Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Artifice ❯ Encounter ( Chapter 5 )

A/N: Wow, a fast update. XD. I was really excited to push this chapter out and viola! This one came to me pretty easily too, so kudos for that!

 

I always say it; but I am so eternally grateful for all your input and reviews. Thanks SO much!

 

Blanket Disclaimer: Naruto and all characters contained there within belong to Kishimoto. I do, however, take sole responsibility of this plot.

 

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Artifice: 1. n. Subtle but base deception.

 

2. n. A deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture.

 

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Artifice

 

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Chapter Five

 

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Encounter

 

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The girl's green orbs continued shining at him and Naruto was unable to speak. He knew there was something he was supposed to be saying, but his mind wouldn't formulate the sentences.

 

“Uh, are you okay?” She asked, her tone a chiming bell in the crisp air. He noted that she had a distinct accent on her words, something different in the way she pronounced her vowels.

 

A piece of bubblegum hair drifted across her forehead as she looked down uncomfortably.

 

“Well, I guess I'll be going then…”

 

This reorganized his thoughts. She made to leave, but he quickly caught her.

 

“Wait! Please don't go.” He cringed as he heard his own voice crack. She stopped though, and looked back at him expectantly. The collar around his neck weighed heavily and he clenched his hands.

 

“I think I'm lost.” He finally ground out; distracted by the way she worried her bottom lip with her white teeth. “I'm not from around here.”

 

Instantly her face brightened, though he still noticed an obvious air of alertness around her. Meeting a stranger late at night like this, he couldn't blame her.

 

“Well if that's all, then I'm sure I can help! I've lived here my whole life.” Here she giggled softly, his chest beating painfully. “Right now you're on 12th avenue, and if you follow this south you'll wind up on St. Barrett's Parkway. To the north you'll get the Intercity -but that's about half an hour away- and then if you take Hodgkin's you can get downtown.”

 

She was talking amiably, a gentle smile gracing her expression. He should've been listening, but Naruto couldn't get his eyes off the way her jaw moved when she spoke.

 

“Did you get all that?”

 

Should he pretend he had? No, no. He needed to focus. Finding the apartment was his first priority here. He didn't want to have to sleep out in the cold.

 

“Um, no. Sorry.” At this Naruto scratched the back of his head timidly, a welcome warmth flowing in his cheeks.

 

She looked at him in a reprimanding fashion, but there was still the easy happiness to her features.

 

“C'mon!” She sang in a whining manner. “You're the one who asked in the first place! At least try to be courteous to a lady!”

 

The paper was warm in his hand and Naruto hurriedly unfolded and held it up for her.

 

“I'm supposed to be here…” he said awkwardly. She leaned forward and inspected the small lettering, realization dawning.

 

“Poet Lane! That's a really fancy place! You must be pretty well off to be visiting someone there!”

 

A nod and then, “Do you know where it is?”

 

The girl scoffed, flipping her pink tresses over her shoulder and flashing a `V for Victory' sign. “Of course I do! It's pretty close to here, actually. You take this road up about three streets, make a right and then keep going…Actually; I'm heading in that direction. I can walk you there.”

 

Naruto blinked once, then twice. “Okay…” He sidestepped her, and with abrupt remembrance muttered out a `thank you.'

 

She waved a hand at him in dismissal. “No problem. I'd rather not walk alone this late anyways.”

 

They set off a few steps, her small heels clicking against the stone. His earlier assessment was correct; she was a fair amount smaller than he was. From under the over sized black coat two thin legs, clad in denim jeans, sprang. Her hair was cropped along her neck, most of it pushed back from her face with a red headband.

 

As the two walked she looked sideways at him, cheerily making conversation.

 

“I'm just getting off work now. They always hold me late there! I should probably just quit or something, but I really need the money for a car and college, you know how it is, I'm sure. And why are you wandering around so late?”

 

At a loss, Naruto gargled out some fake answer about just moving here and taking a bus to visit an old relative.

 

“Eh, you should've taken the bus a bit farther down the way! It would have saved you a lot of walking.”

 

He didn't know what it was, but there was something in her intonation, in her very speech, that caused him to lose his train of thought and stare at her wide-eyed. “Haha, I guess you don't have a car either then. I've been begging my parents for one, but they said they'd only meet me halfway -that's the main reason why I'm working. My best-friend Ino lords over me with hers; she's been driving for a whole year already!”

 

She paused at a crossway and Naruto instinctively stopped with her. He was about to ask why they'd halted when something large sped by them, just a measly few feet away. He nearly lost his footing as he jumped back; watching the blur fade off into the distance with a rumble.

 

Once the shock was gone, he realized that must've been a car.

 

The automobile was invented by Karl Benz. This he knew. It was most often powered by gasoline and fossil fuels and worked with the aid of a internal combustion chamber. He'd seen pictures and videos. He knew what a car was.

