Black Sun
I'm back, I haven't gone, and I'm here to stay. Enjoy!
Chapter 5: Reto's Fortress
Konoha
"Hokage-sama, what does the letter say?" Koharu Utatane asked. She was his former teammate and a member of the Konoha Council. "You spent three months in Suna trying to secure our interests while keeping the tariffs raised. With the disappearance or kidnapping of Naruto Uzumaki... we can't afford to lose our most important ally in the Elemental Nations."
He looked up from the letter Rasa had given him and growled. Koharu flinched and closed her eyes.
"Koharu now isn't the time to pester me with the obvious. I summoned you here because I need to know if Danzo's old Root contacts have found any trace of Naruto's whereabouts. Have they found a trail?" His hands began shaking as he grabbed his old trusty pipe and started stuffing it full of tobacco. "Well, have they?"
"No. Danzo has been reinstating Root, and most of his informants have been out wandering the lands, trying to find a trace of that filthy blonde-haired brat," she answered gruffly. "As a member of the Konoha Council, I must ask what the letter from the Kazekage says."
"Nothing good. You are dismissed. Ask my secretary to summon Ibiki and Kakashi!"
Koharu shook her head but quietly walked out of his office. Hiruzen lit his pipe and looked at Rasa Sabaku's letter.
Dear Hiruzen Sarutobi,
Your departure last month was most unpleasurable. Our alliance is about to be in shambles because of your country's terrible policies. Increasing tariffs on our exports of Iron, Gold, Cotton, Figs, and whatever damned prune juice you are guzzling down your gullet right now is counterproductive to the years of friendship we share. During the Third Great Shinobi War, we agreed to stop trying to annex The Land of Rivers in exchange for farming and water rights in the region. We have yet to see those reforms, yet we still are allies.
Minato Namikaze created our alliance many years ago. We built our alliance on three simple points: to provide free trade, come to each other's trade, and share detrimental military intelligence. We cemented this treaty with the promise of one of my children marrying one of Konoha's prized children.
Now, you pull the rug under my feet by tripling the tariffs on lumber, which is needed for my infrastructure reforms! I must decline this new treaty on all terms and conditions. The disrespect you showed me when I proposed an arranged marriage between my daughter Temari and Sasuke Uchiha has tarnished my reputation. You disrespected my name in front of my council two months ago that is something I will never forget. Minato Namikaze promised me much more back when he was Hokage. Now you spit on his legacy, the very treaty we built together. I can take you declining my offer, but to criticize my parenting and how it reflects the quality of my leadership... Would you like me to remind you who I am? No tariffs! Or we will settle this man to man. Blood or Silver?
Amend the tariff agreement and honor the Fourth Hokage's wish. And we will agree on every other condition of our new alliance.
Yours sincerely,
Rasa Sabaku, Fourth Kazekage, ruler of Suna,
Head of the Sabaku clan, leader of the Tribe of Reto,
Protector of all Freemen,
As Hokage, he had to be strong and not lose face. Raising tariffs on Suna goods, taking Suna's spot at the Chunin Exams, and pressing for Suna to stop supporting insurgent groups in the Land of Rivers were all issues that had to be addressed. The three-month conference had left Suna with little rewards, but oddly, Rasa was happy near the conclusion of the meeting. Something wasn't right, and there were so many more issues to discuss with Rasa, such as Suna's new barrier system, which could detect anyone entering and leaving Suna.
Some reports on the new barrier system indicated that the Fuinjutsu expertise to put it up was more advanced than Konoha's system. Stealing this new technology was impossible without alerting Suna that he had sent spies. He shook his head and began puffing from his tobacco pipe. He kept thinking about Rasa's grinning smile when he received the terrible news about Naruto's disappearance.
That image kept burning into his psyche as he thought about Minato's son.
All talks were put on hold! When he received the message, he nearly screamed and cried across the Kazekage's council chamber, much to Rasa's pleasure. What had happened during his departure to Suna had been the worst security lapse in Konoha's history, with five dead Anbu and their most treasured citizen missing. He had been trying to mitigate the damage ever since, but it did him no good.
Every report he had read on Naruto during his departure made his skin crawl. Naruto was the son of Kushina and Minato Namikaze, yet he had been treated worse than a plague.
He had been irate when he discovered Naruto's state of affairs over the past three months. No one had given the boy his monthly stipend, and his landlord kicked him out of his apartment three weeks into his conference in Suna. Visions of Naruto crying and starving alone in the streets of Konoha haunted him. The most heartbreaking news he read was when he read about the terrible beating Naruto received from hundreds of sadistic assailants. Naruto tried pickpocketing a noble on Madara Avenue, only to be caught by his own Anbu guards, who then handed the boy to the murderous mob.
That final act infuriated Hiruzen to no end! Those Anbu agents swore to protect the Kyuubi jinchuriki, not play law and order. He is only ten years old, for Kami's sake!
The medical report was sickening. The villagers had broken almost every bone in Naruto's body. They had beaten the boy for hours with clubs, hammers, and various tools. The most sickening part was a report that many people were cheering and singing during the beating to allay suspicions of what the mob was doing. Naruto only survived the vicious assault due to the Kyuubi.
Then, there were the two arrest reports. Naruto had been arrested twice for poaching. The second arrest landed the poor boy in juvenile detention for the weekend. Such laws didn't exist because the First Hokage disagreed with the Daimyo's poaching laws. All animals on the Training Grounds were fair game.
Naruto had his fair share of beatings, harassment, abuse, and even assassination attempts. Not that the boy knew about the attempts on his life because all his assassins were killed in the shadows. That was why Naruto always had a team of five Anbu agents watching over him. But his faith in his own Anbu Corp had vanished. Why would they twice arrest a boy over a crime that didn't exist? The boy was only ten years old and had been homeless for months! A mob of villagers nearly killed Naruto. The boy was homeless and starving, and he had to deal with this before he took the Genin Exam! He wanted to reprimand those five Anbu agents for exacerbating Naruto's suffering, but those very agents burned in a recent explosion at Anbu headquarters.
The blast occurred coincidentally on the same night of Naruto's disappearance.
This raised several red flags.
Naruto had been kidnapped, but by whom? So far, Jiraiya's intelligence showed that no other shinobi village knew who the Kyuubi jinchuriki was…
The door to Hiruzen's office opened, and in came Ibiki, accompanied by Kakashi Hatake. Ibiki was the head of Anbu's Torture and Interrogation division. He had been tasked with setting an example for Naruto's landlord, who was responsible for the boy's suffering during his absence from Konoha.
"Hokage-sama, I've given Naruto's landlord my most special treatment. The man is broken, but there's so much fun to be had," Ibiki said with a terrifying smirk. His scarred face glimmered in the sunlight joyfully. "I saw the boy during the Taijutsu Exam. I used to view Naruto as nothing more than a nuisance, but that boy impressed me."
