Black Sun
Enjoy!
Chapter 6: Deep in the Desert
Silvery-white streams of sand whirled along giant dunes. Sand peppered the lens of his green goggles. Sapphire eyes gazed across the sprawling emptiness of the desert. Streetlights and poorly paved roads ran across the horizon, their brightness growing dimmer. Naruto shifted in the saddle of his camel and huffed, "Is getting rid of me really protecting me? Or is that just another excuse?"
"Naruto, I'm the head of intelligence, not an airhead, even though I'm blonde," Kaz answered nonchalantly. "Besides, my eyes will be on you at all times. If anything happens to you, I'll be there at a moment's notice."
"I feel like I'm just a bargaining chip. Is that all I am to the Kazekage? A weapon for him to play with, well, he doesn't know the hell that's coming to him," Naruto stated with crimson eyes. "I'm done being lied to. I've been lied to my entire life, ya know."
"Okay, you win," Kaz admitted. Naruto raised an eye. "Here's the truth. You are a bargaining chip because you hold the Kyuubi. Happy?"
"Not really," Naruto muttered. He felt his uncle's forearm tighten around his chest.
Their camel picked up speed. Swift, long legs nearly glided over swirling sand. He observed the Iron Mountains in the distance, barely visible from the constant gales of sandy wind. His grandfather's scarf and green goggles protected him from the vicious sandstorm. There was an odd feeling of uncertainty about their destination. Now and then, his uncle would ruffle his hair when the camel train navigated under treacherous canyons. Rocks were clattering off the ridges when Naruto felt he had to say something.
"Uncle Kaz, please don't get rid of me. I love you. I want to be with you," he pled. He noticed a faint orange light a quarter of a kilometer deep into the canyon. The hairs on his neck rose as the light slowly grew more prominent. "You're my uncle and the only family I have left!"
"I'm not getting rid of you. Suna now has three jinchuriki. You and Fuu must be kept a secret until the time is right. Already, Konoha suspects you were kidnapped, but your trail leads to only dead-ends. The Kazekage searched for people to take you three in, but the Akhani Tribe are our distant cousins. They'll protect you to the last child. Hundreds of tribes roam the Gaara-Gum desert. They like to call themselves the Freemen, but most of the tribes squabble over scraps of land. They have nomadically roamed the deserts and lands of the Elemental Nations for nearly ten thousand years." The camel snorted loudly in agreement. Kaz grumbled a curse, making Naruto shift in the saddle.
"I guess this tribe tolerates jinchuriki, right?" He pondered.
"They more than tolerate jinchuriki. The Akhani Tribe has been worshipping Biju for thousands of years. They have some odd traditions, but even the Kazekage respects them. With their support, Wind Country is stable. So please be respectful and listen to their tribal elder," Kazuhiro explained, much to Naruto's surprise. "After all, he is very excited to meet you."
"Wow! I can't wait to meet them!"
"You will meet them tonight." Naruto looked up and saw his uncle's left eye glowing light blue. "Right after you meet the Kazekage, of course, let's get moving."
Naruto kept rubbing his hands up and down the back of their camel's long neck. The animal's long fur mane felt coarse and scratchy in his hands. He kept thinking about the Kazekage. But he thought about how little time he spent with his uncle. All because of Konoha!
"Does the Kazekage know who I am?"
"Rasa suspects you are Minato's son, but for now, I'd rather your identity be kept a secret. He wants you to be safe as I do, but Rasa can't be trusted! He has ulterior motives. Keeping you safe is more important to me than letting you fall into anyone else's hands," Kaz confided to Naruto as they traveled deeper into the canyon. "It'll be fun! Besides, you won't be alone. You'll have Fuu. I remember seeing you two closer than peas in a pod. Are you both getting along?"
"Yeah, she's awesome! She's my first true friend. We always do stuff together, like play pranks, watch the stars, play ninjas, and talk. I uh…" His cheeks grew warmer thinking of his friend. He saw her bob of green hair several camels up. "We're just friends, ya know. She's always nice to me and great to be around, but I don't know about this Gaara character. Who is he?"
