Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Jump ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Ookami Mononoke 
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.03.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.7K | Visits: 543 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.03.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.7K | Visits: 543 | Status: Completed
AN: Yay! We’re getting along now! -winks and grins broadly. I’m so glad so many people are interested in this fic! I might start posting on media miner, actually..... -run off to upload chapters 1-3 to mm.org- Okay, that’s done. -grins and winks. Anyways, chapter four! Enjoy!
NOTE: I’VE CHANGED NARUTO’S AGE TO SIXTEEN!!!!! That means our boy isn’t fourteen, like I’d originally said. He’s sixteen. I think it’s just going to be easier for the plot line for him to be sixteen, and it just makes more sense.
Theme music for chapter four: Harder to Breathe -Maroon 5
Summary: Much like the death of the Kyuubi, the death of the Yondaime was fragmented. Except for the fact that a disappearance is much different than a sealing.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto. Duh. That right belongs solely to Kishimoto-sama. Though I must profusely thank him for giving me such wonderful and descriptive characters to torment so hideously.
Last Time:
“So here you are, sitting on top of a giant toad, waiting to end your life and seal a demon in your son’s belly, but your wife is dying right next to you! And so when you go and sign a contract with the Death God, he decides that your wife’s blood is sweeter than yours, so he’s going to kill her instead. And to make things even better, right as you seal the demon in your son’s belly, the damn fox decides he’s going to send you fourteen years into the future using a demonic Kinjutsu, so now every one thinks you’re dead!
“And to make matters worse, you go into a coma for a week, and then when you come out of it, you think you’re finally going to see your son and students again, only to learn two of your students are dead, and then as soon as your son sees you, he tells you he hates you!”
Arashi bared his teeth at Naruto, his eyes glinting wildly into Naruto’s stunned ones.
“So yeah,” he spat, anger etched into his face, “it’s pretty fucking hard.”
The Jump
Chapter Four
Naruto stared up at the ceiling blankly.
It was white. Not the yellowing, peeling paint of his old apartment.
It was an actually, truly, white ceiling. And he didn’t like it.
It had been odd, over the past few months. Tsunade had given a long speech, and admitting to the public of Konohagakure Village that the Yondaime hadn’t really died, but that the fox had sent him into the future. They seemed to believe this.
Naruto’s life would have normally gone down hill from there, for the villager’s hate for him was magnified tenfold. Now he wasn’t seen as the demon that killed the Yondaime, he was seen as the demon that had sent him into the future, past one of the greatest times of need Konoha had seen in over twenty years. It would have been much worse, if Tsunade hadn’t also said that Arashi was to receive a new house, and that Uzumaki Naruto, his only son and sole heir to their family techniques, was to move in with him as well.
That had shocked the public.
Uzumaki Naruto was the one and only son, the very same one that had been said to have died at birth, of the great Yondaime, Konoha’s Yellow Flash? They didn’t believe it until Tsunade had the two of them come out and stand side-by-side, the similarities between the two overwhelming. Most of the citizens refused to believe it at first, but begrudgingly, they finally accepted it.
The smell of burnt food reached his nostrils, and Naruto wrinkled his nose in distaste. As the new smoke detectors in the house went off, shuffling and a few crashes were heard, accompanied by very loud cursing that floated up the stairs of the two story house. Naruto sighed and pushed his sheets aside, and, clad in nothing but a pair of dark blue boxers, stalked down the stairs for another day with his “Dad.”
Naruto looked over at his Father in between slurps of his ramen. Arashi had ended up killing anything that might have been labeled as food when he caused the stove to somehow explode.
They’d decided on going out for ramen instead (as it seemed to be happening every time Arashi decided he wanted to cook).
He was reading a Konoha Daily, flipped open and seeming to be frowning in concentration. His face relaxed a bit, he blinked a few times, and then burst out laughing.
Naruto raised an eyebrow and hopped off his stool, and stood on his tiptoes to read what was so hilarious. Naruto blinked twice, raised an eyebrow, seemed to concentrate, and then started cracking up into hysterics. The cook’s daughter looked at them curiously, “What’s so funny?” Naruto grinned devilishly and pulled the paper out of his Father’s hands -much to the protesting of the Yondaime- and handed it to her. She looked at it for a moment, and then started snickering.
