Naruto awoke with a start. Pulling himself off the hard ground, he looked around to unfamiliar surroundings. What had happened? This wasn't the Valley of the End. The last thing the blond could remember was himself and...
Sasuke!
He'd been trying to bring that selfish bastard home! He'd promised! Even if he had to drag him back unconscious after kicking his ass! But what happened? This place didn't even look like it was near where he last knew to be. He'd have to worry about that later, he had to find Sasuke!
Naruto hopped to his feet. He didn't feel tired, so he must have been out of it for a while. He took a better look at his surroundings.
There was so much and yet so little to see.
In every direction there was destruction. A once bustling city maybe, destroyed and abandoned a very long time ago. Naruto couldn't even begin to imagine what this place looked like in its prime, but the thought made him a little sad.
"What happened here?"
Naruto made a pair of shadow clones.
"Spread out, grab anything worth picking up, we need to know where the heck we are, and find Sasuke."
The clones nodded and ran off. With the real one heading in a different direction. Making his way through the ruins, Naruto could see a few intact carvings in the broken structures, as well as some barely held together bannisters.
"These people really liked dragons, huh?"
Naruto wasn't one to judge though. Dragons were pretty cool, even though he was pretty sure actual fire breathing lizards didn't exist. That fact was always strange to Naruto, he lived in a world where people could harness the elements and summon talking animals with insane power. Not to mention the damn Fox in his gut.
Naruto wandered through the crumbling wreckage, his boots crunching against broken stone and the blackened remains of a once-great city. The air was thick with the scent of sulfur and ash.The ruins stretched as far as the eye could see, jagged structures twisted by time and fire, their foundations cracked and broken by whatever catastrophe had ended this city.
But what caught his attention, what made his breath hitch in his throat, were the bones. Massive skeletons lay strewn across the landscape, their long necks curved as if reaching for the sky, their ribs protruding like the remains of long-dead gods. Dragons. Dozens of them.
"This was a home for them," Naruto muttered, his voice swallowed by the eerie silence. His fingers brushed against a shattered skull nearly three times his size, the hollowed-out eye sockets staring back at him, empty and forgotten. "What the hell happened here?"
He ventured deeper, careful with every step. The wind howled through the ruins, carrying whispers of a past long buried. Then, the ground trembled beneath his feet.
A deep, guttural growl echoed through the dead city.
Naruto's instincts flared, and he spun toward the sound. Atop a crumbling tower of obsidian stone, a shadow moved. The beast unfolded itself with agonizing slowness, rising from the ruin like a demon from the abyss.
A dragon.
It was massive, even in its emaciated state. Its black scales had dulled with age, some peeling away to reveal sickly, ashen skin beneath. Its wings were torn and ragged, but its eyes, glowing pools of molten emerald burned with fury. It opened its maw, revealing rows of jagged fangs, and a low, grating snarl reverberated through the ruins.
It was dying. But it would not die cowering. Naruto barely had time to move before the beast lunged.
A searing torrent of green fire exploded toward him, the unnatural flames roaring through the air like a vengeful spirit. Naruto leapt, twisting in midair as the inferno devoured the spot where he had stood. The heat licked at his skin, hotter than any fire he had ever known, melting stone and turning sand to glass.
"Shit!" He barely landed before the dragon's massive tail came sweeping toward him. He crossed his arms and braced, but the force sent him skidding backward, his feet carving deep trenches into the scorched earth. The beast roared again, a defiant, earsplitting sound that shook the ground.
The dragon inhaled, its chest swelling, flames flickering behind its fangs. Naruto moved. He dashed forward, zigzagging through the debris as another burst of emerald fire exploded in his wake. He could feel the heat searing the air, his clothes smoking at the edges.
He jumped, pushing chakra into his legs as he propelled himself skyward, twisting above the dragon's head. He formed a Rasengan in his palm, the sphere of spiraling energy whirring violently.
With a snarl, the dragon turned and met him midair.
Naruto barely had time to react before a massive claw slammed into him. The impact was brutal, sending him hurtling into the side of a collapsed temple. Stone shattered around him, dust clouding the air. He gasped, pain lancing through his ribs.