"He's the Kazekage's son. I'll have agents on the ground making sure Gaara doesn't harm you or Fuu. Just be careful! He's calmer than he was before, but he does cause trouble. You'll see, Gaara and you have that in common."
"Like what, getting in trouble," Naruto countered.
"For some reason, you are like a moth to a flame when it comes to causing chaos."
"I'm your brother's son. Maybe the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Ya know, I'm not dumb. I've spent my whole life working to become a shinobi. I know the part I'm playing." Naruto looked back and saw his uncle's left eye glowing blue. "After all, jinchuriki are weapons."
"That's the kind of thinking that made Gaara the way he is," Kaz muttered softly.
Sand whistled inside the dark canyon. Silver rays illuminated certain sections while torchlight guided them the rest of the way. Their caravan was making its way around a hook in the canyon, where the only sounds were the echoes of the sandstorm—blood-curdling howls from wolves. Bats the size of hawks fluttered out of caves. But then, a bright white light beaconed them forward.
They exited the canyon and saw dozens of bright panel lights leading up to a massive tent. Hundreds of hooded men watched their caravan enter the camp, their arms at their sides, but every man in a hood kept a vigilant watch. They disembarked in front of the tent to find only four figures as their camel kneeled and squatted to the ground in a huffing groan. He saw a boy wearing a full-body cat outfit with cat ears. This boy was around his age, and he stood next to a pretty, sandy blond-haired girl with teal eyes. She had four consecutive pigtails and wore a simple yellow floral kimono.
A tall man with auburn hair and onyx eyes emerged from the tent. He wore a black jacket and tanned pants and had ten canisters strapped to a belt around his waist. Naruto was lifted off the camel and was greeted face-to-face by a boy around his age with bright red hair. This boy lacked eyebrows and had soulless, pupilless green eyes with black rings. This boy wore black baggy leggings, a black short-sleeved shirt, and a white shemagh scarf over his left shoulder. Fuu appeared by his side, but she too became quiet from the cold stare of this redheaded boy.
"Welcome. You must be Naruto." He noticed Fuu and gave Kazuhiro a nod. He shook Kaz's hand and smiled at Fuu. "And I can't forget Fuu of Takigakure. My name is Rasa Sabaku. I'm the fourth Kazekage, and it is a pleasure to meet you both," Rasa said with a creased grin. He placed a hand on the boy with the cat ears head and said, "This is my eldest son, Kankuro. He's the rookie of the year at Suna and a prodigy of Suna's most ancient arts."
"Dad!" Kankuro protested.
"Kankuro, behave!" Kankuro flinched and became silent. Rasa quickly moved behind the girl with four pigtails. She gulped, and the shinobi guarding the tent shifted nervously. "This little sweetheart is my daughter, Temari. She's a good girl and one of the best wind-style users on Earth. Finally, my youngest son, Gaara."
Gaara only glared intensely into Naruto's eyes.
Naruto awkwardly smiled and waved to the Kazekage's children. He shook Kankuro's hand, but Temari held his hand tightly for a few seconds. When he went to shake Gaara's hand, a wall of sand shot from the ground, blocking him. Fuu followed suit, but another sand wall blocked her when she tried to shake Gaara's hand.
"I guess handshakes and manners must be foreign to you," Fuu commented, smiling warmly. "I guess you're the strong, silent type. Hopefully, that doesn't get us killed."
"Whether you live or die isn't a concern to me," Gaara uttered coldly.
"Gaara, behave! Naruto and Fuu will be your friends and teammates," Rasa stated.
"Just because we're being banished to the desert together doesn't mean we are friends," Gaara uttered emotionlessly with a curling grin.
Uncle Kaz stepped before Naruto, shielding him from the quick-moving sand surrounding the crazed redheaded boy.
"Gaara!" Rasa shouted. "Behave now!"
Glittering yellow flakes floated in the air. His skin crawled from an electric stir in the air. The yellow flakes shined brighter like his mother's jewelry. Naruto rubbed his hands nervously as he heard Gaara screaming on the ground. Long, veiny, pulsing golden limbs that resembled tentacles churned around the redheaded boy's body. His eyes widened as he watched his fellow jinchuriki writhing on the sand, screaming from the metallic squeeze of golden grains.