There, in the comics section of the Konoha Daily, was a simple little strip of short manga, entitled “Ninja’s Bonus,” -a rather well-known comic strip that featured various Ninjas in the village whenever printed- depicting everyone’s favorite silver-haired jounin in just two simple scenes. The first had him attempting to eat through his mask, failing miserably and causing food to splatter everywhere; while the final and last one had him in the middle of a cornfield with arms spread out and dozens of black birds perching on top of him. On the left side of his face was a very recognizable blob of yellow-white goo trailing down his cheek.
The cook’s daughter chuckled and handed Arashi back his paper, who ‘humphed’ and continued reading, the occasional fit of laughter here and here.
Naruto rolled his eyes and went back to eating his beloved ramen.
Anything could be cured over ramen.
Midday caught up with the father and son pair, and both headed towards the Hokage Tower to receive a mission (if there was one to receive, anyway). As they pushed past the double doors and into the Hokage Tower’s Mission Retrieval Station, they both simultaneously closed their eyes, yawned, and scratched the backs of their heads.
Each paused, and opened an eye nearest the other and glared through it, hands still behind their heads. A laugh was heard from the long central table and both slumped a bit and turned to look at Tsunade through now opened eyes.
“Well, I see the two of you are getting along better now,” Tsunade grinned, one of her eyebrows a quirk. Both men huffed and looked away crossing their arms.
“Keh,” Naruto scoffed, kicking the ground, “Arashi burned the eggs again. And he made the stove explode. Again.”
Arashi puffed up, “That thing was defective I tell you! It exploded on its own! I told you there was a reason it came without a warranty!”
Naruto snorted, “Right.”
Arashi huffed and looked at Tsunade, “Are there any missions, Obaa-chan?”
Tsunade scowled and a tick appeared on her forehead, but she “overlooked” the comment. “How about a D-ranked mission for that remark?” Father and son turned blue. “NOT COOL! NOT COOL!” both yelled.
Naruto puffed out his chest and glared through shut eyes at Tsunade, “Nuh-uh! I stopped doing those missions last year! I am so not going through that again! I remember it as though it were yesterday, stupid missions. “Find the cat,” Sensei said; “Weed the garden,” Sensei said; “Fetch my slippers!” Sensei said!!!”
Naruto plopped on the ground in a huff, crossing his arms and grumbling crossly.
Tsunade held a hand over her mouth to hid her grin. “Okay, maybe I’ll let you have another A-rank this time.” Tsunade paused and pulled out her clip board, glancing over the contents briefly. “Wait, Naruto-kun. How about this one? It’s an B-ranked, but if you want it you can have it.” Tsunade’s brow wrinkled as she read the requirements of the mission. It appeared Naruto would enjoy this one.
Naruto looked up at her from the ground, eyes opened wide as he looked at her. He paused and held a hand to his chin. “What does the mission involve? The objective? Location and whereabouts? Time and length?” he asked, his eyes scrutening the Hokage standing before him.
Arashi blinked at the sudden mood-swing that occurred in his son. He still couldn’t get used to the rapid changes that his son’s personality seemed to go through. Shaking his head, he looked at the Hokage, waiting for the reply. Tsunade scanned over the text again and spoke to Naruto.
“You are to go to Suna and help the new Kazekage. He’s having some trouble asserting his authority over the Sand people, so he requested help from Konoha. Actually, he requested you specifically. Time-frame is estimated to be approximately one month, longer if necessary. In this mission, I am transferring command over to the Kazekage, you are to listen and follow orders given by him as though they were from myself. You are to become a temporary Sand-nin, though you will be allowed to keep your Leaf hitai-ate, you will be issued a Sand one for the time being.”
Naruto raised one golden eyebrow, summing it up, “So basically, I’m the new Kazekage’s lapdog, right?”
Tsunade blinked and looked towards the blonde teenager , “Yeah, pretty much. Don’t worry though, I’m positive you’ll enjoy it.” She grinned and winked broadly at him, and Naruto gave a foxy smirk and gave her a thumbs up, “Alright ‘baa-chan, I trust you!”
Arashi stood there, feeling somewhat like a third wheel.
Tsunade turned to him slowly, and looked up at him, smiling. “Okay, Arashi-kun. Since this mission doesn’t list any specifics, would you like to join your son? You know, for a sort of father son..... thing.” She gestured with her hands, holding her two index fingers upright and parallel to each other.
