Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Twilight ❯ Prolgue iii ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Haru Mclean Namikaze 
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Comedy / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 12.19.2009 | Updated On: 12.23.2009 | Pages: 5 | Words: 6.8K | Visits: 379 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Comedy / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 12.19.2009 | Updated On: 12.23.2009 | Pages: 5 | Words: 6.8K | Visits: 379 | Status: Work In Progress
Prologue part 3 Finding Twilight
Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto and Hinata have been walking for several hours now. They left Konoha at around 3:00 AM, and it was now 9:00 AM. 6 hours of nonstop walking and weaving in and out of the forests of Konoha, guided by their leader who holds the map.
Sasuke stopped again, looking at the map, and then looking at his surroundings.
"We're nearing the border, guys, take off your hitae-ate now," commanded Sasuke, taking off his own. "People might attack us if they see we're from Konoha." They set off again silently, for the forest was suspicious. Hinata shivered slightly.
"Are you cold Hinata-chan?" asked Naruto, seeing Hinata shiver.
"No, I just feel like we're being followed." she replied with an uncomfortable smile. Sasuke closed his eyes and opened them again, the Sharingan activated. He looked around.
"Hinata..." muttered Sasuke, gesturing to her eyes. Hinata nodded and activated his Byakugan. As she looked around, she gasped. There were rogue nins spread out around them, following them. Some of them appeared strong, but most of them were weak, as Hinata saw it.
"Come out now, we can see ya already!" called Naruto, grinning carelessly. Sakura braced herself, for these nins might attack them immediately. Several nins came down around them, closing in. They had no hitae-ate, meaning they were missing nins. Sasuke stuffed the map in his bag.
"Why are you following us? We're just passing by," said Sakura bravely. One of the nins came forward. He seemed to be the leader and the strongest, and he was around 18 to 19 years.
"We are following you to make sure you are just passing by," he said, smiling slightly, for it was a rare sight to see 13-year-old Chuunins pass the border so bravely without Jounins or teachers to guide them. "Its very rare for us to have visitors around these area, for this forest is famous for being the second most dangerous forest to the Forest of Death. You seem to be from Konoha, yet you removed your hitae-ate. On a mission or going off as missing nins?" [- The Forest of Death is the forest where the 2nd part of the Chuunin exams in the anime and manga took place. In there, Orochimaru placed the curse on Sasuke. He still has it in this fic, yet Naruto and the others from Orochimaru's clutches retrieved him. -
"Missing nins," replied Sasuke, still not removing his Sharingan, which went unnoticed by the other nins.
"Oh." the leader nin chuckled, along with his companions. "Pretty brave of you, eh? But as I heard, Konoha produces elite ninjas at the age of 12. I heard the Hyuuga branch and the Uchiha prodigies were on the top. May I ask how you managed to see us, considering we are experts in stealth?"
"Oh, you are not experts in stealth," said Sakura, narrowing her eyes. The nins fluttered at this. Sasuke smirked.
"Trust her judgment, she's the top female ninja of Konoha," grinned Naruto.
"How are we not experts in stealth, I may ask?" asked the leader nin.
"Firstly, you failed to hide your aura perfectly, for we felt it around. Secondly, earlier I can hear movements around the trees. Thirdly, when operating in stealth, you must know that too many companions can always give your positions away," ticked off Sakura. "Leading to one conclusion: you are not experts for you have flaws."
"You said it yourself," said Hinata. "Konoha produces topnotch ninjas the age of 12."
"And ya know what, dude?" grinned Naruto. "You should be honored to meet 4 of the top 10 ninjas of Konoha."
"The number one rookie is with us too," smiled Sakura, petting Sasuke's head. Sasuke glared.
"I see." smiled the ninja. "I wonder why 4 of the top 10 ninjas went off as missing nins?"
"Sorry, personal reasons," said Sakura. "Sasuke, I think we should go now, we still have quite a far way to go."
"We could help you with crossing this forest," offered the leader.
"What's in it for you? I know you'll never offer help unless there's something in exchange for you," smirked Sasuke.
"We will help you if you give us some money and you tell us why you left Konoha," said the leader. "Its quite a fair bargain isn't it?"
"No thanks, we can do fine on our own. We can't tell you what we need to do or where we need to go," glared Sasuke.
