finger on the fence before he put it back into his mouth.
"Hmm Mahogany… perfect!"
Jiraya suddenly jumped causing Naruto to jump after him before the both landed on a rooftop.
"So did we find it?! Whatever it is, it smells awesome!"
Naruto exclaimed while Jiraya chuckled before he turned Naruto's head.
"Behold, the forbidden treasures of man."
Jiraya said before Naruto noticed the splashing of the women's bath before Naruto quickly glared at his giggling mentor.
"I should have known, you giant pervert!"
Naruto yelled while Jiraya huffed before pointing to himself.
"I'm a super pervert, remember!?"
Jiraya yelled before an empty bucket slammed against the side of this head.
The memory ended with Naruto remembering the both of them having to run for their lives. "The only thing I realized was that all of my Sensei so far have been massive perverts!" Naruto yelled exasperated before he stood up causing the branch he was on to shake from his sudden movement.
The leaves brushed against each other making a sound before Naruto's eyes slowly widened at the leaves.
"Wait a minute…"
Naruto said before he thought back to the first time he and his team made the trip to the land of waves. The boat made a sloshing sound while it cut across the water, Naruto thought harder about how it looked. Naruto closed his eyes before listening to the area surrounding him, he could hear the leaves dancing around him.
He smelled the air with a deep inhale before he caught it, Naruto's blue eyes opened before he looked toward a direction.
"Salty!"
Naruto suddenly yelled out before he dashed toward the scent as it got stronger, he always had pretty good senses his entire life but he never thought he would use them like this.
Naruto bounced from tree to tree while following the scent, "Thank you Pervy Sage and Kakashi!" Naruto yelled while he flew through the air again.
Suddenly an image of Kiba making a stupid looking face popped into his head, "Well I guess you too Kiba…" Naruto trailed off before he kept his rush going. The scent was becoming so strong to him that he could feel it burning his nose, the trees were starting to recede meaning he was getting close to something.
Naruto picked up his pace moving quickly through the trees before after one more jump he broke through the treeline into a clearing and right in front of him was water and a lot of it.
"The docks!"
Naruto yelled before he landed kissing the grass in front of him before he rolled around in it.
"Finally! I'm out of the freaking woods! Take that mother nature, you can't beat Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto yelled before he chuckled, "I gotta find a boat." The boy said to himself before he had gotten off the ground walking toward the rest of the docks.
"Is that Naruto?"
One of the men at the docks said while another one rolled his eyes, "Ha ha very funny, you know he lives at the Leaf Village. We get you're bored man but don't play pretend." One of the other men said before the spotter shook his head and pointed.
A blonde haired kid looked around with confusion while the other man at the docks eyes widened at the sight.
"Holy shit! That is Naruto!"
The man said while Naruto walked along the dock scratching his head, last time they came here Kakashi spoke to them. Was there a specific one he was supposed to pick?
Maybe some kind of secret boat code?
"Excuse me, are you Naruto Uzumaki?"
A sudden voice asked, causing Naruto to jump, "Uh… yeah. What's it to you?" Naruto asked cautiously while the man chuckled.
"It really is you, hey do you need a ride into the village?"
The man offered while Naruto blinked at him, he did need a boat and this guy seemed to be kind. "Sur-" Naruto was cut off by the man in front of him being drop kicked by another one of the ferrymen.
"Mr. Naruto, take my ferry!"
The man yelled before the other ferrymen got into the fray, all of them fighting over who was going to take Naruto into the village. Naruto watched the carnage in front of him, not sure whether to feel bashful or just bad at the display.
'I guess Team 7 is famous around here after our mission.'
Naruto thought to himself before he went to break up the fight, the sight of an older ferryman calmly sitting in his boat motioning for Naruto to come over. Naruto looked between him and the crowd of ferrymen fighting before he walked over to the older man.
"Long time no see Naruto, you're a lot more popular than you were last time huh?"
The older man joked while Naruto recognized him from their first trip, "Hey you're the old guy from the last time!" Naruto exclaimed while the man nodded.
"Hop in."