Arashi blinked, and looked at his son, who merely put his hands behind his head and shrugged. “Sure, why not?” he replied, earning a smile from the Godaime. He grinned mischievously and motioned his arm into a salute. Tsunade laughed, and waived the duo away with her clipboard, calling for the next person or team to receive their mission.
Back at their house, Arashi and Naruto packed for their mission to Sand. Naruto was busily shoving things into his blue pack that he could fit, ramen excluded. His father had strictly forbidden him from packing any, saying, “Save room for the important things! Like clothes! And toothpaste!”
Naruto shook his head at the memory and continued cramming the clothes and supplies into the little blue pack that he would need for the next few months. Satisfied with his job well done, he picked the pack from his bed and slung it over his shoulder, hopping down the stairs to the kitchen to wait for his dad.
Naruto glanced at the clock on the far end of the kitchen above the sink. He sighed, if they wanted to get there within four days, they really needed to leave soon. Naruto blinked as Arashi stumbled in the kitchen, messy hair strewn about with an unshaved face of stubble and sleep in his eyes. He only had half of his Jounin vest on, hanging loosely from his right shoulder, his long-sleeved black shirt was untucked, and his pants were unbuttoned.
The teen sighed as his father rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and finished getting his clothes on. Naruto rolled his eyes as Arashi grinned brightly at him, pack on and ready to walk out the door. Naruto slung his pack over his right shoulder and walked out of the front door, waiting for Arashi to follow.
Naruto glanced up at the midday sun through pink cheeks. The desert was hot, and with no protection from the sun, the young Jounin had managed to get a nice sunburn from the last day of traveling on the scorching dunes.
They exited the borders of Fire Country on the first day, and entered Wind Country, not noticing any climate or regional change until morning on their second day of travel. They had seen the mountain range from far off, and really hadn’t paid much attention to it. They went through the mountain pass with out much trouble, stopping once briefly for supplies and a warm bed to sleep in. Going over the mountains had taken them nearly a day and a half, and when they finally emerged from the cragged slopes, they found themselves in a broad and dry desert, ranging as far as the eye could see.
It wasn’t hard, traveling in the desert, that is. It was just hot.
Unbearably hot.
It was a dry heat, with no humidity, and Arashi found himself nearly passing out twice in the time they’d traveled over the sand. It seemed that dehydration would suddenly spring up on him, and he’d find it hard to breathe, and his throat would close up from lack of water.
Naruto was patient with him, understanding that Arashi’s body was not as potent as his own, having harbored the Kyuubi in him for over sixteen years, as well as being accustomed to the almost instantaneous healing-rate of the demonic fox.
Naruto turned, looking at Arashi, who traveled about ten feet behind him. Neither were used to the harsh conditions of the desert, but because of Naruto’s superior stamina (and the fox that was sealed inside of him), it did not bother him nearly as much as it did Arashi.
Arashi caught up to him, eyes squinted and sweat dripping from his brow. “Should’ve brought more water with us,” he said, holding up an empty canteen, turning it upside down and shaking it. Nothing emerged. Naruto nodded, “But we’ll have reached Suna by tonight. I doubt I could spend another day in this blasted desert.”
Arashi laughed and the two continued walking towards their destination.
They reached the gates of Sunagakure no Sato just as the sun began to set, the large bright orb slowly sinking against the dunes to the west. Two sand-nins, on gate duty, asked them the formalities, state your name, rank, and your purpose for coming to Suna, etc. They were then escorted to the Kazekage’s Office, where Naruto found himself working to keep his jaw from dropping to the floor.
“K-Kankurou!” He sputtered, pointing an accusatory finger at the sitting figure of the Kazekage.
No longer were the days of purple face-paint and tufted black outfits, Kankurou sat before them the Kazekage, an air of strength and importance about him. He laughed, eyes crinkling from the already tell-tale signs of stress on his face. He was young still, nineteen, and the youngest Kazekage to grace the throne in the history of the Sand Village.
He did not wear the robes or the hat of the traditional leader of Wind Country, but instead was clothed in dark tan pants, loose to the cut, and tucked into black shinobi sandals. He had on a black flak jacket, with armor built into it and pockets adorning the front, similar to the Konoha flak jacket vests, differentiated only by the coloring. Underneath the vest he wore a light brown shirt, with metal mesh underneath.