Most of the people present were cowering away from the Kazekage's tent. The screaming stopped, and the metal grains receded into the canisters around Rasa's hips. Gaara was knocked out on the ground with sand floating on and off his body in the air.
"And with that, it's time for bed," Eva uttered lightheartedly.
"Yes, yes, it is. You two will be sleeping with Gaara tonight," Rasa said with a hand on Naruto's and Fuu's shoulders. Both kids exchanged worried glances. "Don't worry, he won't bite."
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She dreamed of sunshine cascading down through a canopy of trees. She was back in Takigakure. She saw a dark-skinned woman with mint green hair. Was this her mother? Right before she got a good look at her face, she heard a scream!
Fuu's eyes shot open, and all she saw was eerie darkness, with the sound of the tent flaps rolling in the wind. Blood drained from her face as she rolled out of her sleeping bag groggy. The Takigakure academy wasn't advanced in training their shinobi compared to the bigger villages, but that didn't mean Academy students were slouches, far from it. Every morning through weeks of boarding school, every academy student had to learn to get up and be ready within two minutes. She saw Naruto sleeping on his side, facing the tent opening.
Sighing to herself, Fuu went back to her sleeping bag. She shuffled her feet deep in the bag, trying to get comfortable and warm again. It was frigid tonight, with little warmth in the tent. She shivered while growing weary. Maybe that scream was just a part of her dream. That had to be it.
The wind started howling louder outside. The tent felt colder, and that was when Fuu realized Gaara was there inside their tent! She forgot all about that creepy Suna jinchuriki. Sand whirled around the form of a shadowy figure at the other corner of the tent. The figure had the outline of a skinny, spiky-haired boy.
"Mommy, mommy, where are you? I miss talking with you. Please, Mother, what will it take for you to listen?" Gaara cried to himself.
Fuu listened, petrified by what she saw in the darkness. Thankfully, Naruto was still asleep, but that only scared her. She saw his mother's sword leaning against his backpack.
"Mother, I heard you talk last night, which means you are still around. That means you can hear me!"
Fuu stopped breathing.
"Yes, yes," Gaara muttered excitedly. "Their blood will mix into your sand. I'll prove that I'm worthy to talk to you." Fuu's heart stopped as she watched Gaara chuckling and crying to himself in the corner. "Ha ha ha ha ha! Yes, their blood will spill in the sand. Red sand! Red sand! Red sand!"
Her eyes adjusted in the darkness. She didn't dare make a move, but a quiet sigh made Gaara twist his head. In the blink of an eye, Gaara's pupilless eyes flashed a few inches before her. He was huffing out of breath, with tears dripping down the tip of his nose.
"I hate eavesdroppers!" Gaara growled. "Mother doesn't like bugs. Especially the frustrating ones that don't leave you alone. She despises them, especially the seven-tailed variety." He looked at Naruto, who was not sleeping far away. "Are you scared?"
"N-n-no!" she stuttered.
"You should be!"
"Why do you want to kill us?" she asked. "We haven't done anything to you."
"Because… I want to speak to my mother. You wouldn't understand," Gaara admitted. He turned around, his neck facing her. "Monsters don't deserve love."
Gaara started walking away. Fuu felt her face sink, and her heart tugged. She didn't know why but moved closer to Gaara.
"Wait," Gaara turned around and faced her. Saliva was foaming between his open lips. "Did you ever meet your mother?"
"My mother died when I was born. My uncle Yashamaru told me she named me Gaara because I can only love myself. I loved him, but he hated me as much as my mother. My goal is to one day unleash my mother against my father. I want my father's blood to spill against my mother's sand. Only then will we monsters be free," Gaara said softly.
"Until that day arrives, can you please not kill us?" Fuu asked while stepping back.
"I'll try," Gaara muttered as he crawled away to the corner of the tent.
Fuu went back to her sleeping bag. She eyed the Kazekage's son for what felt like an eternity. That was when she realized Naruto was awake. He had his sleeping bag pulled over his nose, and his eyes were wide open, staring at Gaara. She was neither dared to say a word or look him other in the eye.