The older man said before Naruto grinned getting into the boat, the ferryman set sail while Naruto looked around at the water gently being pushed by the boat. The trip was brief but eventually Naruto was brought to the path he had to take before, he gave the old ferryman a wave before he dashed into the wilderness again.
It was a lot foggier last time he came here with Team 7 but this time he was able to see how pretty this place really was.
The sun shined on the water and the grass was a healthy green, Naruto grinned while he passed by landmarks. When he really thought about it he never did really take a look at the land around him and really take it in.
Was this what freedom was like?
Sure being banished from the village was painful and potentially not being able to see his friends again did still bother him, he couldn't help but enjoy the sensation of freely being able to go where he wanted.
There was no one to call him a demon or anyone he had to tiptoe past to go somewhere other than his home.
It felt…
Nice.
The boy skidded to a stop when he noticed the massive bridge now in front of him, "So the old man finished it huh?" Naruto said with amazement and a sense of pride before he took a step on it.
As he walked along the bridge memories rushed into his sight, the fight they had with Zabuza and Haku, saving Sasuke, Zabuza fighting off Gateau and his men.
His first mission…
He spotted a figure crouched on the side of the bridge placing flowers on a certain section before it got up and bowed.
"Oi! Hate to interrupt but do you know where old man Tazuna lives!?"
Naruto yelled over causing the figure to look toward the boy, the figure paused before she started rushing toward the blonde boy. She had long dark blue hair and dark eyes, the smile on her face grew before Naruto recognized the woman.
Tsunami…
"Naruto?"
The woman called out to the boy while Naruto slowly smiled looking at Tsunami approaching him.
He grinned before he pointed a thumb toward him.
"The one and only!"
{...}
"It's been a really long time since we've seen you, Naruto!"
Tsunami exclaimed while the blonde haired boy closed his eyes in the warm embrace of the dark haired woman.
"Yeah it has! It's nice to see you again!"
Naruto said back while Tsunami took a step back from the boy taking in his features before she smiled. "You even got a little taller since the last time." Tsunami said with a chuckled while Naruto scratched the back of his head with a bashful grin.
"Oh really? Heh, guess I have huh?"
Naruto said while Tsunami chuckled, "Inari would love to see you too, did you plan on entering the village?" Tsunami asked while Naruto nodded.
"Of course, I'd love to see Inari too and the old man!"
Naruto said excitedly while Tsunami smiled, "Good, I'll bring you to the house so you can see everyone." Tsunami said while Naruto nodded.
The pair began to walk down the bridge while Naruto raised an eyebrow at a pile of flowers and candles on a spot on the side of the bridge.
"Hey Tsunami? What's with the flowers?"
Naruto asked while Tsunami looked toward them, "Those flowers are for two shinobi who died on this bridge…" Tsunami said while Naruto's eyes widened.
Those two shinobi the blonde boy immediately remembered the faces of Haku and Zabuza as they laid on the bridge slowly dying. Naruto's face adopted a somber look while the pair stepped closer to the pile of flowers where a headband and a broken mask laid.
"...You may find it a bit strange that myself of all people, would bring flowers for the pair of ninjas hired to kill my grandfather."
Tsunami said while Naruto looked toward the gentle smile the woman had on her face, "However, they were also the same two shinobi who got rid of Gatu and his gang allowing peace to come to my home and my grandfather to finish his bridge… so I have always thanked them since then." Tsunami said while Naruto looked back at the tribute in front of him.
The blonde suddenly clapped his hands together squeezing his eyes shut with a slight bow.
"Sorry I didn't bring any flowers but… thanks and it's good to see you too."
Naruto said speaking to the two souls of the ninja he once had to face in battle, one being someone who he considered a friend and the other being someone who he could respect in his very last moments he spent trying to protect the one important to him.
Tsunami smiled gently at Naruto, "Let's get back before it gets too late." The dark haired woman said while the blonde ninja nodded his head.
"Right."
Naruto said before continuing to follow the dark haired woman, the pair kept walking until Naruto noticed a sign they were passing up.