"Well then if you wont tell us, I'll go with you," said the leader nin, pocketing his hands. "Or is it coz you have no money?"
"Ya know if its only money that you want, we'll give you cash," said Naruto. "We cant take you with us."
"Why cant you? All I wanna know is why you passed through here. Its our job to make sure that you aren't spies or anything," sighed the ninja.
"Fine, go with us, you'll see we're not spies," glared Sasuke. "Insecure much, huh? Why, you a member of the Akatsuki or something?"
The ninja growled and narrowed his eyes. "No."
"Can you just stop bugging us for goodness' sake?" muttered Sakura. Hinata fished out a wad of cash from her pocket and threw it at the nin, who caught it deftly. Then the nin sighed.
"We said we'll help you, we come up to our words," he smiled. Then he performed several seals and a portal opened, revealing the small village where the ships docked so you can go to the Water Country. "Go through the portal, you'll find yourself in the village of Fune. Bye. I wont bug you more, I don't wanna get into a fight right now."
"Figures. Better treat that or you'll have an infection," said Hinata. The nin's hand flew to his chest.
"How?"
"Don't ask," muttered Sasuke, stepping through the portal.
‡--------‡
"Finally! Some village where we can eat!" Naruto cheered as they walked through Fune. [- 'Fune' is Japanese for 'ship'. -
"Glutton tummy," muttered Sasuke.
"Shut up, kisama!" hissed Naruto.
"Maybe we should first check the schedule of the ships heading to the Water Country," suggested Sakura. "Then we could get tickets."
They headed towards the building where the tickets were sold and where the scheds were posted. As they went inside, many people looked at them and then went back to their business. Sasuke went to the vacant counter and asked the lady which ship will leave soonest. She told him that the ship named "Vera" would be leaving in one hour towards a village in the northern part of the Water Country named Kita. Sasuke bought 4 tickets and went out of the building followed by the four.
"We still got one more hour," muttered Sasuke. "What do we do?"
"EAT!" cheered Naruto, pointing to a ramen bar. The three sweat dropped.
"Naruto, I'm surprised you are still well-nourished when the only thing you eat is ramen," sighed Sakura, pushing to the ramen bar. They sat down, ordered ramen and ate silently, occasionally speaking when it was necessary. Then the next thing that happened shocked them to the bones.
"SAKURA-CHAN!" hollered a gravely familiar voice from behind them. Sakura froze. She forgot that her hair color was easily recognizable! Sasuke looked at her then looked behind. Lee, Neji, Tenten, Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji, Kiba and Shino were all there, with Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai and Asuma. He buried his head into his hands.
"Kami-sama, what did I do to deserve this?" whispered Sakura as their fellow Konoha nins approached them.
"Double trouble, people," muttered Naruto.
"Uh-oh. Neji-nii-san looks furious," muttered Hinata.
"We have no choice," sighed Sasuke, slurping the rest of his ramen and standing up, followed by the three. Lee jumped up in joy and attempted to hug Sakura, but Sakura evaded and dodged to Sasuke, making Lee hit his head on the ramen bar table.
"What the hell are you guys doing here?" hissed Sasuke.
"Retrieving you, of course. We can't let some of the top nins to be missing nins," smiled Kurenai.
"Sorry, but we've already made our decisions. We really need to leave, sorry," muttered Sakura, pulling the three away to the docks. The Konoha nins followed them.
"But Sakura-chan, why d'you have to leave? I mean, you are fine in Konoha and all." asked Lee.
"Mi-mi-tsu!" grinned Naruto. [- Secret. -
"One hour has passed, we need to go now," announced Sasuke, heading straight for the ship named "Vera" and jumped in on it, followed by the three. As soon as they jumped on the ship started to move.
"Hey, wait!" called Ino. "You guys, we'll follow you to the Water Country!"
"Suit yourself!" replied Sakura, smiling a mischievous smile and grasping Sasuke's hand firmly and raising it, waving it slightly. Sasuke didn't seem to mind. Lee and Ino fumed. Neji felt slightly fazed by the act, but chose to ignore it. Then Sakura turned her back on them and proceeded to their cabin.