“Naruto-kun! It is good to see you again! My brother is looking forward to visiting and speaking with you again, with your.... ah.... similarities.” Kankurou wrinkled his nose as he grinned, his dark blue, almost black eyes shutting when he smiled. His hair was a dark, dark brown, with lighter highlights in it, caused by the hot sun-filled days in Suna.
He had lost some weight, not that he was ever truly that big, but his previous outfit had not been what one would call, “flattering.” His face was chiseled and tan, with a firm, square jaw and large eyebrows giving him an even more intimidating figure.
Arashi knelt and bowed low, tugging on Naruto’s flak jacket as he went.
Naruto felt a tug on his left side and looked to see his father kneeling with his head bowed to the ground. The teen blinked, and suddenly remembered that this wasn’t just Kankurou, this was the Kazekage.
He muttered a small, “oops,” and followed his father’s suit. Kankurou blinked at the pair. “Okay, enough pish-posh, you two can get up now.” They complied, and Naruto seemed rather surprised at Kankurou’s temperament. From what he remembered from his first Chuunin Exam and the Sound fight, he’d seemed a lot more hot headed then, and much more afraid of Gaara. Now he was just..... slightly normal. Maybe from Gaara’s defeat by Naruto, the Tanuki-possessed ninja had become more complacent, relaxing Kankurou a bit.
Naruto grinned as he stood, “Kankurou, wh-?” Naruto was cut off by one of the Sand-nins tensing next to him, glaring, “You will show Kazekage-sama with the proper respect, insolent whelp!” The nin motioned to kick him, and as Naruto was about to dodge and retaliate, Kankurou shouted, “Enough!”
Both ninjas stopped, and Arashi held his head in his right hand, massaging his temples, this was going to be a long day.
Kankurou sighed and waved the Sand-nin away, and the ninja bowed and retreated back to his beginning position. “It is alright, Miyashi-san. Naruto-kun and I go back a long was, hmm, Naruto-kun?” Kankurou said as he looked at the leaf-nin. Naruto grinned cockily at him, “Hell yeah! We took the Chuunin Exam together, right before the attack and invasion on Konoha. Beat the shit outta’ your brother though. That was over four years ago, so damn straight we go back!”
Kankurou laughed, and the Sand-nin looked at Naruto surprised, ‘This loudmouth is the one that defeated the demon? It can’t be!’
Arashi looked at the Kazekage, feeling somewhat left out. ‘That seems to be happening a lot lately,’ he mused.
“Anyway!” Kankurou said as he leaned back into his chair, propping his head up on his right hand, “Back to business, we can catch up on old times later, as of now, you both officially Sand Ninjas.” Kankurou snapped his fingers, and a servant brought forth two Suna hitai-ate. He picked them up and handed them both to Naruto and Arashi. He looked at the two of them. “Neh, what’s your name again?” Kankurou asked as he looked at the Yondaime, who blinked.
“Uzumaki Arashi.”
“Oh, so you two are related then?” Kankurou deducted as he looked at the similarities between the two.
Arashi gave a small smile, “Yeah, he’s my son.”
Naruto had an unreadable look on his face as Kankurou nodded, an almost slightly troubled look on the Kazekage’s face, “I see.” The look was gone barely a second after it appeared, and Naruto looked away from Arashi, who turned to the boy with a slightly hurt look on his face.
“I see,” Kankurou whispered, repeating himself. He shook his head to clear himself of the thoughts that settled dimly into his mind. “Come now! It is dark, and the day is gone, we’ll talk more of official things tomorrow, for now, let’s go home!” He hopped out of his chair and went to the door, Naruto and Arashi following closely behind him. Arashi glanced at Naruto, who looked pointedly away.
The Yondaime sighed, they still had a long way to go.
AN: Yikes! That took me way to long to do! Sorry for the two month wait, everyone, I got lazy and didn’t really feel like writing, I know that’s not a good excuse, but it’s the truth and I apologize. I really wanted to get chapter four out before I left, so I had to cut it short. I’ve really been working on Arashi’s character and personality, and I hope I’ve given him enough description for everyone. Now that we’re finally in Sand, I can really get the plot moving along.