"The Great Naruto Bridge… that's a weird name… wait a minute… Isn't that my name?!"
Naruto suddenly yelled while Tsunami turned toward him, "Oh you didn't know? The bridge was named after you, we've been walking on it the whole time." Tsunami said while Naruto continued to freak out.
"Wait but why me?! I'm pretty sure Kakashi did the most work out of all of us. There was also Sasuke and Sakura! Shouldn't it be 'The Great Team 7 Bridge' or something?!"
Naruto yelled while Tsunami chuckled before she looked around, "Speaking of your team, where are they? I would have figured they would be with you." Tsunami said while Naruto deflated slightly.
"Well…"
Naruto trailed off while Tsunami shook her head, "You don't have to force yourself, let's keep going." Tsunami said while she walked forward with Naruto following behind.
Eventually the pair made it to Tsunami's home, the woman walked in while Naruto gawked at the size of the house, it was definitely way bigger than the one he had seen last time.
"Inari! I'm home!"
Tsunami called out while Naruto stepped in behind her, this was definitely not the same house that he had seen before. "Welcome back mom, did you need any- Naruto!?" Inari called out breaking the blonde from his stupor before he looked toward the smaller boy.
"Inari! Also of course it's me!"
Naruto called out while the younger boy tackled Naruto into a hug that the blonde boy reciprocated. "It's really you! Why didn't you send a letter or something?" Inari asked while the blonde boy scratched the back of his head with his catchphrase foxlike grin.
"You know me, I'm the number 1 most unpredictable…"
Naruto trailed off while Tsunami gave him a look., "Yeah, you are pretty reckless." Inari snidely commented while Naruto fumed at the boy.
"I'll go get dinner started, why don't you two go grab father?"
Tsunami asked in a sweet tone while the two boys in front of her gave her a salute, "Yes ma'am!" They both said at the same time before Inari started guiding the older blonde to an office space.
"Grampa! Look who it is!"
Inari called into a room where a slumbering old man sat at a desk covered in paperwork, the old man suddenly jumped up at the sound of the yell.
"I wasn't sleeping! Wait a minute… Inari what are you making all that racket for?"
The old man complained before he adjusted the glasses on his face, "Well as I live and breathe, if it isn't Naruto!" The old man said cheerfully while Naruto grinned.
"That's right, Old man Tazuna! I'm here to visit!"
Naruto called out while Tazana grinned, "Well you're always welcome in our home, sorry for the mess usually I'm more organized than this." Tazuna apologized while Naruto shook his head.
"It's totally cool Old Man, what's up with all the papers anyway?"
Naruto asked while Inari perked up, "Grampa's the mayor of the whole village." The boy said in a bragging tone while Naruto's jaw nearly dropped.
"The mayor!?"
Naruto called out in surprise while Tazuna shook his head, "I'm only acting as leadership while the actual mayor is out of the village for a conference." Tazuna explained while Naruto slowly nodded his head.
"Oh that makes sense… I guess."
The blonde said not really understanding while Tazuna laughed, "It's good to see you haven't changed at all!" Tazuna exclaimed while Naruto grinned.
"Dinner's gonna be ready soon, let's go to the dining room!"
Inari said excitedly while Tazuna nodded, "Let's go, you hungry Naruto?" Tazuna asked while Naruto nodded.
"Always!"
The boy said while the trio made their way to the kitchen where Tsunami was moving her way through with ease and grace. The sound of chopsticks being pulled apart ran through the kitchen while Naruto took in the scent of the hot pot in front of him.
"Thanks for the food!"
Naruto cheered while the rest of the family smiled toward him before they copied his gesture. The taste of broth, mustard spinach, pork, and mushrooms graced Naruto's grateful taste buds while the boy ate hardily.
"Oi, Tsunami this is amazing!"
Naruto complimented while Tsunami gave him a smile, "I'm glad you like it." The dark haired woman said while Inari nodded his head with pride.
"Mom's cooking is always the best."
The boy said simply before he proceeded to copy Naruto's vigor in meal eating, Tazuna took a sip of his tea before he looked toward Naruto.