‡--------‡
After two hours on the ship, the four arrived at Kita peacefully. The four of them had already mastered the seals in the jutsu scroll, for it was easy enough, but required quite a lot of chakra. The technique only has effect when you are in front of the barrier. They got off the ship and roamed around the village, searching for a place where they could rent a yacht. A yacht was enough to get to the barrier, for the map says it was not too far off from the village. They asked some fisherman about it and they confirmed that there was a barrier alright, but it has never been entered ever before, for it was magical, and if you managed to enter the storm, it was an endless one, and you'd never get to the other side.
"If you four are trying to enter it, I suggest you don't, coz it's not really advisable for someone as young as you are. 13 years of age, for goodness' sake! Besides, its forbidden to go near the storm barrier, the guards that are patrolling around it forbids it. They are also examining how to enter the barrier," said one elderly lady.
"Thank you for your piece of information, Mrs. Masami," smiled Sakura. "We'll go off now." They walked to the rental shop they found and rented a yacht, but gave enough to buy it coz they weren't really sure what'd happen to it. They set off towards the barrier, hurrying for they saw another ship arriving from Fune, and it might just board Lee and the others.
They went nearer and nearer the barrier. They braced themselves for whatever might happen, if the yacht would tip. The patrol spotted them and yelled at them over the howling wind of the storm barrier, but to no avail. The four were too busy to listen. They were too far off for the patrols to reach and tow back, so all they could do is watch, along with the other people that had gathered at the dock, looking at them while they approached the barrier. Sakura waved one last time to her friends from Konoha who were watching them from afar. Then she turned back to the howling storm, as if it was hollering at them to stop and go back.
The barrier was like a tornado touching the waters, making it turbulent and bumpy.
"NOW!" yelled Sasuke over the winds. They performed several seals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Tiger, Snake, Dragon, Rat, Goat, Boar, and Ox. Then they pointed the bright white beam to the barrier. It opened a hole through the barrier, and the hole sucked them in, closing again.
Outside, the barrier was impenetrable, gray and fierce, the weather near it gray and stormy. However, when they got inside and opened their eyes, they found themselves approaching a sunny village full of people ogling at them and looking at them as if they were their saviors, which was kinda true. They looked behind them and saw that the barrier from inside was transparent, thereby showing everything that goes on in the other shore. There were miniature people in the other shore, looking at the barrier hopelessly. Kakashi and the others were on a patrol boat, scanning the vicinity. Ino was crying, her head on Shikamaru's shoulder, who was patting her head awkwardly. Neji had his fists clenched, Tenten had her hands clasped and she was praying. Lee was teary and shocked while Chouji had already dropped his bag of chips. Shino and Kiba were on one side; Kiba looking sad for his lost friends while Shino's expression was undecipherable.
"They think we died," whispered Sakura. "Oh, Ino! I could've at least made amends with her before we left!"
"Don't worry, she already forgave you, she told me," smiled Hinata. "Better just face what awaits us."
They faced the people. They were near the docks and some of the people grabbed the yacht's rope and tied it to a pole while they anchored. They jumped down and were approached by a man in his mid30's.
"Welcome to the village of Kai. I am Koruno Tsukete, the baron of this village. As you may well know, nobody yet has crossed the barrier of our country. Can you please state your names and your business here?" the man asked.
"Uchiha Sasuke," said Sasuke, producing the certificate and the crest.
"Haruno Sakura," smiled Sakura.
"Hyuuga Hinata."
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
There were murmurs at this. "They all look so much like the founders in the painting at the castle!"
"Bless my soul, finally!"
"The Four Chosen Ones are here at last!"
"Our country will be prosperous once again!"
"The Four Chosen Ones indeed," smiled the baron Koruno, as if he'd seen a miracle. "Follow me."
They followed Koruno to the town square, tailed by the curious people. Koruno told them, more like pleaded them to wait at the town square while he fetched the scroll that can open a portal to the main village connected to the mansion in the center of the country. The people ogled them like they were species sent back from an expedition to Pluto. Some punks pushed forward and shoved aside the crowds, approaching them bravely and shamelessly, unlike the other people who were afraid to go near them or too respectful to go and talk to them, for they noted that these people were mere peasants. The leader of the group, a boy about the same age as them came forward, eyeing them.