Then darkness overcame her…
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Heavy were the hearts of those who roamed this Earth during the days of the Black Sun. All the lands were cold, the fruit metallic, the soil acidic, and time hard to fathom. Monsters of such indescribable horror fed on the flesh of the brave. The most nefarious beast of all relished in the dark light of the shining sun. Silver rays of light reflected ebony scales that shimmered veils of darkness.
Its hunger for human flesh is unquenchable.
Underneath the great tree lies its lair. Sleeping for eternity, waiting to be awoken.
Naruto felt his uncle's journal fly out of his hands. Kazuhiro stood with the book in his right hand, their single eye furious. That terrible sinister aura flowed from his uncle, and Naruto took a few steps back with his shoulders shrunk.
"If you're going to sneak like a shinobi, don't you ever get caught!" Kaz chided with his index finger, pointing at Naruto. Kazuhiro shut Black Sun and pocketed the book in his jacket. "And to think I planned to show you a new way to train with your foxes."
"What did I just read?"
"Jibberish. Don't worry about it. Come on, let me show you a few tricks," Kaz said with a grin.
His Uncle quickly crawled out of the tent, leaving his whisker-marked nephew to stare at the heavy tent flap dumbfounded.
Naruto Uzumaki always took into account the challenge of learning something new. But that book frightened him just as much as Gaara. Since the Kazekage left with his favorite children, they had been left with Gaara, which wasn't terrible unless you didn't like sleep. Life in the desert was hard. Every day was the same arduous journey through the Gaara-Gum desert. They traveled relentlessly through sandstorms and hot sun while riding camels with the tribesmen. At first, his butt and thighs were burned with blisters each evening. But that, too, healed. The only thing damaging his psyche was passing midday from exhaustion, not because the journey was terrible but because he and Fuu got zero sleep due to fear. At the same time, there were seals and countermeasures to prevent Gaara from lashing out. But that didn't prevent Gaara from discussing every conceivable way he'd turn him into mush.
Gaara was creepy!
Then again, that book made his head spin just thinking about it. Could such a beast be real?
Biju were the only demonic beings in this world. That's what Iruka-sensei said in class, but what he had read said otherwise. Maybe he was overthinking things. He needed a good night's rest!
Things might get better at their destination. This tribe supposedly knows the most fantastic ninja arts, according to his uncle. Not like they'd ever compare to his uncle, who could teleport and control fungi. Having spent his entire life poor, forgotten, hated, and despised by his teachers and peers at the Academy. He wasn't going to look this gift horse in the mouth!
He was going to be Kazekage! Hopefully, before Gaara turns him into toothpaste with his magical sand.
Naruto crawled out of his uncle's tent and fell face down into the hardened desert. Dizzy from the tumble, he brushed off dust and sand from his clothes and saw his uncle standing near a bluff, watching the rising sun. They were high up in the mountains and hills of northern Wind Country, so the views were stunning. The mountains were painted purple, red, and brown, while those that looked black were covered with dried shrubs.
A man wearing a black cowled turban approached his uncle. Naruto waited just close enough to overhear what the mysterious man was saying.
"We should get out of here. On paper, these lands are ours, but out here, it is a battlefield between the Delqani, Kamakura, and us Akhani," the man said. His eyes shined like emeralds, and the ivory scimitar on his back looked deadly. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we reach Kidal!"
"We'll leave soon, don't you worry, Umar. We'll leave shortly, but first, I need to teach my apprentice something," Kaz replied.
Umar gave Kaz a nod and left Naruto standing behind his uncle. Watching the sun rise above the mountains was oddly peaceful. He saw valleys carved by rivers and the wind. Bright red and pink round flowers were growing from rudimentary plantations. Men on camels were herding goats thousands of feet below the bluff.
Kaz made the hand signs for the summoning jutsu without saying a word. He slammed his fist on the ground and yelled, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
A small white cloud of smoke disappeared, revealing a small sandy fox with massive ears. It was roughly less than half a foot tall, and it wore a small blue fabric Suna forehead protector over its head. Naruto wasn't too impressed by the summon.
"Right when I was just about to get some rest, you summon me. Need me to send out another message, boss?"
"No, fennec! I summoned you so that you'd meet Naruto Uzumaki. He signed the fox summoning contract roughly two months ago, and he's going off to train under the Akhani tribe," Kaz explained to the messenger fox.