But one thing...... you guys are going to kill me now, because I leave for my father’s tomorrow.... who has no computer.... -sigh- so that means no updates for you, and no fanfiction for me. But while I’m gone, I’m bringing a handy-dandy little notebook to write more chapters in! Yay! I’m coming home on July 16, so it’ll definitely be a while before anyone gets an update, so sorry again!
-Ookami Mononoke
NOTE: I’VE CHANGED NARUTO’S AGE TO SIXTEEN!!!!! That means our boy isn’t fourteen, like I’d originally said. He’s sixteen. I think it’s just going to be easier for the plot line for him to be sixteen, and it just makes more sense.
Theme music for chapter four: Harder to Breathe -Maroon 5
Summary: Much like the death of the Kyuubi, the death of the Yondaime was fragmented. Except for the fact that a disappearance is much different than a sealing.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto. Duh. That right belongs solely to Kishimoto-sama. Though I must profusely thank him for giving me such wonderful and descriptive characters to torment so hideously.
Last Time:
“So here you are, sitting on top of a giant toad, waiting to end your life and seal a demon in your son’s belly, but your wife is dying right next to you! And so when you go and sign a contract with the Death God, he decides that your wife’s blood is sweeter than yours, so he’s going to kill her instead. And to make things even better, right as you seal the demon in your son’s belly, the damn fox decides he’s going to send you fourteen years into the future using a demonic Kinjutsu, so now every one thinks you’re dead!
“And to make matters worse, you go into a coma for a week, and then when you come out of it, you think you’re finally going to see your son and students again, only to learn two of your students are dead, and then as soon as your son sees you, he tells you he hates you!”
Arashi bared his teeth at Naruto, his eyes glinting wildly into Naruto’s stunned ones.
“So yeah,” he spat, anger etched into his face, “it’s pretty fucking hard.”
The Jump
Chapter Four
Naruto stared up at the ceiling blankly.
It was white. Not the yellowing, peeling paint of his old apartment.
It was an actually, truly, white ceiling. And he didn’t like it.
It had been odd, over the past few months. Tsunade had given a long speech, and admitting to the public of Konohagakure Village that the Yondaime hadn’t really died, but that the fox had sent him into the future. They seemed to believe this.
Naruto’s life would have normally gone down hill from there, for the villager’s hate for him was magnified tenfold. Now he wasn’t seen as the demon that killed the Yondaime, he was seen as the demon that had sent him into the future, past one of the greatest times of need Konoha had seen in over twenty years. It would have been much worse, if Tsunade hadn’t also said that Arashi was to receive a new house, and that Uzumaki Naruto, his only son and sole heir to their family techniques, was to move in with him as well.
That had shocked the public.
Uzumaki Naruto was the one and only son, the very same one that had been said to have died at birth, of the great Yondaime, Konoha’s Yellow Flash? They didn’t believe it until Tsunade had the two of them come out and stand side-by-side, the similarities between the two overwhelming. Most of the citizens refused to believe it at first, but begrudgingly, they finally accepted it.
The smell of burnt food reached his nostrils, and Naruto wrinkled his nose in distaste. As the new smoke detectors in the house went off, shuffling and a few crashes were heard, accompanied by very loud cursing that floated up the stairs of the two story house. Naruto sighed and pushed his sheets aside, and, clad in nothing but a pair of dark blue boxers, stalked down the stairs for another day with his “Dad.”
Naruto looked over at his Father in between slurps of his ramen. Arashi had ended up killing anything that might have been labeled as food when he caused the stove to somehow explode.
They’d decided on going out for ramen instead (as it seemed to be happening every time Arashi decided he wanted to cook).
He was reading a Konoha Daily, flipped open and seeming to be frowning in concentration. His face relaxed a bit, he blinked a few times, and then burst out laughing.
Naruto raised an eyebrow and hopped off his stool, and stood on his tiptoes to read what was so hilarious. Naruto blinked twice, raised an eyebrow, seemed to concentrate, and then started cracking up into hysterics. The cook’s daughter looked at them curiously, “What’s so funny?” Naruto grinned devilishly and pulled the paper out of his Father’s hands -much to the protesting of the Yondaime- and handed it to her. She looked at it for a moment, and then started snickering.
There, in the comics section of the Konoha Daily, was a simple little strip of short manga, entitled “Ninja’s Bonus,” -a rather well-known comic strip that featured various Ninjas in the village whenever printed- depicting everyone’s favorite silver-haired jounin in just two simple scenes. The first had him attempting to eat through his mask, failing miserably and causing food to splatter everywhere; while the final and last one had him in the middle of a cornfield with arms spread out and dozens of black birds perching on top of him. On the left side of his face was a very recognizable blob of yellow-white goo trailing down his cheek.