The dragon was already upon him.
Naruto rolled just as another blast of green fire consumed the temple. He hit the ground and shot forward, reappearing beneath the dragon's jaw. He drove a Rasengan into its throat, the attack sending the beast reeling, its roar turning into a choked snarl.
It stumbled but did not fall.
Naruto landed and clenched his fists. His body ached, sweat dripped from his brow, and the air smelled of burning stone. But he wasn't done yet.
The dragon charged, snapping its jaws at him, but this time he was ready. He ducked, weaving between the massive talons and coiling tail. He surged forward. Another rasengan in hand as he met beast head on. Slamming his head against the dragons temple, the rasengan sent it hurtling towards the ground. With a cry of pain and surprise, both Dragon and shinobi fell to the ground, with a thunderous crash. Then, silence.
When the dust settled, the dragon lay still.
Naruto approached slowly. Its emerald eyes were dull now, the fire behind them extinguished. Its massive chest rose and fell once, then stilled.
A warrior's death.
Naruto exhaled, staring at the fallen beast. He didn't know what this dragon had been protecting, its home, its last shred of dignity, but he had ended it. Naruto thought for a moment before deciding.
"It wouldn't be right to leave you like this. I'll find a good place to bury you." He placed his palm against the dead wyrms head. Getting to work he added the corpse of a dragon to his treasure haul.
Naruto was about to leave the area when something caught his eye. A glint among the rubble, Naruto trudged through the debris of his recent battle, reaching down he pulled out something. About the size of a mango. Dark blue, almost black in color, slightly rounded with small scale patterns all over it. Though Narutos curiosity was interrupted at the sound of a voice.
"Took you long enough, dobe."
His eyes widened as he began looking around, a panicked frenzy.
"Sasuke?!"
"In your hands, idiot."
Naruto stopped his search and gazed down at the strange object in his hand, before his brow furrowed.
"Oi! What's the big deal?! You just stayed henged like this while I had to fight a freaking dragon?!" Naruto would ask in exasperation, only to be met with a familiar "Hn."
"This isn't a henge. I woke up like this, I can't access my chakra, I can't move. My body is just gone Naruto." Narutos expression turned serious.
By all accounts, this should have spelled death for the Uchiha. However in that moment, Naruto couldn't help a bittersweet grin forming on his face.
"Well hey, at least now Orochimaru can't take your body, and it'll be way easier to drag your sorry ass back home like this." He let out a small chuckle as he continued to inspect the object in his hand before something clicked in his head. "Hey! Does this mean you're a dragon now?!"
"Thats what you're focused on?! What about the fact that you've ruined everything?! How am I supposed to avenge my clan?! I could be stuck in this lousy egg forever, because of YOU!" Naruto could hear the Venom in his friends words, and sighed, he guessed they were having this conversation again.
"Because of me? Sasuke YOU are the one who left the village! Left your comrades, your friends! You had people who actually CARE about you, who put their lives on the line for you! And as if that wasn't enough you had everybody in the village eating out of your hand! And you were gonna throw it all away just to learn a few jutsu?!"
"I need the power Orochimaru is offering, Naruto! I wasn't getting stronger at all in the village, how obvious could it have been when YOU were the one getting better!"
"Orochimaru was never gonna really train you Sasuke! The moment he saw you getting close to surpassing him he'd have taken your body! And that would be it, how do you avenge your clan when it's not even you anymore?!"
"You just don't get it Naruto! I have to be the one to stop itachi! I have to get justice for my family, you don't know what it's like-"
"You're right."
Those two words took away any momentum Sasuke had. Naruto sighed.
"I don't know what it's like, to grow up with parents, to have people expect things of you, to have someone to make you smile every day, just for someone to take it all away. But that doesn't mean I don't still think you're going about it the wrong way."
Sasuke remained silent, so Naruto continued.
"I didn't have a family of my own, so I had to make one. That's what I think of when I imagine everyone back home. Kakashi sensei, Sakura, even you." Naruto smiled slightly, before returning to a somber expression.