"Are you really the chosen ones?" he snorted. All the other people were listening now. "You look like a bunch of little kids to me. You're just my age, for crying out loud! How can teenagers be the leaders of a fairly large country needing expert guidance?"
Sasuke glared at him. Before he could speak, Sakura interjected. "If you've got nothing good to say, shove off, before we lose our patience. Or else you'll end up in the hospital."
"Oooo! I'm scared of a little helpless girl!" laughed the leader, faking a scared expression. Then he looked over at Naruto, then to Hinata who was behind Naruto, and then to Sasuke who had his eyes closed. The leader laughed at Sasuke. "And this one's supposed to come from the Uchiha clan. A bunch of fakes if ya ask me. I was told that the whole of the Uchiha was wiped out a couple of years ago."
Before you could even say a single word, Sasuke snapped open his eyes with the blood red Sharingan, pulled out a kunai, knocked the leader of the gang to the ground and stepped on his throat. Then he threw the kunai at the side of the terrified boy's head, missing him only by a mere inch. The people oohed and ahed.
"You're right about that one, boy. The whole of the Uchiha clan was wiped out a few years ago," announced Sasuke, making the crowd murmur. "But you didn't get the whole of the news. The youngest of the clan survived, for the one who massacred the whole clan let him go to make him suffer. The youngest was me. And the murderer was my brother. Nobody insults my family."
Then he released the punk who scrambled back up and scampered away with his cronies. Just then, the baron came back, holding a scroll. He placed the scroll on the ground, performed several seals, and the scroll opened a portal to the city of Yami, just next to the mansion. The portal seemed to open right in the middle of the city's square. They stepped through it and the portal closed, leaving them there in the middle of a foreign city they didn't even know.
2 guys and 2 girls of about 13 years of age followed by several soldiers came to them. "Are you the said chosen ones who came through the barrier?"
"Yeah," smiled Sakura. Sasuke presented the scroll and the crest again, confirming their identities.
"Its an honor," said one guy with waist-length black hair and onyx eyes, getting off his horse and bowing in front of them. "I am Masuda Saichi, and this is my younger brother Raiha," he explained, gesturing to the other guy with onyx eyes and black hair that stood up and had fringes at front. "We are the new generation of the Masuda's the family that served as right hands of two the Four Founders. I come from Yami, my powers come from the Moon, meaning I am Uchiha-sama's right hand while Raiha comes from the Hikari, his powers from the Sun, that's why he is Uzumaki-sama's right hand."
"Okay," grinned Naruto. "Now I'll be giving my first order. Stand up and don't ever bow to me again," he said to Raiha. "I see my people as equals."
"Stand up, Saichi, you might be my right hand servant, but I didn't grow up with servants to bow to me," said Sasuke. The two stood up. Then the two girls came down off their horses and introduced themselves.
"I am Usui Aya, and this is my younger sister, Miyu," she smiled. She was beautiful, with strange blue hair that was laid down elegantly and ocean blue eyes. Miyu had light blue hair in a braid and sky blue shy eyes. "I come from Hikari, my powers from the Sun, and I serve Haruno-sama. My sister meanwhile comes from Yami and her powers are from the Moon, so she serves Hyuuga-sama. Our family has served the Four Founders as well alongside the Masuda clan."
"If you will kindly follow us, we will lead you to the mansion," said Saichi, gesturing to the horses.
"Uh-oh..." sighed Hinata. "I never rode a horse before."
"Well then maybe you can ride with Uzumaki-sama, and Haruno-sama could ride with Uchiha-sama," suggested Saichi. He appeared to be the oldest of the four servants, even though all of them are only 18 years old. They followed the suggestion and mounted the horse, the girls in front. Naruto was grinning like mad again, his hands holding the ropes attached to the horse's harness, his arms around Hinata who was blushing ever so slightly. Sasuke had one arm around Sakura and the other holding the rope.
As they passed by, the people separated and bowed. Naruto groaned. Then he called out to the people. "You don't need to bow! I see my people as equals!" Sakura smiled at Naruto's antics. The people reluctantly stood up slowly.
"Typical Naruto," muttered Sakura, shaking her head. "He doesn't like seeing people being slaves or servants because of his experiences."