Fennec shook its sandy-furred head.
"He looks young and small for a fox summoner. Am I just the messenger between both masters?"
"Yes! But I'll also send Naruto some scrolls for his hands only. I also want you to train Naruto on some of your desert techniques. However, I'm the only one Naruto can send messages to. Sound like a plan?"
"Of course! Just know that you'll have to double my treats from now on. Other than that, I'll be off now," Fennec said. "Nice meeting you, Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto waved at the cute, big-eared fox. Fennec then disappeared in a white cloud of smoke. Kazuhiro left Naruto to himself by the bluff. His uncle was awakening the other riders and his fellow jinchuriki. This left him time to practice summoning foxes for the remainder of the morning.
He summoned half a dozen small foxes and Himeko, who wrapped her six tails around his legs. Himeko spent a short time licking his face and grooming him as the sun rose over the horizon. Golden-red sunlight reflected off his skin. He looked at the sun and thought about how big and beautiful the world was.
Could there truly be a Black Sun?
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Naruto watched the desert landscape turn rockier and more mountainous. The tribesmen accompanying them became on edge as their caravan passed two large golden mountains. Kaz explained that the mountains were known as Kidal Pass—many villages of desert tribesmen herding goats, lambs, and other animals around the valleys. The journey continued until sunset, and Naruto was awoken by the cheers of hooded villagers approaching their camels. They were at the foothills of an extended range of cliffy mountains with thousands of caves carved into the bedrock. Torches surrounded the adobe village, with olive-skinned tribesmen keeping guard.
There were thousands of people cheering them on either side of the road.
"Welcome to Kidal, the city of nomads!" Kazuhiro said from behind him. "This is where you shall be for the next eighteen months. Don't worry. I'll be keeping watch over your progress and safety."
Naruto looked at the dirty people surrounding their caravan. He waited for their camel to kneel on its knees before dismounting with Fuu and Gaara. He was pulled by two heavy-set men with his fellow jinchuriki. He looked over his shoulders, hoping to see his uncle, but all he saw was a swirling mist of fungus spores. His heart sank once again.
They were brought to a large tent near a natural oasis, fed by water flowing from cracks in the mountain. Naruto entered and sat on a mat beside Fuu, who looked as worried as him. Gaara, on the other hand, was looking at his nails uninterestedly. An old man with wrinkles covering his face sat down across from them. He was wearing a maroon thoab, which covered the man's entire body down to his brown sandals. He wore a white shemagh around the top of his head, which didn't cover his face in cloth.
"Welcome to Kidal. My name is Asa, and I'm the tribal elder of the Akhani tribe. You three must have many questions about why the Kazekage ordered my tribe to take you three in?" Asa looked at them with a wide smile. He pulled out three Sunakagure headbands from his thoab and said, "These were given to me by the Kazekage. Interesting things indeed."
"Were we brought here for one of my father's tests?" Gaara asked spitefully. "If so, spare me the trouble of partaking."
"Young man, you were brought here because of your attitude. You nearly destroyed Suna two years ago after that incident with your uncle," Asa explained. "Gaara Sabaku, I'm afraid you have no say about whether you partake or not. You three are part of an experiment."
"An experiment? Like what? You guys will test us like lab rats or something!" Fuu shouted angrily. "We are no different than you! We might have Biju sealed inside of us, but we are still human!"
Gaara and Naruto gasped and looked at their fellow green-haired jinchuriki.
Asa laughed wholeheartedly and smiled. He laid the headbands on the ground. Naruto's hand edged forward, but he pulled it back when Asa gave him a peculiar look. Never had he been more tempted to steal a forehead protector. Fuu gave him an amused glance. Asa grinned
"My people have walked the Gaara-Gum for nearly ten thousand years. Our traditions are older than the Elemental Nations. Before there were seals, there was chaos. When Biju roamed free, we treated them with respect. Humans and demons once lived in harmony, and we found that demons aren't evil. They want to be free. Our people call ourselves Imuhar, which means freemen. We learned to be free by observing the Biju, learning their ways, and sometimes protecting them from shinobi. You three are now protected by our tribe for housing greatness within you," Asa remarked. Loud chanting was heard from outside the tent, which made the atmosphere odd. "The Sage of the Six Paths was the one who taught many secrets. We were among the first to follow his traditions nearly ten thousand years ago. We have kept these traditions from oral stories our fathers ' fathers laid out."