"You guys became my family, so when you decided you didn't want to stay...that we werent worth sticking around for..."
Naruto sighed again.
"You gotta do what you think is right, and beat Itachi. I get that, all I figure is that if you'd have just stayed in the village, then one day Granny Tsunade would probably just let you go find him. The only thing is you wouldn't be going in alone."
With that, the two sat there in silence for a few minutes before Naruto spoke again.
"We gotta figure out where we are. Once we get home, Granny Tsunade will figure out how to change you back into a human. Till then, I'll keep you safe."
"Tch, like you have a choice. If I'm stuck with you for who knows how long, then you'll damn well make sure I'm fine, heh, maybe I'll hatch from this egg and burn you to a crisp." That drew a chuckle from Naruto
"In your dreams, ya bastard."
Naruto stood back up, keeping Sasukes Egg tucked away in one of his pockets rather than sealing it in a scroll. He continued through the ruined city of dragons. At that moment one of Narutos clones dispersed, relaying it's knowledge to its master. Taking off in the direction the clone had gone, Naruto came across more wreckage like before. However the scenery had a particular difference. All around him were lumps of this bright, shiny metal. Naruto was able to see a large amount of different structures had been made with this metal.
"This must have been some kind of forge, where the people made all their stuff from this metal." Naruto could hear Sasukes voice again. Even without being in the open air, it seemed his friend would still see the surrounding world.
Naruto figured it might come in handy at some point, so he threw all the metal he could find into a scroll with the rest of his growing haul of loot. As he gathered the last bits of the stuff he could find, he came across another body.
Less disheveled than the other skeletons, still bearing the armor it used when alive. Adorned in large amounts of red and gold, a lion pattern engraved into the chest plate. In the dead man's hands though, a sword, bearing the same lion insignia as the man's armor, yet the blade appeared to be made of the same metal as most of the other objects Naruto had collected.
"Whoever this was died more recently, my guess is they came here in search of treasure, and they didn't make it out." Naruto would muse out loud, before kneeling beside the corpse, unfurling his scroll.
"Youre gonna take the dead guy too? Why not just the sword?" Sasuke would ask, curious to his teammates logic.
"This guy isn't from here. He might have family or something that doesn't know what happened. Maybe we can figure out where he's from and return him and the sword to their rightful owner"
"And if we don't find anyone?'
Naruto shrugged. "Then I'll bury the guy somewhere and keep the sword, no real harm done." Sasuke could agree with that. And so the two wandered the ruins some more, until they made it to a coastline. Naruto couldn't see any other land masses in the distance, and so concluded he and Sasuke were on some sort of island. It was at this moment though that the blond shinobi heard a noise, though much less bestial than the dragon had been.
Turning a corner, Naruto peered his head around to see them, 20 or so men aimlessly wandering the beach. Their skin a dark grey, like stone, eyes almost lifeless. Whatever happened to these people, Naruto was sure there wouldn't be any talking things out. As soon as he stepped out from behind the corner, they moved their gazes to him, and surged forward.
Naruto wasted no time and made a few more clones, sending them forward to meet the strange men. It was hardly even a fight. A couple of his clones had unfortunately been caught by a lucky hit but the rest managed to dispatch the unknown assailants.
"Well that was weird. Where did these guys even come from?" Naruto asked as if he'd somehow receive and answer. Could they have been survivors of whatever destroyed this place? Somehow kept alive by whatever turned them into...that?
"Whatever it was, it wasn't natural. These people were sick with something. Its a good thing you used your clones to take them out. Touching them might have been a bad idea."
Naruto nodded. Without another word he set off once more to find a way off this island, and more importantly, a way home. He wandered around for hours, having clones scout the area, until the toll of everything finally hit him. Fighting Sasuke, then a dragon, and finally those strange people, with no food and little rest. As strong as he was, even Naruto couldn't keep going, and so as darkness came with the night, Naruto made camp.
Sasuke hadn't said another word since earlier. Naruto wasn't sure if that was good or bad honestly. Eh, he was probably just coming to terms with being a dragon, and being stuck in an egg for the time being. He finished up what little rations he had left before laying on the ground.