"He impressed me, too," Kakashi agreed solemnly.
"Good," Hiruzen said while taking his still-burning pipe out of his mouth. He looked at Ibiki gravely, then said, "I want you to increase Izuku's pain until that landlord dies of shock. There needs to be accountability!"
"Yes, sir!" Ibiki said before exiting the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen turned around in his chair and looked out over his village. Many civilians and shinobi had been celebrating the loss of their jinchuriki. It made his blood boil! Never in his life had he hated Konoha more than now. Konoha's alliance with Suna could burn in hell for all it mattered. Their jinchuriki was missing! Sweat rolled down Kakashi's forehead, and Hiruzen knew the news wasn't good.
"I tried tracking Naruto for over a month. The Inuzuka clan has their best trackers hunting after him across Fire Country, yet they still haven't found a lingering scent…" Kakashi tugged at his mask, causing Hiruzen to turn around and give his elite Jonin a wry look. Kakashi sighed and admitted, "I know it's classified, but the last place my nin-dogs located Naruto was the Namikaze manor. Is it possible he found out the truth?"
Hiruzen took another pull from his pipe. That was the heart of the issue. If Naruto or, worse, another village had discovered the truth about his heritage, then that could spell doom for Konoha.
"The Namikaze Estate scroll is missing. Naruto might likely have found out about his parents, but that begs the question. How did he find out? It's more likely that someone figured it all out. But who? Who would know that Naruto is the heir to the Namikaze and the Uzumaki clan?"
"Hokage-sama, is it possible that Iwa kidnapped Naruto after the Taijutsu Exam?" Kakashi's question lingered in the office for a fair minute.
"I've considered that possibility. However, it seems unlikely for several reasons. If Iwa had taken Naruto, they would have killed him immediately. Iwa is no friend of Konoha, but they are not as ruthless as Kumo. Also, Onoichi, the Tsuchikage, would not have kept quiet if he knew about Naruto's identity. But sometimes, I wonder if I made a mistake in not taking the boy in myself. I should have found caretakers for him instead of leaving him alone in the village," lamented Hiruzen. The thought of losing Minato's son, the most potent weapon of the Fire Country, haunted him. He owed it to his successor to keep Naruto safe.
"Kakashi, do you think Naruto willingly left Konoha?" asked Hiruzen.
"What are you trying to say?" replied Kakashi, narrowing his one visible eye. The tension in the room grew thicker.
"Nothing," said Hiruzen, laying his pipe on his desk.
"Hokage-sama, he is the son of our sensei! You should have found someone to take care of him. The last time I saw him, he didn't have any fat on his body," said Kakashi. Clenching his fists, Kakashi vindictively said, "This entire crisis could have been avoided if Naruto was adequately taken care of. I know what people say about the boy. Naruto has been persecuted and beaten, and he isn't thought of well among most shinobi, but he is the heir to the Namikaze clan! He's the spitting image of his father! How could you have let this happen?"
"Oh, the great Kakashi Hatake. The same man who hasn't given his sensei's son a single thought in the past decade," Hiruzen said sarcastically. "Don't speak high and mighty if you haven't done shit! I've done my best, given the circumstances. Since our village's darkest day, I had to become Hokage again. I did my best to care for Naruto. That boy would be dead if it weren't for me! I can only do so much and be in so many places simultaneously."
"I apologize for denigrating your leadership, but what do you mean by willingly?"
"Whether I like it or not, Naruto is the property of the Land of Fire."
"So, he's nothing more than a slave. All because he holds the Kyuubi," Kakashi stated, much to his horror. "Does the shinobi council know about the missing Namikaze Estate scroll?"
"No, and we have to keep it that way! Tragically, people are cheering in the streets over Naruto's disappearance. Even though he isn't a shinobi, he is still our jinchuriki, so he must be brought back home. If Naruto voluntarily left Konoha, he could be placed in the bingo books as a highly valued target. I have already summoned Jiraiya back to Konoha, so in the meantime, I need us to keep what happened at the Namikaze manor an S-ranked secret. If not, then Naruto will certainly be hunted down by our missing-nin corp," Hiruzen admitted solemnly.
Kakashi left his office in haste.
Hiruzen looked out his window and rubbed his hand over his eyes. He only hoped Naruto wasn't suffering wherever he was.
OoOoOoOoOoO
It had been a month since Fuu arrived at Reto's Fortress. The castle was imposing, with four layers of walls and a sturdy limestone keep. The keep housed various facilities, including a dining hall, their rooms, and a game room where Fuu spent her time playing pool with Naruto. She was standing in the courtyard, gazing up at the top of the castle. The tower at the heart of the keep was the tallest structure, and it seemed to reach the sky. Two weeks ago, she and Naruto had explored the top of the tower, which had a balcony overlooking Safad. They took blankets and looked at the stars together until Eva found them. Fuu blushed as she remembered that moment.
They were playing a game of how many shooting stars they could count while snuggling under a warm camel-furred blanket in each other's arms. That night, the desert got so cold that she used her friend as a source of warmth. He fell asleep in her lap and purred like a cat. He was even cuter than Umi, and she didn't want that moment to end. That was the position they were in when Eva caught them. Their red-eyed handler didn't scold them, but she did separate them before they went to bed.
Evading Eva was more challenging lately.
Which sucked!
Because Naruto was about to show her a really cool prank he had been concocting for several days in the castle kitchens, she didn't know what her little blonde-haired friend was up to, but she was happy to help him pull it off. She was honored when he approached her this morning and asked to meet him by the keep's tallest tower. Whisps of yellow-brown sand whirled around her. Grains of sand always got stuck in her hair whenever she ventured outside, another reminder of her fate.
Sand swirled faster against her, peppering her mint-green hair with flakes of hardened earth. Everything in Safad was so different from Taki. There were few trees, bushes, and bugs in Safad. How could Shibuki sell her to a place like this?
Her only saving grace was Naruto.
He made her stay in Safad tolerable and often enjoyable. His smile made her smile, and his laughter kept her from crying. He was carefree, cheerful, friendly, and reckless, but most importantly, he had a heart of gold. He was her first true friend and, sadly, her only friend, but she was happy she lucked out with Naruto.
She could have roomed with someone colder, less caring, and even meaner than those girls at the orphanage. He didn't mind if she hugged or cried against him in secret. She only cried at night when Eva was gone, and no one could interrupt her time with her friend. He never put up a fuss and often made her feel better about Taki's betrayal, their circumstances, and her growing fear.