"Hey so uh Naruto where's the rest of your-"
Tazuna started but was cut off by Tsunami purposely bumped the table, "I'm sorry, I'm trying to get comfortable… Have you told Naruto about the bridge yet?" Tsunami asked while Naruto looked up from his food.
"Yeah! Hey Old Man, what's the big idea with naming the bridge after me?"
Naruto asked while Tazuna chuckled, "Honestly because you were a big part as to why I even got to finish it… not to mention I hope the bridge takes some of your traits as well." Tazuna explained while Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Traits? Like what, the bridge is going to turn blonde or something?"
Naruto asked while Tazuna shook his head while chuckling at the naive boy sitting diagonally from him at the table. "I hope that like you that the bridge is able to stay strong and sturdy no matter what comes its way. " Tazuna said while Naruto's expression softened while looking toward the older grinning man reminiscing about the events of the bridge.
"It's a bridge that will never give up."
Tazuna said while the blonde boy smiled a little, "Hey so where's the rest of your team?" Inari quickly asked before Tsunami shot a look toward him.
"If Naruto doesn't want to talk about it he doesn't have to."
Tsunami said with a slight stern tone in her voice before she looked back toward the downtrodden Naruto while Tazuna frowned slightly.
"Honestly I wanted to know as well."
Tazuna said while Tsunami gave her father a look, "Father-" Tsunami was cut off by Naruto shaking his head.
"It's fine… it's a little hard to explain but… I'm no longer a ninja of the Hidden Leaf. I was banished…"
Naruto said before Tazuna slammed a fist on the table, "Banished? On what grounds!?" Tazuna asked angrily while Tsunami covered her with her hand.
Inari raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "Banished? Like they kicked you out? Why?" Inari asked while Naruto shrugged in response.
"Guess I just wasn't good enough… I screwed up big time and let Sasuke run away… it's 'cause I was weak."
Naruto said while Tazuna seethed in his seat, "Father, calm down." Tsunami said while the old man huffed.
"Naruto, you're one of the best ninja we've ever had the pleasure of working with! I'm calling bull on the Leaf's decision!"
Tazuna raised his voice while Naruto looked toward his plate again, "It makes sense to me… I failed to bring him back. I gave it everything I had but I still couldn't save him…" Naruto said while Tazuna gave the boy a sad expression.
"The village pretty much hates me again because of the whole fox situation at the Chunin Exams… maybe it's a good thing I'm gone y'know."
Naruto said while Tsunami frowned, "I almost forgot… I'm acting leader for the Land of Waves! I'm gonna head to the village and give them a piece of my mind!" Tazuna said while Naruto slapped his chopsticks on the table.
"You don't have to do that… It kind of hurts but I… can't hate them for that. I'm sure at least my friends don't hate me. I have to keep moving forward no matter what."
Naruto said while the family looked at the boy with surprise, "That basically makes you homeless though, over a bunch of crap. Everyone makes mistakes, you shouldn't have been punished like this… so what are you going to do now?" Tazuna said while Naruto just blinked, not having a response.
"I… don't know. Right now I'm just planning to travel around and see my friends from all over but I'm not really sure. I can't become Hokage anymore…"
Naruto said while Tsunami looked toward her father, "I think that's perfectly ok." Tsunami said while Naruto looked toward the woman.
"Not having dreams doesn't automatically make you worthless, you're still young. You have plenty of time to figure out what you want to have as a dream."
Tsunami said reassuringly to Naruto, "Really?" Naruto asked while Tsunami nodded her head sweetly at the blonde.
"Of course, the most important part is to have fun and enjoy the journey."
Tsunami said before she looked toward her father again, Tazuna caught on to his daughter's look, raising an eyebrow.
"Enjoy the journey huh? I can still get stronger and I can probably see a bunch of cool places too!"
Naruto said slowly becoming excited while Inari smiled, "Yeah, you could be like some super cool adventurer!" Inari exclaimed while Naruto shook his head.
"Yeah! Like I said, I'm not giving up! That's my ninja way! I'm going to become super strong and help people while I'm doing it!"