Naruto crouched behind the crumbling ruins of what had once been a grand hall, the marble now cracked and overtaken by creeping vines. The sea stretched out before him, shimmering under the pale light of a dying sun. A ship approached, its black sails fluttering in the wind like the wings of some great beast.
His heart leapt. A ship meant people. People meant a way out.
He had spent days wandering these ruins, scouring through the remnants of a dead civilization. He had fought more of those strange people, their flesh hardened and cracked like the statues of the old city itself. He had barely managed to put them down before their twisted hands could grab him, their sickness clinging to the air like a foul mist.
Now, hiding in the shadows, he watched as the ship came to a stop just off the coast. Small boats were lowered into the water, carrying figures toward land. At first, he thought it was a trading vessel, maybe explorers come to scavenge like he had. But then he saw them—the passengers.
They weren't sailors or merchants. They were sick.
Men, women, even children, their skin cracked and peeling, their faces twisted in agony or resignation. Some screamed as they were dragged from the boats and shoved onto the blackened shores of Valyria. Others barely moved, too weak to resist as their captors abandoned them without a second glance.
Naruto felt his stomach churn. These people were being left here. Dumped like unwanted cargo. This was what happened to the people he fought. They'd been abandoned here like this, and whatever they were sick with, turned them into those things.
A man stumbled to his knees, clawing at one of the sailors' legs, begging in a tongue Naruto couldn't understand. The sailor simply kicked him away, turning back to the boat without a shred of remorse.
Naruto clenched his fists, rage bubbling beneath his skin. But what could he do? He couldn't fight a whole crew, and he sure as hell couldn't help all these people. Even if he did, where would they go? Who would take them in?
This wasn't his fight. Right now, his only goal was getting off this cursed island.
The crew stayed on shore just long enough to complete their grim task, ensuring none of the exiles tried to flee back to the boats. Eventually, they turned away, their work done.
This was his chance.
Naruto crept from his hiding spot, keeping low, his breath steady. The sailors were focused on the water, making sure the last of the doomed stayed put. That meant their backs were turned.
With careful steps, Naruto made his way toward the ship. The wood was slick with sea spray, the hull towering over him. He leapt, catching the edge of the railing, and pulled himself up in a single silent motion. His fingers burned from the strain, but he gritted his teeth and climbed over, dropping onto the deck without a sound.
He moved fast, slipping down into the lower levels, ducking behind barrels and crates. The scent of salt and old wood filled his nose, the creak of the ship's boards masking his footsteps.
Now what? He had made it aboard, but he had no plan beyond that. If they found him, what would they do? He had seen how little they cared for the sick, why would they care any more about a stowaway?
Still, he had no choice. He needed to hide. Needed to wait.
The ship rocked as it pulled away from shore, carrying him away from wherever this was, and into the unknown.
Hours passed. Maybe more. Naruto sat curled behind a stack of crates, listening. The crew spoke in sharp, fast words, their voices rising and falling in a language he couldn't make sense of. He tried to piece together meaning from their tones, but it was useless.
His stomach growled. He hadn't eaten since before the dragon. He had barely had time to rest since killing that thing, and the exhaustion was creeping up on him.
Carefully, he crept from his hiding spot, searching for food. He found a small storeroom, filled with sacks of grain, dried fish, and other supplies. He grabbed a handful of whatever he could carry, stuffing some into his mouth before pocketing the rest.
That was his mistake.
The moment he turned, he found himself face to face with a burly sailor, his dark eyes narrowing in confusion before twisting into anger. The man shouted something, grabbing for Naruto.
Naruto dodged, but there was nowhere to run. More footsteps thundered down the hall. In seconds, half a dozen sailors crowded into the space, blocking his escape.
They barked questions at him, but he couldn't understand. He tried speaking, but they only grew more frustrated. Some of them looked at each other, debating something.
One of them, an older man with a thick beard, grabbed Naruto's wrist, holding it up as if inspecting him. He muttered something, shaking his head. Another sailor frowned, shaking his head more firmly.