"That's nice too. That way the people wont think of us as snobby stuck up little brats," muttered Sasuke, looking around the previously bustling city now paused due to their arrival. The city seemed really prosperous and advanced even though they were not influenced in any way by the outer world for two whole centuries. [- Just like Japan, ne? -
"The city seems really advanced even though it was isolated, huh?" whispered Sakura, as a girl gave her a clump of cherry blossoms as they passed by. She smiled at the little girl, who looked like a five year old with blonde hair in pigtails and bright blue eyes. Her dress was tattered and dirty, saying that she was only a beggar.
"You are like an angel, hime-sama," she said in her little voice, smiling wide. Sakura felt a strange sense of adoration for the little child.
"Why, thank you!" smiled Sakura, taking the flowers. The child went back to the crowd and waved at her as they went on. "Kawaii!" whispered Sakura, settling back again and holding the cherry blossoms in her lap.
"Why does every single child you see likes you immediately?" asked Sasuke, smiling slightly.
"I don't know," grinned Sakura.
Meanwhile, Naruto was riding with Hinata grinning like there was no tomorrow. Then his stomach growled. He groaned. "Too much excitement takes up too much energy. I never did finish my ramen anyways, now I'm starved!"
"Hey, heads up!" called a boy of about ten, who threw an apple at Naruto. He caught it deftly and grinned.
"Thanks!" grinned Naruto. "Want some?" he offered to Hinata, who declined, giggling slightly.
"What's so funny?"
"Not much, just, nothing." giggled Hinata.
"Yeah right. And I'm supposed to believe that."
"Really! Its nothing!"
"Okay, okay, chill," grinned Naruto, taking a large bite out of his apple.
"Hey, Naruto, can you stop eating? We just ate ramen earlier!" called Sakura.
"No can do, I'm hungry! Don't blame me, blame my stomach!" he replied, making several people laugh.
"Glutton tummy," hissed Sasuke. Naruto threw the remnants of the apple at his head. It hit Sasuke's head and he glared, planning to retaliate but was stopped by Sakura.
"Can you two stop acting like 3 year olds?" laughed Sakura.
"I'm not a 3 year old!" retorted Naruto and Sasuke hotly.
"Whatever," laughed Hinata and Sakura. Then Sakura started humming a song.
After a few more minutes, they approached a lane lined with cherry blossoms and a valley on each side. The lane had to be at least a kilometer or two in length. When they reached the end of the lane, they were facing a large pure silver gate. They entered and were welcomed by a lot of servants bowing and ninjas saluting. They faced a large mansion that covered at least 20 acres, with pools, lush gardens, summerhouses, and many more. There was a gate that opened into the valleys so they can ride horses or have picnics and stuff.
"I'm at a loss for words," muttered Sakura. Sasuke raised one brow.
"Just like the estate, pools, gardens, summerhouses, etcetera, not new, not new," he whispered. They got off the horses at the front doors and went inside.
"You will have to meet with the counselors first," said Raiha. "Follow me."
The inside was like a palace. But according to Saichi, this was the welcoming house, where there was the hall for the counselors where private meetings were held, and then there was the grand hall large enough for about 200 people, there was a high table to eat; apparently it was used for formal gatherings. There were several rooms upstairs for the counselors and their families. They were taken to the Private Hall where all the counselors were waiting.
As they came in, an instant hush came across the people inside the huge room. On the marble floors was the crest of the Twilight Country, then two smaller crests on each side. The right crest had a larger Sun on top, meaning it represents the Hikari, while the left crest had a larger Moon on top for the Yami. [- In case people don't know, Yami means Dark and Hikari means Light. I made it like that coz during twilight, the moon is rising and the sun is setting, and they are both in the sky. When you are lying on the ground, your head to the north, you see the moon to your left while the sun is to your right. See now? -
The people inside the room were assorted, some were stern, some kind, some inexpressible. There were five Elders sitting in a V position. The one in front seemed to be the leaders.
They must be the counselors, thought Sakura. I wonder who these other people are?
"Hello. I am Elder Homura, the leader of the five Elders," said the one in front of the row. He had a strange twinkle in his eyes, as if he was irritated or angry or something. "You must be wondering who these other people here are. They are the Elders' families, living here as well."