Naruto yelled out while Tsunami was motioning her head toward the blonde causing Tazuna to squint his eyes before he realized what his daughter was getting at.
"Oi, Naruto. Traveling is pretty expensive, you'll need some money in order to properly survive out there."
Tazuna said while Naruto's eyes widened slightly, "Crap, you're right and I'm pretty much broke right now…" Naruto said, patting his deflated Gama-Chan resting in his back pocket.
Tazuna grinned while Tsunami smiled at her father, "If you're willing then I think I've got just the thing for you, you see the village is in need of plenty of help and having a ninja at the ready would be helpful." Tazuna said while Naruto's eyes widened.
"Are you being serious Old Man?"
Naruto said while Tazuna nodded his head, "Of course, Naruto we're more than thankful for everything you've done for us. If a job is all you need then that's more than easy." Tazuna said while Naruto grinned.
"I accept! So when should I get started!?"
Naruto asked eagerly while Tsunami giggled, "Let's do something about those clothes first." Tsunami said while Naruto looked down at his tattered clothes.
His jacket was still shredded and his pants weren't faring all that better.
"R-right."
Naruto said bashfully while the family laughed at him, they continued to speak through dinner until everything was finished and plates were cleaned.
{...}
Naruto stood in front of a small house surrounded by its own little patch of green healthy looking grass with his old clothes bundled up in his hands.
The blonde was now wearing a black T-shirt with a red whirlpool on the back of it paired with dark green cargo shorts. His old jacket and pants were tucked safely in his arms, Tazuna looked at the boy before patting a hand on his shoulder.
"I wish we could have gotten you something bigger but this is the only house we had that was free. Look comfy?"
Tazuna said while the blonde gawked at the house, this place was way bigger than his apartment back at the Hidden Leaf. Naruto couldn't even begin to comprehend what he was supposed to with all of this space he had.
"Definitely, so I can seriously live here?"
Naruto asked while Tazuna nodded, "Yup, this place is all yours as long as you need it." Tazuna said while Naruto blinked.
"This might be a little too nice."
Naruto said while Tazuna raised an eyebrow at the boy, if this was nice to him then he would have hated to see where he lived before.
"Anyway, it's getting late so I'll be heading back home. Be at my office first thing in the morning for your job assignments and we'll do our best together."
Tazuna said while Naruto grinned, "Thanks Old Man! I'll be there! Believe it!" Naruto said giving a thumbs up while Tazuna smiled back at him.
"Get some rest Naruto! Good night!"
The man called out while walking away, "Good Night!" Naruto yelled back before the blonde turned back toward his new home.
He went to step inside but hesitated when he looked at the bundle of clothes in his arms, Naruto then walked toward the backyard of his new home. Shortly afterward the boy had made a little fire pit taking one last good look at his old jacket and pants before he sighed.
"This kind of feels like a goodbye… I think I don't really like goodbyes huh?"
Naruto said to himself while the fire crackled in front of him, the boy had fond memories with the clothing but they were torn to shreds. He took a deep breath before he gently placed the clothing into the fire before he slapped his hands together.
Chanting a quiet thank you as he closed a chapter of his life to begin a brand new unknown one.
His old jacket and pants burned slowly in the fire while Naruto sat silently as if he was hosting a mini funeral for the articles of clothing, he wouldn't stand up and go inside again until they had completely turned to ashes.
The interior of the little house was clean and neat, it was one large room with a bed set beside a high window allowing the moonlight to peek through the blinds illuminating the room. Two smaller rooms were connected to the large room one being a bathroom and the other being storage or a closet of some sort.
Whatever it was, Naruto was grateful.
His time as a Leaf shinobi had ended but he was still alive and as long as he was he couldn't allow himself to give up, he wanted to find out what his new dream could be. He wanted to explore and see his friends all over the world.
For now however he had work starting in the morning.
So the blonde settled in for the night thinking about his friends back at the leaf village who he had hoped still thought about him even if it was a tiny bit.
"I'll keep doing my best guys. Believe it."