Naruto didn't need to understand their words to know they were arguing about whether to throw him overboard.
In the end, they didn't kill him. Maybe they decided he was just a lost kid. Maybe they thought he wasn't worth the trouble. Whatever the case, they kept him locked below deck until they reached land.
When the ship finally docked, they dragged him onto the pier and shoved him into the dirt.
Naruto pushed himself up, dust clinging to his tattered clothes, and looked around.
The city was a sea of red. Red sandstone buildings, red dust blowing through the air, red blood staining the streets where slavers dragged their latest captives.
Naruto took a slow breath. He had made it off that crazy island, but it didn't seem like where he was now was much better.
As Naruto was hauled onto the pier and shoved into the dirt, he gritted his teeth, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around his chest. The impact made him wince—not from the fall, but from the weight of what he carried. Beneath his tattered cloak, secured carefully within the folds of fabric, was the egg.
It was warm against his skin, its surface smooth and solid, but humming with something alive. Even through his exhaustion, Naruto could feel it. The strange pulse beneath his fingertips, like the steady rhythm of a heartbeat.
Damn it…
He had hidden everything else, the treasures from the island. The trinkets and metal, the sword and the dead guy with lions all over him. All of it was safely tucked away in storage seals, the ink markings disguised as nothing more than odd tattoos along his forearm. These people wouldn't think twice about them.
But the egg? He couldn't store living things in a seal. And if they found it, they'd take it. He didn't know much about this world yet, but he knew that anyone sees a dragon egg and they immediately want it. Maybe if it had been an ordinary dragon egg, Naruto might have considered parting with it, under the right circumstances, but this wasn't normal. This was Sasuke.
His best friend, his brother, was in there, and Naruto would die sooner than abandon him when he needed Naruto the most.
A boot kicked dust into his face, and Naruto coughed, lifting his head as the sailors muttered to each other. A few of them glanced his way, as if debating something.
Then one stepped forward. A man with narrow eyes and a scar running down his cheek. He gestured at Naruto's body and spoke in a firm, commanding voice.
Naruto tensed. He didn't need to understand the words. He recognized the intent. His mind raced. If they frisked him, they'd find the egg. They'd take Sasuke and Naruto just wasn't strong enough at the moment to fight them all off. Not without using the fox's chakra, and Naruto wasn't desperate enough yet to try that.
He had to think fast.
The scarred sailor reached for Naruto's jacket, his fingers curling into the fabric.
Naruto reacted instantly. He slapped the man's hand away and jumped to his feet, glaring. "Oi! Hands off!"
The sailors flinched at the sudden outburst. His language meant nothing to them, but his tone, sharp, defensive, irritated, made them hesitate.
Then, before they could recover, Naruto moved.
He spun on his heel, shoving past another sailor, making it look clumsy, like a scared street rat trying to flee. But in that instant, his hand flicked outward, grabbing a nearby crate stacked precariously at the edge of the dock.
With a single, well placed push, the whole thing tipped over.
Wood cracked, supplies spilled, and a cascade of stolen goods tumbled onto the planks. A few pieces even rolled into the water with a loud splash.
The sailors immediately snapped to attention, shouting at each other as they scrambled to recover what they could.
Naruto didn't wait to see the outcome. He ducked low, slipped through the chaos, and bolted into the crowd, the egg still securely hidden under his jacket. The entire time Sasuke had remained silent. Naruto hoped he could find a place to rest soon, he had to figure out why the bastard had been so quiet since their last talk.
The streets of this new city were nothing like the ruins of the island. Here, life thrived, not in a way Naruto would call pleasant, but it was alive. The smell of sweat, salt, and something foul lingered in the humid air. People moved about, each with their own purpose, their own struggles. No one paid him any mind, just another beggar, another lost soul.
Naruto pulled his tattered jacket tighter around himself, though it did little to hide the worn, ragged state he was in. His stomach twisted in hunger, his body sluggish from exhaustion. He'd had nothing to eat since he left the island, and what little energy he had was spent avoiding trouble. He had Sasuke's egg to protect, but knew he had to either keep it on his person at all times, or he had to find somewhere people wouldn't look.