She didn't trust anyone from Suna, especially Eva, who Naruto often sucked up to. He frequently made wood carving trinkets for their handler or would show her moves he had been practicing with his sword. Fuu frowned, remembering his excitement whenever their handler hugged him. Then again, he was a ten-year-old boy starved for attention. She only wished he shared her distrust of Suna as well.
Sighing to herself, she ventured from the tall tower to the solid northern courtyard wall where the water fountains continuously flowed with cold, clear water. The fountains were built into the solid limestone walls. Water poured out of the mouths stone mouths, which pooled into copper basins. She washed her hands, cooling her burning skin, then plunged her head into the water and felt slightly better.
The cold water awoke her from the haziness of the desert, and she heard her favorite voice. It was the only comforting sound in the Land of Wind.
"Thirsty already!" Naruto shouted from behind her.
She twisted around and saw him looking at her with a glint in his sapphire eyes. "Yeah, well, unlike some people, I find the desert dirty," Fuu said while waving the still lingering moisture off her hands.
Naruto huffed and rubbed his left heel, dusting off his dusty Hanzo Shinobi Sandals. The lucky bastard wore better clothes than some of their guards, which wasn't surprising. Everyone treated him better because he was the Kyuubi jinchuriki.
"Naruto, what is it you wanted to show me? Does it concern that pound of sugar and heavy cream you wanted me to steal from the kitchen?"
"That's a secret!" He shouted excitedly. "Besides, we're going to be shinobi, and the best shinobi keep their secrets airtight!"
"Tsk, I thought we were friends," Fuu humorously retorted while poking him between his sapphire eyes. "Come on, blondie-kun, whatcha hiding?"
"Well, it wouldn't be such a wonderful surprise if I revealed it."
"Oh, I thought you planned our escape from this god-forsaken hell hole!" She retorted while looking at a swirling sand vortex moving about the courtyard.
"Fuu-chan, it's not so bad here. We get fed as much food as we want. Eva is teaching us history, math, and the difference between Yin and Yang chakra," Naruto replied with a wide foxy grin. His glimmering eyes reflected sunshine, and he rubbed his neck with his right hand, revealing his entire body. "Come on, I want to show you something."
He was dressed in his regular clothes, which Eva washed extensively every other day. Their handler bought him numerous other garments, but Naruto liked wearing bright orange. She liked that about him—his love of orange was comparable to her love of bugs. The only thing out of the ordinary concerning her friend was a large burlap potato sack holding hefty spherical contents over his left shoulder.
She raised a mint green eyebrow and approached her friend.
"What's with the bag," she asked, following behind Naruto, who was whistling down ancient ornately carved stone column archways. "I doubt we're delivering grenades to our kidnappers."
"Maybe you see them as kidnappers. I see them as people I can mess with," Naruto stated. He whistled without a care in the world as they passed out of the main keep into the first web of walls.
Metamorphic rocks were mortared into the foundation of Reto's fortress long ago. Fuu was grateful the builders built many ceilings to shadow them from the sun. Naruto stopped by a small grove of cactus on a sunny walkway. Three guards who were chatting stopped and eyed them warily. Naruto smiled right back at the guards. Naruto opened his burlap sack and pulled out three caramel-covered apples.
Apples? What sinister prank had he concocted?
"You three look famished. The chefs wanted me to hand these out to everyone on duty," Naruto said in the most innocent tone, with a silver tongue and bright blue eyes. "They're delicious! Eva-chan said you deserve something sweet for looking after us!"
He quickly tossed three caramel-covered apples at the guards. All three guards caught the caramel apples. One of them took out a kunai while eyeing it.
The other two guards smiled and calmed their comrade. Their squad leader said, "Th-thanks for the gift, jinchuriki."
"Jinchuriki," Fuu huffed out while crossing her arms.
"He's just thankful for the gift, young wards," the third guard said. They wore a brown pakol over their hair with his Suna forehead protector shining underneath. "Come, let's eat.." The other two guards followed their squad leader, who shook his head, saying, "You two need to show them respect…"
Naruto led Fuu around Reto's Fortress, handing the caramel apples to every guard they encountered. Most of them tossed the apples behind their backs onto the limestone ground, but a few took a quick bite.
That was the beginning of the chase.
"Come back here, ya conniving little bastards!" The unfortunate guard hollered while spitting out chunks of smelly caramel-covered onions. "Agh!"
Naruto roared in laughter, jumping up the walkways like he had memorized them. With how much that boy wandered around Reto's Fortress, he probably knew it like the back of his hand. She hoped he knew where he was going as she ran behind Naruto. He dashed under a stone railing and zipped around a dusty hallway, his footsteps echoing off the stone walls. Fuu was huffing as she barely kept up with his pace.
After ten minutes of being chased around the fortress by the angry guards, they stopped underneath a red-stone stairwell at the junction of a square tower. Naruto grabbed Fuu and tossed her inside an ancient stone archway beneath the stairs. Both jinchuriki were softly chuckling as they heard loud, angry mumbling from guards running up the stairs. Her left arm curled around Naruto's shoulders, and her hand grasped his silky, spiky hair.
Their hiding spot was cold, cramped, and dusty. Naruto turned his whisker-marked face before hers and whispered, "Thank you for sticking by me." He held her right hand, his sapphire eyes glimmering brightly in the darkness. All she could do was hold his hand tighter.
"There's no one I'd rather stick by than you, Naruto-kun," Fuu whispered into his right ear. Her fingers ruffled his silky hair while giving her fellow jinchuriki a half hug with her left arm.
Guards wearing Pakol hats and Suna forehead protectors ran up the stairwell, one of them muttering, "Damned kids! Go find Eva!"
When the coast was clear, Naruto and Fuu stumbled out of their hiding spot. His burlap sack fell to the yellow-white stone floor, causing the caramel-covered onions to tumble and roll onto the ground. One of the caramel onions rolled to the entranceway of the tower before stopping abruptly by a blue shinobi sandal. A gauze-covered hand picked up the sweet monstrosity. Both jinchuriki looked up and saw the furious face of their red-eyed handler, Eva.
"Uh, oh," Naruto said. "It's not what it looks like!"
"Uh, oh, is right!" Eva shouted with four of the castle guards behind her. "Come, you two, before you infuriate everyone in the castle."
Naruto had no time to protest before he was hoisted over Eva's right shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Oy! Put me down!" Naruto protested. He playfully banged his fists against Eva's back. Many guards chuckled as Eva led them back to their quarters in the main keep. Eva was patting the top of Naruto's head with her left hand as the boy hung his head in shame.
"What have I said about pranks?" Eva asked the boy as Fuu followed behind.
Naruto scrunched his eyes, his cheeks reddening from his handler's caring pats. All he could say in his defense was, "I was just having fun."