 

He hadn't anticipated them being so fast or noisy in reality though.

 

“Whats'a matter?” the teenage girl asked, bend forward over the street to see what had disturbed him. “Oh! Yes, that's one of those new hybrid cars. They're so strange, right? I think I did the same thing when I first saw one.”

 

He laughed uneasily and they continued on after a light changed from green to red.

 

“So you just moved here, huh? Well, it's nice enough but I hope you weren't looking for excitement! Everything is so boring here.”

 

'To you, perhaps.'

 

“Well, where'd you come from?” She beamed sweetly at him, tucking a stray strand of hair back with gloved fingers. His eyes remained on that piece, watching as the breeze toyed with it stubbornly. He didn't think people had pink hair...

 

“Hello!” The girl waved a palm before his face, eyes peering up through loose bangs.

 

He schooled his features into the most apologetic look he could muster. “Oh, sorry. I guess I'm a little tired.” It was true, also. For the life of him, Naruto couldn't recall a time he felt as weary as he now was. The day's events had really taken a toll on him, that was for sure.

 

“And? Where did you used to live?” She sure seemed generally interested in what he had to say. Her emerald irises were gleaming inquisitively and she had latched her hands together behind her back, a small skip in her gait.

 

“We move around a lot,” he answered, in what he hoped was a nonchalant fashion. “I actually moved here on my own from the south.”

 

“Ah! That would explain it!” She cried, raising a finger up understandingly. The way she was glowing made her seem as though she'd figured out the world's secrets.

 

“...What?” For the first time that night he smiled slightly. It was hard not to; hers was purely contagious.

 

She sighed exasperatedly. “Your looks, silly.”

 

He brought a tanned hand to his head, self-consciously combing through his locks. He didn't think he looked strange...and, in all honesty, like she was one to talk. At least his hair was a natural color...

 

“What about them?” He hadn't meant to sound affronted, but judging by the rushing embarrassment she displayed he'd say he failed.

 

“Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you! It's just that your build is foreign.” They passed under another street lamp, her contours highlighted by the new brightness. “You even have blue eyes! Wow!”

 

Was there something he was missing? As far as he knew, he didn't look out of the ordinary. Aside from his facial markings, anyways. He supposed he must've looked confused, because she hurried to elaborate.

 

“Nearly everyone around here has dark hair and eyes.” She explained patiently. “In fact, I've only ever met one person with blonde hair and blue eyes before, and her grandparents came from out of the country. That's my friend Ino I was telling you about.

 

Naruto didn't know where in the world he was located at this point, but if what this girl said was true then he wasn't from around here. Just how had he come to be?

 

The next few minutes were spend in silence on his behalf, and nothing more than a light humming on hers. He felt peaceful like this.

 

His companion suddenly gasped, looking towards the floor astonished. “You must be freezing!” She cried. He was, but why was she just realizing that? “How come you're not wearing any shoes?! It's October, you're likely to catch your death!”

 

Not quite, he was never sick. But her concern was endearing. Now how to play this one off...?

 

“My sandals fell apart,” He said sheepishly. “I figured I'd rather wear none at all than be lop-sided.” It sounded believable enough to him.

 

Though she looked dubious she apparently accepted this anyway. “That's horrible. I hope your relative can lend you a pair when we get there. I'm freezing, and I'm dressed warmly!”

 

Without a thought Naruto's first desire was that he had a coat to offer her. As it stood, all he had was his shirt. He very much doubted she would appreciate her stripping to a half-nude state.

 

She led him to another corner and around a turn onto his destination; Poet Lane. The buildings, he noticed, had been getting progressively nicer; better quality, better materials.

 

A few steps more and they paused outside a large, but decently discrete looking, building. A well dressed man was standing apathetically outside the elaborate doors. Brass numbers beside these labeled it as number 114.

 

“Here we are.” She needlessly declared, gesturing widely behind her.

 

Naruto felt a sense of awe, absorbing the feeling from this structure in waves. This is what he'd worked so hard to obtain. He'd done it. He'd won.

 

“It was nice to meet you. Bye!” She took off, once more huddling her jacket against the nipping freeze.

 

He looked up, alarmed. He tried to call out to her, but his voice was lost on the wind. Before he knew it, and all too soon, she was gone from his vision. For some reason that left an ache in his chest; a pain that, despite his decent medical knowledge, he couldn't identify.

 

He didn't even know her name.

 

Sighing morosely, Naruto trod over to the building, eying the strange doors warily. They seemed to be doors set in a circle-like structure. He moved towards them, carefully reaching out a hand, when a voice interrupted him.

 

“After eleven. Sorry but I can't let you in.”

 

The man leaning against the side of the building had stepped up and barred his path, tiredly crossing his arms and a prominent slouch to his posture.