Naruto stumbled down an alleyway, turning through multiple corners until he found something suitable. A small building that looked abandoned. Making sure nobody was looking, Naruto crawled in through the broken window. In his tired and hungry state however, Naruto didn't notice the figure quietly observing from behind one of the corners he'd turned from earlier.
Quickly surveying the interior of the building, narutos instict was proven correct. This building hadn't been entered in a long time. Finally taking an opportunity to rest, he collapsed onto the floor. He took Sasukes Egg from inside his jacket and his brow furrowed.
"Hey ya bastard. You sleeping or something? We're off the island but still in bad shape."
Sasuke remained silent. Narutos expression became more sorrowful.
"Sasuke...are you in there?" More silence. Naruto sighed, curling up into himself, holding the egg close to his chest.
"We're really far away from home. I dont know how far exactly, but we aren't anywhere I've ever heard of or recognize. I could really use your help right now, you actually knew the answers to all those dumb questions in the academy."
Why wasn't he talking? This wasn't like Sasuke. Okay, it sorta was, but this was unusual even for him. Naruto guessed he could understand.
Sasukes body had been forever changed, no longer human. If the egg either never hatched, or if Sasuke, as a dragon, couldn't use ninjutsu, he'd be trapped forever. Either in this scaly little prison or eventually as an adult dragon, Sasuke's life could never be what it was.
All Naruto could do at the moment was keep his friend safe, but even now he worried he couldn't even manage that. Knowing it was either do or die, Naruto took a deep breath and stood up. He tucked the egg away under some old floor boards.
"Hang tight Sasuke, I'll be back soon, gotta get some food somehow."
Naruto moved back through the broken window and out back into the alleys. This would be harder to do than he'd like. No way to talk to anyone, no money, but he had to try. As he wandered off in search of the marketplace, a figure approached the abandoned building.
Naruto's first attempt at honest work had been met with laughter. No one was going to hire some half-starved boy who couldn't even speak the language. His second hadnt been any better, having Naruto move heavy crates just to toss a rotten goat leg at him. He'd even tried bartering one of the little trinkets he'd taken from the island. He'd once again just been ripped off and given rotten food. That left only one option...
Stealing.
Naruto had never liked stealing. He'd done it as a kid, but only because he had to. Back then, it was just to fill his stomach. Now… now it was the same, wasn't it? His fingers curled into fists as he eyed the marketplace. His body felt weak, but his instincts were still sharp. He spotted a distracted merchant handing off a pouch of coins to a customer, a fresh loaf of bread resting on the stall's edge.
His body moved before he could second-guess himself. A flicker of chakra, a silent step, he snatched the bread and turned to vanish into the crowd.
A hand closed around his wrist like a vice.
Naruto turned his head, his eyes meeting the cold gaze of a city guardsman. He tried to yank his hand away, to retreat and try again somewhere else, but he was just too drained. The strength that would normally allow him to have already been halfway down the street with none the wiser, nowhere to he seen.
Instead Naruto is barely able to wriggle his way out of the guards grasp, only to run into 4 more guards surrounding him. Panic began to settle in Naruto, he couldn't be captured, he had to get back to Sasuke! He strained his already exhausted muscles to push through, but it was no good, and he found himself forced to the ground on his stomach. Naruto began to snarl and thrash around.
Faint wisps of red chakra beginning to eminate from Naruto, camouflaged by the red colors of the city. Narutos body slowly began to regain strength, and push himself off the ground. It didn't make a difference though, as one of the guards moved over in front of Naruto and bashed the blunt end of his spear into narutos face, rending him unconscious. His body went slack as he fell to the ground once more.
One of the guards hoisted the young shinobi onto his shoulder as he and the rest left the marketplace, a small crowd having formed to witness the spectacle. Among them was a figure dressed in silk, watching with a curious eye.