"That is no excuse to cause mayhem when you leave my sight. You two will stay in your quarters for the rest of the day," Eva retorted. She looked at Naruto happily, "Naruto, you are always getting your hands into mischief. What am I going to do with you?"
Naruto wrapped his arms around Eva's neck and said, "You could give me another hug."
"A hug? Well, uh, of course, Naruto-kun," Eva said as she hugged Naruto back. He was red in the face and overjoyed, but Fuu saw his devious smirk. "My sweet, adorable troublemaker. I must teach you to prank our enemies, not our friends!"
Eva and Naruto shared a very long hug in front of the orange-eyed jinchuriki. Fuu rolled her eyes as she watched her blonde-haired friend close his eyelids. Many of the guards were muttering stuff like "lucky brat," "wish that was me," and "kid gives us onions, and he gets rewarded!"
He gave Eva one of his classic bear hugs that Fuu always looked forward to receiving. Their caretaker probably looked forward to Naruto's hugs, too. Her friend knew the right buttons to push because, unlike her, Eva rarely scolded Naruto.
"Eva-chan, I'm going to miss you," Naruto muttered, rubbing his head into her chest. "I'm sorry I caused so much trouble!"
"Your silver tongue and buttering up won't change your punishment!" Eva looked at Naruto sternly. Her eyes glowed bright red, and Naruto chuckled nervously. "You and Fuu will remain in the keep until tomorrow!"
"Is the Kazekage coming tomorrow? I don't want him to keep you from us!" Naruto protested.
"I don't want to leave you, but like I said this morning, the Kazekage is coming! You two will need to be protected until you grow strong. Until then, I'll give you as many hugs and kisses as you want," Eva said playfully.
There is only so much willpower an eleven-year-old girl has. Fuu wanted to gauge her eyes out in disgust! Watching Naruto and Eva interact was like watching a box of cute kittens drown. Like her, Naruto was starving for attention and love but was too blinded to realize their dire situation. Convincing him to escape with her for the past month was a headache. After all, he saw this as an adventure, while she was scared. The reality is that they were kidnapped, their handlers were their wardens, and this castle was their prison!
She knew that Naruto had suffered as much as she had, but that didn't justify his trust in their captors.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Naruto put on his regular clothes after exiting the steam bath. He had washed off all the sticky caramel from his hands and face. Eva joined him halfway through his bath, wearing a onesie swimsuit. Naruto appreciated Eva's constant help and ability to make him feel special. She always smiled, and she loved his hugs. Often, before bed, she would kiss him on the top of his head, and that made him feel good. He loved it whenever Eva joined him for his baths in the Hammad. She loved throwing silver buckets of hot water on him, which usually resulted in a water war. There was so much water in the hammad, all of it constantly leaking from the hammad's seven faucets.
Water splashed around them, and that was when her red eyes glowed mischievously like those of a vampire or werewolf he had read about in fairytales. She wasn't evil, but her eyes made him curious.
That was when he asked Eva several questions that had been nagging him the past month.
"Eva-chan, are you only treating me well because I'm a jinchuriki?" Naruto asked, sitting on a quartz bench next to his handler.
"It is my mission and duty to care for you and Fuu like you are my children," Eva said with a mischievous grin. Her eyes glowed a brighter shade of red within the steam lingering in the air. Your uncle ordered me to treat you well, along with the Kazekage."
Naruto looked away from his handler after hearing that revelation, but he felt his handler's delicate fingers underneath his chin and saw her angelic face.
"Those may be my orders, yet I care for you two because I think about my only daughter. I think about my clan and how much we struggled. I grew up just like you until Suna saved me. Without Dan, I would be dead. Now that you are in the Land of Wind, I only want you and Fuu to have wonderful lives!"
"You have a clan?" Naruto asked innocently. He saw the sadness, shame, and horror glimmering from Eva's irises. "What happened to them?"
"The Chinoike Clan once had five thousand members roughly one hundred years ago. At our height, we ruled The Land of Hotsprings. During that period, the Uchiha orchestrated a genocide of my people. Our own country turned on us with the backing of the Uchiha and their army. The Uchiha then rode into battle with over ten thousand cavalry behind them. From what I remember, all the men in my clan were dragged into our village square and were forced to pick up all the horse's feces with their bare hands…" Eva stopped talking. Her crimson eyes became hued with tears.
All he could do was hug her as his handler cried, and she admitted, "They had to do that before they were all beaten to death by Uchihas armed with clubs. Uchiha supporters were playing music, dancing, and singing as all the Chinoike men were beaten to death."
Naruto hugged Eva harder as she cried over him. In an odd sense, he could relate to those Chinoike men. Konoha tried giving him the Chinoike treatment, too, except he survived.
As he struggled to put on his dark blue long-sleeved shirt, he frowned, thinking of what she told hold him. Like him, Eva was the last of her clan. There was something peculiar about her ancestry and the pain in her eyes that immediately caught his attention. From her lessons on the history of the Land of Wind, he learned that this part of the world was home to refugees from all over the globe, as well as tribes, clans, cultures, shrines, and histories deeply ingrained in the sand. Eva and her daughter were the last surviving members of a clan that had once numbered in the thousands but had been reduced to just two people in a century by the Chinoike Clan Genocide. Of course, Mr. Popular's family orchestrated something so despicable. The stories he heard about the Uchihas made him burn with fury.
She brought it up three nights ago as the full moon peered over the horizon. Those two words made his heart skip. Red Moon. It was an old Uchiha myth that the Red Moon would shine for eternity and awaken the Jubi…
Red Moon. Whatever it was, thinking about it gave him goosebumps. It was just a myth. He was ten years old, for Kami's sake! Why was he getting so worked up on one of Eva's bedtime stories?
Brushing dust from his orange sleeveless hoody, he zipped it up and jumped on his bed. His knees were bent, and his feet draped low against the mattress near the ground. Spending so much time homeless, having to sleep in cardboard boxes or the outdoors, hadn't prepared him for so much comfort. This bed was more comfortable than the one in his apartment.
His bedchamber was a simple two-bedroom suite with three desks, one between their beds, the others side by side, and a large screen TV that faced their beds. The floor was covered in silken wool rugs with intricate designs, always soft on the soles of your feet. Eva always supplied a large fruit bowl every morning with bananas, fresh pitted dates, figs, pears, mangos, and oranges. A stone balcony four stories from the ground was connected to their room. Because they were grounded, it was their only escape to the outside world.
The door to their bedroom opened, and Fuu, dressed in regular clothes, came in with a raised mint green eyebrow. She approached him, looking him up and down, her right hand outstretched.
"You got all dressed up just to fall asleep?" The orange-eyed girl asked with an amused grin spreading across her face.