The cook’s daughter chuckled and handed Arashi back his paper, who ‘humphed’ and continued reading, the occasional fit of laughter here and here.
Naruto rolled his eyes and went back to eating his beloved ramen.
Anything could be cured over ramen.
Midday caught up with the father and son pair, and both headed towards the Hokage Tower to receive a mission (if there was one to receive, anyway). As they pushed past the double doors and into the Hokage Tower’s Mission Retrieval Station, they both simultaneously closed their eyes, yawned, and scratched the backs of their heads.
Each paused, and opened an eye nearest the other and glared through it, hands still behind their heads. A laugh was heard from the long central table and both slumped a bit and turned to look at Tsunade through now opened eyes.
“Well, I see the two of you are getting along better now,” Tsunade grinned, one of her eyebrows a quirk. Both men huffed and looked away crossing their arms.
“Keh,” Naruto scoffed, kicking the ground, “Arashi burned the eggs again. And he made the stove explode. Again.”
Arashi puffed up, “That thing was defective I tell you! It exploded on its own! I told you there was a reason it came without a warranty!”
Naruto snorted, “Right.”
Arashi huffed and looked at Tsunade, “Are there any missions, Obaa-chan?”
Tsunade scowled and a tick appeared on her forehead, but she “overlooked” the comment. “How about a D-ranked mission for that remark?” Father and son turned blue. “NOT COOL! NOT COOL!” both yelled.
Naruto puffed out his chest and glared through shut eyes at Tsunade, “Nuh-uh! I stopped doing those missions last year! I am so not going through that again! I remember it as though it were yesterday, stupid missions. “Find the cat,” Sensei said; “Weed the garden,” Sensei said; “Fetch my slippers!” Sensei said!!!”
Naruto plopped on the ground in a huff, crossing his arms and grumbling crossly.
Tsunade held a hand over her mouth to hid her grin. “Okay, maybe I’ll let you have another A-rank this time.” Tsunade paused and pulled out her clip board, glancing over the contents briefly. “Wait, Naruto-kun. How about this one? It’s an B-ranked, but if you want it you can have it.” Tsunade’s brow wrinkled as she read the requirements of the mission. It appeared Naruto would enjoy this one.
Naruto looked up at her from the ground, eyes opened wide as he looked at her. He paused and held a hand to his chin. “What does the mission involve? The objective? Location and whereabouts? Time and length?” he asked, his eyes scrutening the Hokage standing before him.
Arashi blinked at the sudden mood-swing that occurred in his son. He still couldn’t get used to the rapid changes that his son’s personality seemed to go through. Shaking his head, he looked at the Hokage, waiting for the reply. Tsunade scanned over the text again and spoke to Naruto.
“You are to go to Suna and help the new Kazekage. He’s having some trouble asserting his authority over the Sand people, so he requested help from Konoha. Actually, he requested you specifically. Time-frame is estimated to be approximately one month, longer if necessary. In this mission, I am transferring command over to the Kazekage, you are to listen and follow orders given by him as though they were from myself. You are to become a temporary Sand-nin, though you will be allowed to keep your Leaf hitai-ate, you will be issued a Sand one for the time being.”
Naruto raised one golden eyebrow, summing it up, “So basically, I’m the new Kazekage’s lapdog, right?”
Tsunade blinked and looked towards the blonde teenager , “Yeah, pretty much. Don’t worry though, I’m positive you’ll enjoy it.” She grinned and winked broadly at him, and Naruto gave a foxy smirk and gave her a thumbs up, “Alright ‘baa-chan, I trust you!”
Arashi stood there, feeling somewhat like a third wheel.
Tsunade turned to him slowly, and looked up at him, smiling. “Okay, Arashi-kun. Since this mission doesn’t list any specifics, would you like to join your son? You know, for a sort of father son..... thing.” She gestured with her hands, holding her two index fingers upright and parallel to each other.
Arashi blinked, and looked at his son, who merely put his hands behind his head and shrugged. “Sure, why not?” he replied, earning a smile from the Godaime. He grinned mischievously and motioned his arm into a salute. Tsunade laughed, and waived the duo away with her clipboard, calling for the next person or team to receive their mission.