"So your traditions are what?" Naruto asked, his eyes scrunched up, confused.
"Thousands of years ago, there were two men. Asura and Indra. They were the sons of the Sage of Six Paths, and they showed our people the art of ninjutsu, but we later blended these arts into something more profitable. Our warriors call this art Nizari' Ishmaili, which means the order of assassins. This is what you three will learn. You will learn to hide in the shadows, blend in with the desert, become one with a crowd, survive on the land, and learn to take advantage of every opportunity. Our traditions keep us from revealing the most secret of shinobi arts, but you three are the exception."
"Because we are demons," Gaara accused. "That's why we are getting the special treatment, isn't it."
"My young child, you are not a demon," Asa attested. He shook his head and sighed. "Don't ever believe the lies that you three guardians are evil. My people will help you three learn to control the Biju inside of you, but most of all. I want you three to be cherished and loved. To grow where people don't look down at jinchuriki!"
"You say that as if it's going to be easy! People hate us! They won't ever respect us because Gaara is right. In their eyes, we are demons! All I've wanted my whole life was to be acknowledged and loved. When I think I've found love and acknowledgment, I get betrayed!" Naruto admitted, shocking Fuu and Gaara.
They murmured and looked at him oddly, probably because he had pointed out the elephant in the room.
"You must be young Naruto Uzumaki?" Asa commented, pointing a bony finger at Naruto, whose face started heating up. "I've heard a lot about you."
"You have?" he questioned. He looked at the old man's light green eyes. "Hopefully, it wasn't anything… bad?"
"Not precisely. I heard you were a prankster and a troublemaker from the Kazekage. He said you want to become a shinobi. Is that correct?" Asa looked at Naruto's eyes directly. "You are not wrong that many people see you three as nothing more than demons. But I plan on that changing. Jinchuriki are the most important citizens of their nations, but you three haven't been shown the proper respect and love you deserve. However, this is the true test of how you will become genin."
"I knew this was a test," Gaara bluttered angrily.
"Yes, but as far as tests go, this will be easy. Suna has been blessed with three jinchuriki around the same age for the first time in history. You three will be on the same Shinobi team. Never before have three jinchuriki been on the same shinobi team together. This is a historical moment for the shinobi world, and I'm happy to be part of it, for I will be your Genin proctor. The test is simple: you three will live together, sleep together, eat together, and eventually fight together. But for you three to pass, you will need to grow close enough to have synergy, where each team member is equally important," he explained to them.
There was a stillness inside the tent. Gaara, Fuu, and Naruto remained silent, letting Asa's words melt into their psyche. There wasn't much time for them to ponder as the tent flaps were opened. A bright light blue light cascaded through the tent. The loud chanting grew louder as armed guards wielding scimitars surrounded them.
He wasn't afraid of the intruders but grasped Fuu's right hand between both palms. Her red cheeks grew darker as she was pulled to his chest protectively. Maybe it was because she was his first true friend, or he enjoyed her company, but he wouldn't let anyone mess with Fuu!
His sapphire eyes scanned the men and Asa sternly, and he growled, "I might be small, but I can fight, ya know!"
All of the armed men laughed, including Asa. Gaara began walking out of the tent. The redheaded boy turned and huffed. His green eyes burned into Naruto's sapphire eyes.
"Don't be an idiot! This is just part of their tradition," Gaara replied nonchalantly. "You can play Saving the Princess later!"
Naruto growled but didn't let go of Fuu's hand as they followed the redhead out of the tent. They were greeted by the whole tribe chanting and feasting from cooked goats by a spectacular azure fire. Blue light reflected from everyone's cheeks and clothes. The smell of burning coffee, spices, dried herbs, and delicious meats filled the air.
Tribal children wearing thoabs, madragas, and colorful blue, red, and white tunics surrounded them. Fuu repositioned him between her thighs. Her arms encircled him as many children tried pulling his whiskered cheeks. Naruto had never blushed harder in his life. So many children his age and younger asked him questions about living in the cities. However, they quickly moved away when streams of sand surrounded them.