Naruto allowed his best friend to pull him up to his feet, and he said, "I wish we could play another game of ninja, but we're grounded."
"If you didn't give every guard in this god-forsaken castle one of your caramel onions, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Fuu accused.
"What's gotten into you? You usually enjoy my pranks," Naruto asked curiously.
"Why do you suck up to her?"
"To whom?"
"To Eva!"
"What do you mean?"
"Naruto, I'm worried about us!" Fuu screamed with trembling hands. "Eva is nice to us, but mostly to you. Whenever you hug her… she looks at you weirdly."
"Weirdly?" Naruto repeated. He never put much thought into their handler. She was, after all, lovely, beautiful, and sometimes bordering on motherly if that makes any sense. No matter how many pranks he pulled inside the castle, Eva never saw him in a negative light. "Fuu, you are my first friend. My best friend, and whatever you have to say, I want to hear it! So what is so weird about Eva?"
"Naruto-kun, you could burn down this castle and kill half the guards. But if you hugged Eva, she'd let you off the hook. That isn't normal! I find her being nice and caring weird! Especially because she's only nice to us, and that's even weirder! You never talk about Konoha, but you rarely have anything good to say when you do. Were Konohans nice to you?" Fuu observed, looking up at his gaze. He shook his head, causing her to smirk victoriously. "We can't trust Eva or Suna! What's stopping them from enslaving us?"
"Konoha? I don't hate Konoha. I wanted nothing more than to become Hokage." Naruto turned his head away from her, and his eyes felt heavy. "I was tossed out of my home. Forced to live in squalor, attacked, and even thrown in jail. I'm not scared of Eva or Suna because I know what jail is like." Fuu stood petrified by his admission. She stepped closer and muttered something under her breath. He looked back at Fuu and softly asked, "Why would Suna enslave us?"
"Because we are jinchuriki! We are weapons and tools to be used, and if my village sold me to another, what's to stop Suna from not treating us like tools?" Her words were solemn and harsh. All he could do was listen. "Naruto, you are my best and only friend. I worry about you. Because, unlike me, you have the Kyuubi, the strongest of all nine Biju, which means you are in more danger than me! Do you understand the danger you are in? Shibuki was the only man in Taki I trusted. The first chance he got, he sold me! I'm afraid something bad is going to happen to us!"
"Fuu-chan, Suna hasn't been so bad so far," Naruto retorted, only for Fuu to cut him off.
"You don't understand! Naruto, I don't want you to be used as a weapon! Because if something was to happen to you…" Her words were caught in her throat.
Naruto gave his friend a light hug. It was a form of human contact that felt different whenever he hugged Fuu rather than anyone else. Her crestfallen and doubtful sunburst eyes tore at him. He hated seeing her like this. Just until two weeks ago, she cried herself to bed every night. Eva had a habit of counseling Fuu. Usually, she would try to hug Fuu or tell her everything would be alright. Fuu often ignored Eva and would run to him. She frequently used his body at night as a pillow to soak her tears. He didn't know how to comfort her besides allowing her to cry against him until she fell asleep.
Between Eva and Fuu, he was in a no-win situation. All he could do was hug his only friend harder.
"You are the only person I can trust right now. Do you understand that?" she said, her sunburst eyes glimmering as she pulled away from his hug. Her hands were still on his shoulders, keeping him in place, waiting for his answer.
He awkwardly nodded. "I do."
"Naruto, would you run away with me if something happens?" Fuu asked, her dark red-toned cheeks turning darker.
"Fuu, hell or high water, I'll follow you if anything happens. I don't believe anything bad will happen to us because Dan sensei is from Suna. Before he left, he told me to trust Eva. If he trusts her, I do too! Eva isn't evil. I spoke to her earlier when I was washing up," Naruto said. He saw her raise an eyebrow. "Her people were hunted down and massacred. Suna was her refuge. It can be ours, too, if we give it a chance. Suna has treated us better than I expected. I always dreamed I'd spend the night in a castle. We have as much food as we want, warm beds, and even though the guards call us jinchuriki. None of them have hurt us," Naruto reasoned while tapping his chin with an index finger.
He saw doubt and fear taking over her eyes. The Fuu he enjoyed was happy and open. She was his partner in crime. She supplied him with the sugar necessary to make the caramel in this morning's prank. When they played, explored, talked, conspired, and sometimes showed off their jutsu. He knew his situation, and he knew it well. Kazuhiro Namikaze was his uncle. One day, he will be a shinobi of Suna, and Fuu will be on his team.
"Fuu, whether we like it or not, we will become Sunagakure shinobi. This is now our home. We will be on the same team, but regardless of that. I'm happy with you here because I don't know how I would have lasted without Dan-sensei, and you already mean so much to me!" Naruto said. He scratched the back of his head and closed his eyes while saying, "There's no one I'd rather have in my foxhole than you."
Fuu giggled and smiled, causing him to blush. "Naruto, you could talk your way out of anything. For an optimist, you sure are convincing, " she complimented.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Suna
The past month had been one of the strangest and most concerning months in Temari Sabaku's life. Her father, Rasa, a cold, ruthless, manipulative, and sadistic man, had turned a new leaf. Rasa rarely came home around dinner time, and he seldom visited her troubled younger brother, Gaara. Gaara was less than a year younger than Kankuro and her. He was a jinchuriki, a monster, and until just a few months ago, a ruthless murderer.
She vividly remembered her father scolding her and Kankuro for playing with Gaara in the sandbox. Back then, just two years ago, Gaara was kind, playful, helpful, and incredibly lonely. Her younger brother didn't have it in him to hurt a fly, but everything changed after Rasa forbade her from playing with Gaara. Gaara was sent to live with her uncle Yashamaru not long after. Her uncle was tasked with raising her younger brother, and for a short while, all she heard were good things concerning Gaara's progress.
Then suddenly, like a sandstorm blowing away her innocence, Gaara changed. Yashamaru, the warmest, most caring, and selfless man she admired more than all, died one cold December night.
She remembered breaking down below her father's feet when he broke the news of Yashamaru's passing.
Her wonderful uncle died trying to murder her brother…
Now Gaara was back home, living down the hallway their father locked every night. A few months back, Gaara had numerous new seals placed on his body so he could sleep better at night. When she heard the news, she expected her family to grow closer. Kankuro would finally stop putting makeup on his face. Gaara would be her loveable, happy, and playful brother again, and maybe their father would finally open up and act like a dad.
She conjured many fantasies, but nothing could open her up to the truth. Kankuro liked to crossdress. Her father was still manipulating them, and Gaara had gotten worse. Gaara was almost uncontrollable these days without his precious mother talking to him. Lady Chiyo was Suna's strongest kunoichi and the one to seal the Ichibi inside her younger brother using the Jinn Lamp Seal. Temari shuddered, thinking about Gaara's mother, a product of the seal that made her little brother into Suna's weapon!