Naruto awoke with a painful groan, slowly rolling onto his side before pulling himself up into a sitting position. His pants were the only thing they left on him it seemed, thankfully Naruto kept all his valuables in his storage seals. Speaking of, Naruto gazed at the Eight Trigrams seal on his abdomen. He'd been desperate enough to start pulling on the fox's chakra and he was still knocked out by these people.
Naruto clenched his fist in self loathing. He didn't know where he was, not that he did before, but this place was even more unknown to him. Worse still, he had no way of knowing if Sasukes Egg was safe. He tried to believe he'd done a good enough job in hiding him, but the worry remained all the same.
Naruto looked around him and saw other people like himself, in various states of distress, wearing next to nothing. These people were going to be sold as slaves, and so was he, he supposed. Naruto didn't really think about the implications, he figured once he was fed enough to "work" he'd just take off, strong enough to handle whatever this place threw at him. His heart went out to these people though, more people Naruto just couldn't save.
Naruto didn't know how much time passed before he heard someone approaching. He'd taken to leaning against the wall and closing his eyes to conserve his strength. Opening one eye to see a man approaching his particular cell. His robes rich and elaborate, red silks with gold embroidery. Slightly tanned skin, with black hair pulled back into a bun, a mustache that ran down his face and extending past his chin. He had an air of authority, but also a strange kind of peace about him.
The man studied Naruto for a moment, and Naruto instinctively tensed, expecting some kind of interrogation or punishment. But the man only raised an eyebrow, his expression thoughtful. He heard the man speak to one of the guards, giving them a handful of gold coins. The guard approached the gate to Narutos cell with a slave collar in hand. Entering the cell, Naruto was forced onto his feet and the collar fitted around his neck. Naruto kept silent as he was dragged out and given to the man in silk. Without a word, the man took the chain attached to Narutos collar and led him out of the building.
Naruto once again saw the sea of red sandstone of this slave city, too weak to resist as he was led who knows where. Naruto couldn't even see the building he'd stashed Sasukes Egg in. That thought alone nearly crushed his spirits. Before he knew it, Naruto was brought to a more lavish looking building with a painted door. His new "master" unlocked the door and gestured for Naruto to enter. So far this man hadnt shown him any hostility, but given that he "purchased" a kid for who knows what, didn't sit well with Naruto. He muttered a small curse under his breath.
When Naruto locks eyes with the older man, he's surprised when a loaf of bread is placed in front of him.
"Eat. Wouldn't do any good for you to starve on me so soon, yes?" Narutos eyes widened. He understood those words, he understood those words!
"I can understand you?!" The man chuckled.
"Perhaps the only one in this city you can speak to. It is not perfect, but your words are like that of my homeland." At those words Narutos eyes widened again, slowly beginning to eat the offered bread. Was this man was from the shinobi nations?!
"Where is this place anyway? Do you know how far the land of fire is from here?" Naruto asked with hope all over his face. The man looked intrigued by the question before shaking his head
"I am afraid I do not know of such a place. You are from east, from Yi Ti yes? This is Astapor, of the free cities of Essos." With that, narutos hope shattered. He'd never even heard of Yi Ti or Essos or Astapor, his shoulders slumped and he lost any appetite his hunger provided. The man spoke up again when Naruto didn't answer.
"You say the land of fire, do you mean the ruins of Valyria? That place has been destroyed for centuries now, boy. Though it would make sense for you to have this." Before Naruto could ask the man what he meant, he heard a thud on the table they sat at, and his blood ran cold. For sitting on the table in front of him was Sasukes dragon egg.
"Im most curious as to how some strange boy with an Yi Tish tongue and westerosi features came to have a dragon egg in his possession." The man's voice was calm and steady, without a hint of malice behind it. Naruto was still panicking inside though. Who was this guy?!
"I wish to make a deal with you, boy. Answer my questions, and do some work for me. In return i shall open my home to you and you may regain your strength, most importantly I shall return this to you." The man finishes by tapping the egg.
Naruto gulped as he stared into the eyes of the person who could either be his greatest ally or enemy in this moment. Faced with no other option, he had to relent. He once more bit into his loaf of bread.
"What do you want to know?"