 

He was tall, a few inches taller than himself, and wearing a gray-blue uniform, adorned with sparse gold garnishes. His hair was long and messy, a black mop falling around his dark eyes and he had an equally dark patch of facial hair trimmed along his chin.

 

The man wasn't even remotely ominous looking, but Naruto took a cautious step back nonetheless.

 

“I have to see the person in apartment 29.” He said. The black-haired man continued looking at him skeptically and Naruto hurriedly added a `please'.

 

“I don't know what you want to see that old geezer for but you're more than welcome to buzz up, if you want.”

 

When Naruto remained where he was the man elaborated. “You use this over here,” He pointed to a dark mechanical box along the brick-work behind him. “and just press the button of the apartment you wanna call.”

 

The blonde strode over and examined the object. It had plenty of buttons with numbers on it, and what looked to be a speaker and microphone unit. He sought out the number `29' and, once located, tentatively pressed in the switch.

 

A minute or so went by with no signal or answer. For what seemed like the hundredth time that day Naruto found himself doubting. Then from within the amplifier a crackly and garbled voice was heard.

 

“Ugh, who would be calling on me so late?! Unless you're a busty blonde I don't want to have anything to do with you!”

 

Behind him Naruto heard the man laughing to himself. He positioned himself and answered uneasily. “Um, I am blonde, if that helps…”

 

“No! Kotetsu, you're horrible at your job! After all the times I've tipped you for simply being lazy too! Ungrateful!”

 

The bellman, Kotetsu, took a step towards Naruto. “Hey! He said he needed to see you!”

 

Figuring to stop this before it went too far, Naruto butted in. “Yes, I do. A woman named Tsunade sent me to see you…”

 

There was silence on the other end. After a moment the voice fizzed back. “Send him up, Kotetsu.”

 

Kotetsu huffed and rolled his eyes. “Whatever his highness says.” Turning to Naruto, he said, “You can head on in. Izumo in there won't stop you.”

 

Following his advice, Naruto palmed through one of the glass doors, amazed when it pushed forward with him and, for a brief instant, terrified as he was enclosed within a glass pen. Within a second he was released from their hold, and the door went on revolving for a bit.

 

The inside was very stately; marble flooring, high arches, and delicate columns. There were a few wooden doors along the wall and a large desk opposite them. Most of all, it was quite warm, which Naruto was very grateful for. Leaning over the desk was who Naruto assumed to be 'Izumo'.

 

Izumo was, in comparison to Kotetsu, a few inches less. He was also a fair amount more pale. His brown hair, though shorter, was long enough to fall into his hazel eyes. He watched Naruto curiously.

 

The youth took his time along the trek to the shiny metal elevator, steadying his nerves. He was meeting more new people today than he could recall in the last five years.

 

The elevator board only went up to eighty, so Naruto figured he'd find his destination on the second level.

 

Shortly after pressing two the doors opened with a ping and Naruto found himself riding upwards on an elevator for the second time that night, though this one was a degree fancier than the previous.

 

The gateway cleared and Naruto left the small cube's subtle music, stepping into a lavishly carpeted hall.

 

He followed the doors down until he saw the one he wanted to his left.

 

Apartment 29.

 

Whoever it was, Tsunade obviously trusted him a great deal. Then again, he didn't know just what was about to befall him.

 

A deep, calming breath and a knock on the door. Nearly immediately it was pulled agape, a warm gust coming from within the abode.

 

Standing before him was a man a bit over six feet. He was well built with slim muscles showing from under his green tee-shirt. His sweats were black and he had slippers covering his feet. Long, back-length white hair frayed around his face, the rest of the unruly mane kept behind him in a tail. From beneath two stunned coal-black eyes poured twin inked red lines. Before him the tanned face drained of color.

 

Recognition flooded his mind and Naruto thought back to the drawing he'd done earlier that day. That and this man were one and the same. The man who had left Akatsuki around ten years ago.

 

“Jiraiya...”

 

 

 

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Post Note: Mhm, I'm pleased with this =3. Two things that I just would like to clear up: Naruto's attitude towards Sakura in this chapter. I purposely portrayed him as almost idolizing her. Aside from the fact that he does in the series, there are other reasons. All of which will be explained later on. Secondly: Naruto's view on the world. At this point he's barely seen anything yet -in the dark, none the less. There are, I'd think, as many different reactions to something like this as there are people. When I picture Naruto, an optimist, I feel like he'd hold the outside world in high regard.

 

Aren't Izumo and Kotetsu adorable~?! I wuffle them. So yep. They're there...and congrats to Soul of the Silver Phoenix for correctly guessing who Tsunade sent Naruto to~! E-shout~.

 

Well, once more I implore you all to please review. They're all immensely appreciated and I can't begin to tell any one of you how wonderful they make me feel. (And incite me to write!)

 

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-hanyoupup