Over a month back, Eva Chinoike, a gorgeous woman with a motherly face and a prominent hourglass figure, quit being Gaara's handler. She had been a saving grace for the Sabaku household. Gaara stopped trying to crush servants in sand coffins. However, she had to leave for an important assignment, and Gaara remained silent.
Temari sighed and continued brushing her hair. Her teal-green eyes reflected doubt and fear as she tried not to hear the loud commotion above. She brushed her four ponytails back into place when she heard Baki upstairs say, "If things don't go according to plan, there will be war!"
Temari tried listening to the conversation, but their voices became muffled. Father should have activated his study's silence seals, for what she heard was unsettling. There were always talks about using her younger brother as a weapon for war, and it always frightened her what would happen to Gaara's fragile psyche.
She quickly slipped on her black nightgown and tiptoed down the hall. She passed Gaara's room, which always felt cold and eerie, even with his door locked. Sweat rolled down her neck as she walked up polished limestone steps to the fourth floor of the Sabaku mansion. Cold, polished, ebony wood chilled her feet. Goose-prickles rose off her neck. Paranoia clouded her vision, turning expensive statues into phantoms. As she neared closer to the voices, her heart beat so fast that it might leap out of her chest.
"Dan isn't evil, but you've given him substantial power as head of the SIS! I'm worried you'll prop him up as your successor for bringing the Nanabi and the Kyuubi into our hands," Baki said from their father's study. Baki was the Jonin commander of Suna and one of Suna's most loyal shinobi. He was invaluable to her father. "What's stopping Dan from betraying us?"
"Because he's got more to lose in this than anyone else!"
Moonlight beaming from circular windows illuminated her path. Her heart thumped faster as she passed the family hammam, the ruckus room, and even their father's lounge area, where he occasionally held high-priority meetings. She saw the door to her father's study open and illuminated by flickering faint orange light from his fireplace. Temari hid behind the walls next to his study door and listened.
"Dan has been working around the clock getting things in place for their training trip. In one night, he made our nation the strongest out of the big five. Besides you, he is my most trusted asset. We wouldn't have the last Namikaze without him," Rasa said inside his study.
"Are you sure this Naruto is the last Namikaze?" Baki questioned.
"Seeing his pictures and the files Mashiro and Dan stole from the Konoha General Hospital makes it very obvious. The boy is the spitting image of his father. He is Minato's son, and there's a strong possibility he has the Ranton!" Rasa proclaimed.
There was a moment of silence. Temari felt her blood drain from her face as she began understanding what was being discussed. The Kyuubi was here in the Land of Wind? But didn't the Fourth Hokage kill the Kyuubi? What was going on? Who is this Naruto?
She edged closer to her father's study. The soles of her feet grew stiffer and colder as she stood perfectly still. Whoever this Naruto Namikaze was, it had to be essential if Baki was disturbing her father this late at night.
"That is what worries me," Baki said softly. Her father remained silent. Baki cleared his throat and said, "I'm happy everything is going according to plan. Taki and Oto are now allies. Our enemies have grown weaker while we are stronger than ever. What worries me is that you are trying to control children. Naruto, Fuu, and Gaara are jinchuriki and around the same age. I question your belief that you can ship them out into the desert and they'll return loyal to Suna!"
"You worry too much for your good. Gaara needs friends. Having him remain like this is doing no one good if we have two more weapons. They should form a special bond. Through that bond, they'll become loyal to the nation, Suna, and most of all, to me." Rasa paused. Temari wondered what was happening inside his mind, yet the thought made her sick. "I admit that I failed as a dad."
"Rasa, I mean lord Kazekage, that's not true-," Baki interjected, only to be cut off.
"I'm many things, but I'm not a liar. My family has fallen apart, and it all started with Gaara. The moment Karura screamed at me to bring her Gaara…" Her father paused.
The entire fourth floor of the Sabaku manor was flooded by dreadfully heavy and unsettling chakra. The fireplace grew dim, and the air cold. Her breath started producing visible condensation.
"She sacrificed what little life she had to protect Gaara from danger forever. This year, I've been rethinking things. Our shinobi force will double within two years. I won't live forever. Our village needs a successor. Gaara will be the next Kazekage, while Naruto and Fuu become the angels on his shoulders."
"A great plan, lord Kazekage," Baki said softly.
"Thank Dan Kaze, and treat the head of SIS with respect. Without him, none of this would be happening. Thanks to him, we have the Akhani Tribe swearing fealty to us again. For over ten thousand years, their people have wandered the desert as nomads and practitioners of the ancient art of using chakras," Rasa said.
"Ah yes, those people. The ones who fought for thousands of years for the Asuran Empire," Baki mocked.
"They created the Order of Assassins, the Hassassin, for Kami's sake! The art of shinobi would have died without them journeying across the desert and spreading their art. Tell me, have you heard any news from Eva? She speaks highly of those kids, especially Naruto. That woman might snatch the boy and raise him herself if we don't act quickly," Rasa said with a chuckle.
"Eva is an empathetic woman. She was like that at the Academy, but when it comes to jinchuriki, she's more caring than most. Her latest report on the kids is promising, especially concerning Naruto," Baki said sternly. He poured a liquid inside a glass and sat down before saying, "I can see Gaara getting along well with that boy. However, she says Fuu is difficult to control. Fuu disobeys her orders and doesn't listen to her, but for some reason, she likes the Kyuubi brat. I don't like that a ten-year-old boy has so much power over the Nanabi. Whose to say Gaara won't fall under his spell?"
Baki's question startled Temari.
She wasn't sure how to handle the news of her younger brother being shipped away from home with two other jinchuriki like him. All she wanted was for her family to be whole again. Not for Gaara to disappear forever.
"Minato Namikaze promised me twelve years ago that his first child would be married to one of my children. It was the centerpiece of the Konoha-Suna alliance during the Third Great Shinobi War. That is how I'll have complete control over Naruto. Dan told me the boy already hates Konoha and Sarutobi. The only thing missing is the anchor to keep him loyal to me," Rasa vowed happily.
Temari shuddered. She knew her father was talking about her. Her mouth remained open as she slipped away from his study. She couldn't bear to hear more. Was that all she was to her father, a piece of meat to be sold off?
She never once thought about having a relationship. All she focused on was growing stronger and becoming the best kunoichi in Suna. But like Gaara, she would be forced to play her father's games.
She slipped back into bed and spent half an hour tossing and turning under the covers. She awoke, knelt, and looked at the crescent moon. She prayed to Kami for the first time in years. All she wanted was for her family to become whole again. That was all she wanted.