The four looked around unfazed. Sasuke was more like glaring than looking. Sakura spotted the reason for that almost instantly. There were a couple of teen girls huddled in a corner looking at Sasuke, blushing, then giggling and talking in hushed voices. Sakura giggled. Just like the Uchiha Fan Club. Sasuke harrumphed, irritated.
"We Elders will serve as your guiders and counselors, but we are still under your right hands Saichi, Miyu, Raiha and Aya. They are above us, and you are above them. You will lead the decisions for this country, influenced by our advices and suggestions," smiled a female counselor left side of Homura. "I am Elder Seri."
"You must know that you are the new leaders of this country and the people are looking forward to your guidance so we can keep up with the other countries outside and be as strong as we were before," said a female Elder right side of Homura. "I am Nuri."
"You shall wear these as evidence that you are the leaders of this country," said another Elder behind Nuri. "I am Elder Toshida." A servant brought in a glass case containing two necklaces and two hitae-ate. The pendants of the necklaces were crests, one silver with the Moon larger, one golden with the Sun larger. The hitae-ate were not rectangular, but in the form of crests. And the binder was not cloth, but a band of gold/silver. The silver one had the moon larger while the gold had the Sun larger. Sasuke was given the silver hitae-ate, Naruto the golden one, Hinata a golden necklace, Sakura a silver one.
"Even though Haruno-sama came from the Sun and Hyuuga-sama from the Moon, it is written that Hyuuga and Uzumaki rule the Hikari and Haruno and Uchiha rule the Yami," said the last Elder explained. "I am Elder Kyosa. You shall train to get stronger and master all the jutsus and ways of this country; your right hands will gladly guide you through. I assure you that you will learn to harness your powers in just a few months' time. In the mean time, we would like to hear what your first orders to organize the country will be, so that we can start immediately. This is a tedious work that needs time, and so..."
Sasuke fastened the silver hitae-ate in the same place where the former one was, followed by Naruto. Sakura and Hinata put on the necklaces.
"Well?" asked Elder Homura, slightly showing his irritation, we are wondering why. Sasuke had his eyes closed.
"Ask the eldest," grinned Naruto, pointing to Sasuke. This was his first time to speak, that's why the people murmured. "He's the strongest after all."
"Not to mention the number one ninja rookie of Konoha," muttered Hinata. "Sakura maybe can help too, since she was the most intelligent female rookie."
Elder Homura flinched. [- Wondering why he's irritated? You'll see! Those who can guess, tell me! I'll give you a chance to voice your opinion and where you want the story to go if ya guess right! - "But can teenagers, even though they are the number one rookies, make decisions for a fairly large country?" sneered Elder Homura. Then Sasuke spoke up silently, with a tone deadlier than a blade, colder than ice.
"Improve the ninja academies. Teach more advanced prospects. Strengthen the ANBU, Jounin and Chuunin forces. Prepare the Genins for the Chuunin exams," he said silently. Then Sakura followed.
"Invest more money into the business areas to improve it. Stabilize all political proceedings. All in all, establish a firmer foundation for a strong country. Then after you've done all that, we'll proceed to building a prim and proper country, and we'll ensure that nobody goes astray."
"Remember that its necessary to make our military forces stronger," followed Hinata. "The other countries use it as a basis on which is the leading country of all. Currently Konoha is at its peak, followed by Suna and Oto." [- Sand and Sound. -
"And you need to be more advanced than any of them for them to respect you," said Naruto. "I'm sure this country holds many secret jutsu not even known of in the other countries. Let the students and the militaries master them."
"I think that's enough for now, you'll have trouble doing all of that, for sure," smirked Sasuke, opening his eyes. "Its in my blood to be a perfectionist, so make sure what you do is right in every. Single. Aspect. That goes for both Yami and Hikari." Then he looked at Saichi, who was smiling slightly. Saichi nodded and turned on his heels, walking out of the room, followed by the four new leaders and the other right hands.
They walked out of the hall and proceeded to the back of the house, where there was another grand door leading outside to a garden. Then they went through the gardens to another house, which was well kept but appeared as if no one lived there. The walk from the counselor's house to this one was at least 5 minutes, which was pretty long.
As the front door closed behind them Miyu and Aya started to giggle and laugh.