Back at their house, Arashi and Naruto packed for their mission to Sand. Naruto was busily shoving things into his blue pack that he could fit, ramen excluded. His father had strictly forbidden him from packing any, saying, “Save room for the important things! Like clothes! And toothpaste!”
Naruto shook his head at the memory and continued cramming the clothes and supplies into the little blue pack that he would need for the next few months. Satisfied with his job well done, he picked the pack from his bed and slung it over his shoulder, hopping down the stairs to the kitchen to wait for his dad.
Naruto glanced at the clock on the far end of the kitchen above the sink. He sighed, if they wanted to get there within four days, they really needed to leave soon. Naruto blinked as Arashi stumbled in the kitchen, messy hair strewn about with an unshaved face of stubble and sleep in his eyes. He only had half of his Jounin vest on, hanging loosely from his right shoulder, his long-sleeved black shirt was untucked, and his pants were unbuttoned.
The teen sighed as his father rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and finished getting his clothes on. Naruto rolled his eyes as Arashi grinned brightly at him, pack on and ready to walk out the door. Naruto slung his pack over his right shoulder and walked out of the front door, waiting for Arashi to follow.
Naruto glanced up at the midday sun through pink cheeks. The desert was hot, and with no protection from the sun, the young Jounin had managed to get a nice sunburn from the last day of traveling on the scorching dunes.
They exited the borders of Fire Country on the first day, and entered Wind Country, not noticing any climate or regional change until morning on their second day of travel. They had seen the mountain range from far off, and really hadn’t paid much attention to it. They went through the mountain pass with out much trouble, stopping once briefly for supplies and a warm bed to sleep in. Going over the mountains had taken them nearly a day and a half, and when they finally emerged from the cragged slopes, they found themselves in a broad and dry desert, ranging as far as the eye could see.
It wasn’t hard, traveling in the desert, that is. It was just hot.
Unbearably hot.
It was a dry heat, with no humidity, and Arashi found himself nearly passing out twice in the time they’d traveled over the sand. It seemed that dehydration would suddenly spring up on him, and he’d find it hard to breathe, and his throat would close up from lack of water.
Naruto was patient with him, understanding that Arashi’s body was not as potent as his own, having harbored the Kyuubi in him for over sixteen years, as well as being accustomed to the almost instantaneous healing-rate of the demonic fox.
Naruto turned, looking at Arashi, who traveled about ten feet behind him. Neither were used to the harsh conditions of the desert, but because of Naruto’s superior stamina (and the fox that was sealed inside of him), it did not bother him nearly as much as it did Arashi.
Arashi caught up to him, eyes squinted and sweat dripping from his brow. “Should’ve brought more water with us,” he said, holding up an empty canteen, turning it upside down and shaking it. Nothing emerged. Naruto nodded, “But we’ll have reached Suna by tonight. I doubt I could spend another day in this blasted desert.”
Arashi laughed and the two continued walking towards their destination.
They reached the gates of Sunagakure no Sato just as the sun began to set, the large bright orb slowly sinking against the dunes to the west. Two sand-nins, on gate duty, asked them the formalities, state your name, rank, and your purpose for coming to Suna, etc. They were then escorted to the Kazekage’s Office, where Naruto found himself working to keep his jaw from dropping to the floor.
“K-Kankurou!” He sputtered, pointing an accusatory finger at the sitting figure of the Kazekage.
No longer were the days of purple face-paint and tufted black outfits, Kankurou sat before them the Kazekage, an air of strength and importance about him. He laughed, eyes crinkling from the already tell-tale signs of stress on his face. He was young still, nineteen, and the youngest Kazekage to grace the throne in the history of the Sand Village.
He did not wear the robes or the hat of the traditional leader of Wind Country, but instead was clothed in dark tan pants, loose to the cut, and tucked into black shinobi sandals. He had on a black flak jacket, with armor built into it and pockets adorning the front, similar to the Konoha flak jacket vests, differentiated only by the coloring. Underneath the vest he wore a light brown shirt, with metal mesh underneath.
“Naruto-kun! It is good to see you again! My brother is looking forward to visiting and speaking with you again, with your.... ah.... similarities.” Kankurou wrinkled his nose as he grinned, his dark blue, almost black eyes shutting when he smiled. His hair was a dark, dark brown, with lighter highlights in it, caused by the hot sun-filled days in Suna.