Is that too much to ask?
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Safad
Silvery-white grains of sand swirled around the streets of the ancient city of wind and art. Kaz watched the five camels in the courtyard from Reto's Fortress bending their front legs so the riders could disembark. He walked silently from the fortress to the Safadi Hookah Bar just outside, which was being monitored by three of his SIS agents.
SIS agents often wore red berets or red fabric for their forehead protectors. The bar was bustling with many patrons, but the one person he wanted to speak to was sitting at a circular table in the back. Eva was as beautiful as she was deadly, unlike most shinobi who walk this Earth. She was compassionate, loyal, and so caring to his nephew. He took a seat next to her while watching her blow out a long stream of flavored tobacco.
"Thank you for taking care of my nephew. I couldn't have chosen a better handler than you," Kazuhiro said thankfully.
Eva settled the Hookah pipe back on the table and laughed. Her ruby eyes, as enchanting as the day he first saw them, fluttered and glowed warmly. She coughed, then replied, "That nephew of yours is wonderful. I wish we could snatch him and raise him together. Our daughter would get along so well with him. Were you such a handsome, adorable, smooth-talking troublemaker when you were his age?"
"Minato was cute and adorable, but he wasn't a smooth-talker. I bet Naruto got it from his mother. Supposedly, she could talk her way out of anything," Kaz said with a smile. "Hopefully, he understood why I had to leave."
"He was upset, but he knew you are a busy man. So the only people who know his true identity are you, me, Mashiro, the Kazekage, and Baki. Is that right?" Eva asked before sucking down more hookah tobacco.
Kaz shook his head. He didn't want too many people to know about Naruto's true identity, but he had to fill in the leader of the Akhani Tribe months ago about his nephew. That was how he secured the three jinchuriki to be trained by them. That tribe saved his life twenty-four years ago. They were connected to the Asura, Indra, and Hagoromo. Koga Namikaze met the Akhani people after he became a Jonin and journeyed with them to the Gold Coast. They were a strong, hardened, and secretive tribe that practiced their nomadic ways long before the Sage of Six Paths walked this Earth.
"You told them! Why?" Eva accused her red eyes glowing brighter.
"Because if Naruto is the one, they can help guide him to the lost temple. They were the ones who taught my father about the Black Sun. Hamza is a smart man. His lips are sealed tighter than the Kazekage's. He only agreed to take three jinchuriki if Naruto was truly a Namikaze. Their tribe and our clan go back. After all, that is where the legend of us being the children of wave and wind originates," Kaz explained.
Eva shook her head. She looked sad and lost. Her lily-white hands clutched the edge of the table in frustration. He saw a single tear roll down her eye down to her chin.
"We could have raised them together," Eva said before rubbing her eyes.
"Them? Do you mean Naruto and Fuu? But I thought you found that girl troublesome," Kaz questioned.
"They deserve love. They deserve a real family, and I'm worried about them meeting Gaara. That boy still talks about his mother, even with the new seals you added. He is still cruel. I don't want our little Naruto to die, nor Fuu," Eva said fearfully.
"That's not going to happen! The Kazekage sent Saiko to the Akhani people. If Gaara gets out of control, Saiko is the only other person, besides Rasa, who can get him back under control," Kaz relayed.
"If you are here, that means that the Kazekage is likely on his way," Eva observed.
"He's already here."
Eva got up from her seat and followed him.
Reto's Fortress
A few days passed, and Naruto had just finished playing another Go game with Fuu. It was nighttime, but sleep was the last thing on their impatient minds. Eva told them a few days ago that they had to be packed up with all their belongings, which wasn't much. She did provide them with two large backpacks filled with spare clothes, two iodine crystal cased canteens, first aid kits, twenty-five kunai, fifty shurikens, a sealing scroll, binoculars, desert-camouflaged garments, sunglasses, a compass, and a red beret. His backpack, with all he owned, was sitting by the door to their room.
Beneath everything he needed were his parents' photos. Eva had been teaching them chakra control exercises such as feeling yin and yang chakra. She went over the same stuff Iruka-sensei taught at the Academy. However, watching her smile at him while she rambled about the unlimited possibilities of mastering control of their own chakra kept him curious. Eva often discussed extraordinary tales about heroes creating fire storms by mixing their yin and yank chakra.
Fuu snapped her fingers between his eyes. He had no time to react to Fuu squeezing his whiskers on both cheeks. "Agh!" Naruto fell backward onto the silken wool rug that stretched across their bedchamber. Fuu tackled him down to the floor and straddled his waist, all while she continued squeezing his cheeks. "Let me go!"
Fuu laughed above him like a crazed hyena that had caught its prey. Her sunburst eyes shined happily, which made him smile. "I told ya that if I won, I'll grab your whiskers!" He frowned and tried shaking her off his waist, but Fuu pinned his hands above his head. "Escape is futile!"
"Oy! Get off me, you green-haired pixie!"
"After going through all that trouble to grab your whiskers… No!" Fuu proclaimed triumphantly. She began rubbing and tickling his cheeks, much to Naruto's chagrin. She eventually released her right hand, which was pinning down his hands, only for her to rub his left cheek. "It's only fair, blondie-kun!"
He didn't know why she found his whisker marks so fascinating.
He hated them.
After all, they were his most distinctive feature, and adults back in Konoha belittled him for having them. His whisker marks represented his status as Konoha's monster. They have been a curse for his entire life, yet Fuu thought they were cute.
Girls are weird!
Kicking his feet in the air and trying to shove her off one final time. Fuu only tightened her hold and grappled his legs down using feet and ankles. The soles of her feet, like the palms of her hands, were lighter than her skin. He tried struggling more, but she restrained his knees back on the ground with her feet like she was an expert on Sanda!
"Fuu-chan, I agh," Naruto gasped. His cheeks started heating up, and he stopped struggling. Why did her hands feel so good on his cheeks? There was no escape, so he relented and gave up. "Fine, just be gentle, please," he begged. "And you can play with my whiskers all you want!"
Fuu screamed in utter joy. She rubbed his whiskers like he was her pet. Kami, how the hell did he become Fuu-chan's pet? She was having the time of her life playing with his whisker marks like she was half her age before releasing him ten minutes later. Naruto groaned and rolled away from his crazy green-haired friend. His cheeks were dark maroon, and they felt odd after all her playing around.
"What's eating you up?" Fuu asked with a wicked grin. Of course, she was happy because she won the last six games and got her grand prize. "Come on, whiskers, don't be upset because you couldn't outfox me?"
"I wanted to," Naruto admitted, rubbing his sore whisker marks. "I don't understand why you like my whisker marks."
"I think they're cute! Back in Taki, there was this orange tabby that wandered around the orphanage," Fuu replied, which piqued his interest with a raised eyebrow.