Everyone stepped away from Gaara, who sat beside his fellow jinchuriki. Fuu smiled at the redheaded boy for saving them.
"Th-thanks," Naruto mustered gratefully. "You didn't have to save me."
"I want to get out of this hellhole as fast as possible. If I need to butter up to you guys, I will." the scary jinchuriki said emotionlessly.
Naruto, Fuu, and Gaara spent the rest of the night singing, feasting, and watching the blue fire burn. Most of the people by the fire had gone to bed, including Gaara, leaving Naruto and Fuu to themselves. They were sitting across from each other. Her sunburst eyes stared intensely into his curiously like she had something on her mind.
"Is something wrong, Fuu-chan?" he pondered.
"All night, you've looked kind of sad. I hope you're alright," she inquired worriedly.
"What do you mean?"
"I've known you for over a month. You might be able to fool this tribe with your smiling and fake laughter, but you don't fool me. What's eating you up?" she inquired.
Fuu grabbed him by the shoulders and hugged him into her chest like she had the first time they met. He could hear her heartbeat quickening and smell the wonderful fresh scent of honey and pine. She pulled his face up and looked at him deeply again. Her smile melted away whatever defense he had set up. He couldn't lie to her even if he wanted to.
"Dan-sensei left me. I mean, it sounds weird because he's not my father, but I do miss him. He's the only family I have… I thought maybe he'd take me in," he admitted solemnly. "He promised me he wouldn't ever abandon me, but he's gone."
"That's not weird at all, Naruto-kun. I felt the same way when Shibuki sold me to Suna, but now I'm not so sad anymore," she said comfortingly.
"Why is that?"
"Because I have you, Naruto-Kun! I'm happy you're my friend," she replied. She had such a warm smile that it made him smile and blush. "I wish I had you when I was growing up in Taki. You didn't have to defend me in Asa's tent, but you did."
"I will always protect you, Fuu-chan," he vowed with his right hand over his heart. "I won't ever abandon you. I swear to Kami and all the gods that I won't ever leave or betray you. Since I've met you, I haven't been happier."
Fuu blushed hard and hugged him half to death. His arms were flailing for air from her ironclad grip. Even though she was killing him slowly, he did love her hugs. A loud cough over them made them separate instantly. Both youngsters looked up at an olive-skinned man wearing a black shemagh over his hair held in place by a golden agal-rope. He had a thick black mustache light hairs around his cheeks and chin. But most odd were his fierce, amused, and calculating light-brown eyes sparkling from the blue fire.
"If it isn't young Naruto and Fuu, much blessings to have your company. My name is Umar, and I am the son of Tuah and grandson of Asa. I will be your teacher in our peoples' secret arts," Umar said with a wide smile. "I know elemental ninjutsu, genjutsu, and our peoples' art of assassination, but you will learn our ways soon. I didn't know you two were already so close. That is good."
Umar nodded above them. Naruto and Fuu blushed harder under his calculating gaze. However, Umar crouched down and looked at Naruto's face. His brown eyes looked troubling in the blue light from the fire.
"Do you love the desert boy?"
"It's not so bad. I think the desert is gorgeous and clean," Naruto admitted.
Umar laughed loudly, shook his head, and said, "No, Imuhar loves the desert. We dream of water and green. You will learn soon enough. When war is called, our people are the first to be called by the Kazekage. Our environment makes us great warriors, but we are kings of nothing. There is nothing here but sun and sand."
"Naruto-Kun didn't mean to offend you, sir," Fuu blurted worriedly.
"There is no offense. You two are young and have much to learn. Strength comes from adversity. That's why you are the first outsiders to study our ways. Get some rest. It is late." Umar left them by the fire.
When it came time for bed, he situated his sleeping bag next to Fuu's. Perhaps he was still scared of Gaara, but really, he wanted to be close to his friend. She was the only person he had. He didn't have Konoha, his uncle, and really anyone else but her. He slept with his mother's sword over his chest. He didn't close his eyes until he knew Fuu and Gaara were asleep.
This was the fate his uncle chose for him. He was going to make the most of it!