He had lost some weight, not that he was ever truly that big, but his previous outfit had not been what one would call, “flattering.” His face was chiseled and tan, with a firm, square jaw and large eyebrows giving him an even more intimidating figure.
Arashi knelt and bowed low, tugging on Naruto’s flak jacket as he went.
Naruto felt a tug on his left side and looked to see his father kneeling with his head bowed to the ground. The teen blinked, and suddenly remembered that this wasn’t just Kankurou, this was the Kazekage.
He muttered a small, “oops,” and followed his father’s suit. Kankurou blinked at the pair. “Okay, enough pish-posh, you two can get up now.” They complied, and Naruto seemed rather surprised at Kankurou’s temperament. From what he remembered from his first Chuunin Exam and the Sound fight, he’d seemed a lot more hot headed then, and much more afraid of Gaara. Now he was just..... slightly normal. Maybe from Gaara’s defeat by Naruto, the Tanuki-possessed ninja had become more complacent, relaxing Kankurou a bit.
Naruto grinned as he stood, “Kankurou, wh-?” Naruto was cut off by one of the Sand-nins tensing next to him, glaring, “You will show Kazekage-sama with the proper respect, insolent whelp!” The nin motioned to kick him, and as Naruto was about to dodge and retaliate, Kankurou shouted, “Enough!”
Both ninjas stopped, and Arashi held his head in his right hand, massaging his temples, this was going to be a long day.
Kankurou sighed and waved the Sand-nin away, and the ninja bowed and retreated back to his beginning position. “It is alright, Miyashi-san. Naruto-kun and I go back a long was, hmm, Naruto-kun?” Kankurou said as he looked at the leaf-nin. Naruto grinned cockily at him, “Hell yeah! We took the Chuunin Exam together, right before the attack and invasion on Konoha. Beat the shit outta’ your brother though. That was over four years ago, so damn straight we go back!”
Kankurou laughed, and the Sand-nin looked at Naruto surprised, ‘This loudmouth is the one that defeated the demon? It can’t be!’
Arashi looked at the Kazekage, feeling somewhat left out. ‘That seems to be happening a lot lately,’ he mused.
“Anyway!” Kankurou said as he leaned back into his chair, propping his head up on his right hand, “Back to business, we can catch up on old times later, as of now, you both officially Sand Ninjas.” Kankurou snapped his fingers, and a servant brought forth two Suna hitai-ate. He picked them up and handed them both to Naruto and Arashi. He looked at the two of them. “Neh, what’s your name again?” Kankurou asked as he looked at the Yondaime, who blinked.
“Uzumaki Arashi.”
“Oh, so you two are related then?” Kankurou deducted as he looked at the similarities between the two.
Arashi gave a small smile, “Yeah, he’s my son.”
Naruto had an unreadable look on his face as Kankurou nodded, an almost slightly troubled look on the Kazekage’s face, “I see.” The look was gone barely a second after it appeared, and Naruto looked away from Arashi, who turned to the boy with a slightly hurt look on his face.
“I see,” Kankurou whispered, repeating himself. He shook his head to clear himself of the thoughts that settled dimly into his mind. “Come now! It is dark, and the day is gone, we’ll talk more of official things tomorrow, for now, let’s go home!” He hopped out of his chair and went to the door, Naruto and Arashi following closely behind him. Arashi glanced at Naruto, who looked pointedly away.
The Yondaime sighed, they still had a long way to go.
AN: Yikes! That took me way to long to do! Sorry for the two month wait, everyone, I got lazy and didn’t really feel like writing, I know that’s not a good excuse, but it’s the truth and I apologize. I really wanted to get chapter four out before I left, so I had to cut it short. I’ve really been working on Arashi’s character and personality, and I hope I’ve given him enough description for everyone. Now that we’re finally in Sand, I can really get the plot moving along.
But one thing...... you guys are going to kill me now, because I leave for my father’s tomorrow.... who has no computer.... -sigh- so that means no updates for you, and no fanfiction for me. But while I’m gone, I’m bringing a handy-dandy little notebook to write more chapters in! Yay! I’m coming home on July 16, so it’ll definitely be a while before anyone gets an update, so sorry again!
-Ookami Mononoke