His orange-eyed friend sighed and brushed her mint-green hair back in place. She pulled out a small rubber ball from her white weapons pouch. She bounced it towards him.
When he caught it, she said, "That cat was my only friend in Taki, and eventually, it followed me wherever I went. I fed it every morning on my way to the Academy."
"When we met in Taki, I didn't see a cat," Naruto said before returning the ball to Fuu.
The room became darker and colder. He felt a spike of toxic chakra emanating from Fuu. Her orange eyes glowed as she locked eyes with him. He saw sadness, pain, and yearning in her sunburst eyes.
"I named the cat Umi because it liked eating fish. The Nanabi allows me to control insects… so I groomed him constantly. He was the most well-groomed and flea-less cat in all of Taki. I wasn't allowed to keep him in the orphanage, yet everyone knew he was mine," Fuu said yearnfully.
She settled the rubber ball on the desk separating their beds and held his hand. Her dark hand felt icy, and her bones trembled.
"What happened to Umi?" Naruto asked. He knew something terrible happened, but he had to know. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"Naruto-kun, you told me last night about how you were homeless. It's only fair I tell you about Umi. Two months before we met, I was walking to the Academy and saw Umi hanging by its neck from a tree. Someone hung a sign around its neck calling it 'demon filth.' Naruto-Kun, I know you aren't a cat, but I was happiest when I had Umi. You remind me of him… maybe because you make me happy. You both wanted to be my friend when everyone else wanted me gone," Fuu lamented while looking at him solemnly.
Before he could say anything, the door of their room opened, revealing Eva and Kaz. His uncle rushed across the room and ruffled his yellow, spiky hair. Kaz looked urgent but smiled and said, "Get your things. You two are going to meet the Kazekage."
"Finally," Fuu said, throwing her backpack over her shoulder. She narrowed her eyes, her right hand shifting down to her weapons pouch, before saying, "What's going to happen to us?"
"Can't say, I'm no fortune teller. I do know this is the start of your journey to become shinobi! Fuu, don't be afraid," Kaz assured while moving closer to her.
"We've been waiting a month. Why such a long wait? We might be jinchuriki, but we aren't monsters. Waiting to be moved, wherever you want, like cattle… We are human beings, and the Kazekage won't make me his slave!" Fuu shouted back.
"Patience is a virtue. To become a shinobi, you must understand that half the job is waiting for orders. Do you want to be a shinobi?" Kaz asked innocently.
"Yes," she affirmed. "But how do I know you won't hurt us? How do I know the Kazekage won't betray me like Shibuki?"
"The Kazekage is the richest man in the Elemental Nations. He is reasonable, pragmatic, and strategic, yet he has many faults. His son is a jinchuriki just like you two," Kaz admitted, causing Fuu and Naruto to gasp in surprise. Eva looked worried as Uncle Kaz continued, "Rasa Sabaku knows everything about you two. He knows how you were treated and all the pain you've suffered. I convinced him years ago to bring you to Suna because you are both around the same age as his son, Gaara."
"Gaara," Naruto and Fuu said together.
The name made Eva shudder involuntarily in fear. Naruto raised an eyebrow and looked at his best friend. He then looked at his uncle and met his single visible eye. Uncertain, Naruto asked, "Are you going to leave me again?"
"Get packed, and I'll explain everything to you, my dear student," Kaz said. His uncle walked out the door, but Eva stayed behind.
Maybe it was instinct, but he rushed into Eva's arms and hugged her with all his might. Eva gasped and giggled as she hugged him back. She squeezed his face against her bosom while kissing the top of his head and said, "I wish I could take you with me back to Suna. I always wanted a son…"
"Take us with you, please," he begged. He didn't want to admit that he was scared about what was happening, and being teased by a loving handler was cruel. "I promise I won't prank anyone ever again. I swear I'll be a good boy, and Fuu will listen to you."
Eva kissed the top of his head, leaving notes of cinnamon and apples wafting into his nose. She had just as wonderful a fragrance as she was beautiful. He felt a covered hand sliding something cylindrical into his orange hoody's pocket. Looking up into her eyes, he noticed she was sad.
"Don't worry, Gaara isn't a bad boy, and I'm sure you will get along well. Now go, get packed," Eva said nervously.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Naruto and Fuu walked through a web of corridors throughout the castle. He was still blushing from Eva's two kisses from the top of his head. Ten guards accompanied them to the courtyard at the front of the castle. The guards wore red berets, Suna forehead protectors, and beige flak jackets. His uncle was right next to him while Eva hovered behind Fuu.
It was a silent trip by the sphynx to the entrance of Reto's Fortress. There were around twenty red beret-wearing shinobi who had already mounted camels. Two single-hump camels sat on their bellies, sipping from the many pools in the courtyard. They were saddled up with lots of bags and supplies. He knew shinobi could travel faster than horses or camels. However, it looked like they were going on a very long journey.
He walked with his uncle towards one of the unmanned camels. Kazuhiro approached the camel diagonally. He mounted the beast confidently. Naruto felt two big hands hoisting him up. His uncle settled him in front of his lap. The camel growled and shot straight up from the ground on its four long legs.
Uncle Kaz slapped his legs against the camel's belly flak, causing the yellow-brown-furred beast to jolt ahead of the other twenty-one camels. Its steps were awkward and herky-jerky like the beast wasn't tamed. However, the ride through the city of Safad was enjoyable. Kaz corrected how he sat by making him cross his legs around the saddle's horn.
"Good, is that more comfortable?" Kaz asked behind him.
"Much better now. I need to ask. You promised me I'd be going home. Where is home?" He asked his uncle.
"My nephew, look around you," Kaz said happily.
He looked around at the adobe city of Safad. He noticed thousands of homes with hundreds of onlookers watching their camel train stride through the city. Silvery sand swirled in the wind around palm trees. He saw giant windmills along the edges of cliffs as they rode past ancient abode neighborhoods. Street lights shined yellow light under the growling camels striding on paved cobblestone. Naruto needed clarification. All he saw was Safad, the city he had watched from the Reto's Fortress for the past month.
"I see Safad," Naruto answered.
"No, this city, the people, and the land our camels are walking on is your home. We are Namikaze's, my young nephew. Every square inch of the Land of Wind, from the Gold Coast to the edges of the Garra-Gum desert, is our home. Now let us meet the Kazekage," Kaz said while kicking his feet into the camel's belly flanks.
(A/N) This wraps up this chapter. I've been doing a lot of brainstorming and working with other stories. I plan on being more productive with this, but work, life, and responsibilities come first.
Regardless, I want to say if you enjoyed this story so far, please leave a review. They are always wonderful to get, and they keep me motivated to finish what I started.