"What's so funny?" asked Hinata.
"I think the four other Elders are fond of you guys except for Elder Homura. His expression was hilarious!" giggled Miyu.
"No one has ever spoken to them like that ever before. Even though they admitted that they are below us, they still act as if they're above us, just coz we're younger," smiled Saichi.
"They say that we are irresponsible and tolerant," hissed Raiha. "Suits them well, having someone to boss them around. Well, not actually all of them are bad, only Homura, coz he's a power freak. He's been like, the Lord of the country ever since he was appointed as lead elder! He's been corrupting the money and the country was starting to go down the drains when you came along, the saviors!"
"No way I'm going somebody like that rule this country!" exploded Naruto. "That's the kind of people I hate, the one who enslaves others for his own good."
"There's nobody who'll corrupt in this country, I'll make sure of that," muttered Sasuke. "If they want a nice and powerful country, then they need to be upright, not crooked."
"I think we can talk about how to organize a large country better after a nice bath and some food, don't you think?" smiled Sakura. "I am drained. Using the jutsu to open that one hell of a barrier really takes up much!"
"Okay, Uzumaki-sama, Hyuuga-sama, please follow us," said Miyu and Raiha.
"Please call us by our names, okay? And no 'sama' in the end," smiled Sakura.
They nodded. "Okay then, Haru- I mean, Sakura and Sasuke, this way," smiled Aya. They went opposite ways. The house was so nice. There were two grand suites, meaning Sakura and Sasuke shares, same as Hinata and Naruto. But even though there was only one bed, they both had their separate sinks and closets and showers and bathtubs. But there was one Jacuzzi by a window and in front of a fairly large TV intended to be shared, according to the right hands. [- Oooo, imagine the two couples sharing a bath! Hinata would be beat red! And I'm not talking the nasty people! I'm not that kinda gurl! ;) -
After they took a shower and dressed up in new clothes from the closet (the closets were full of clothes, shoes, accessories, etc.) they went down and toured the house. There were many antiques in the house, and the motif was mixed moon and sun, silver and gold. The living room was spacious, with a widescreen cinema-like TV and many soft couches. There was a sun room/tea room, where there were couches, sofa beds, fireplaces and things, and each window shows a different garden; the sun room's fireplace was a lion with its mouth open that's why they call the room the Lion Room. The dining room was fit for 12 people in one table, and the plates were not ordinary ones, but pure gold, silver or sometimes studded by crystals; some are even pure crystals themselves! The kitchen was nice, with 3 fridges and a counter stocked with wine and champagne, and there was a small table for four, there were luxurious items and utensils. Naruto decided the kitchen was his favorite hangout. Then there was a room upstairs in between the suites where there was a playhouse for small kids, and bedrooms for them, who know why it was there. Then there was a gym complete with equipments for working out; there was an indoor pool for relaxing, a spa and a massage center; and at then there was the rooftop where there was a room with simple couches and the roof opened to the sun. There were telescopes there, supposedly for stargazing. There were also two other empty rooms upstairs beside the suites. And there was also one room that served both library and office. Outside behind the house was the different gardens seen at the Lion Room, and there was an outdoor pool, with a Jacuzzi, a beach style front and diving boards at the deep end, which was 14 feet deep. There was also a patio connecting to the living room. The swimming pool had some surround sound speakers too so you can listen while swimming or sunbathing. All in all, the house was fit for a multi-millionaire, which was what the four were now.
"I think I'm hungry after the long walk. This is some hell of a house!" cheered Naruto as they headed for the kitchen to get some snacks. They ate at the patio leisurely.
"I think I can get used to this kinda life," smiled Sakura. "Where do you four live?" she asked the four right hands.
"We formerly lived in that house," said Aya, pointing to a bungalow house not far from the Kage Ie, as they called the house where they were in now. [- Kage's House. - "But since you're here already, we're gonna live in this house, in those two other rooms aside from the playhouse and suites upstairs. It states that the right hands wee supposed to be near the leaders as much as possible."
"Oh," sighed Sakura. "Maybe we should talk about how we should start with this country, huh? Then we'll get some sleep, we haven't slept last night."
"Okay then, maybe Sasuke should lead," said Hinata.
"Sakura and Hinata will handle how the stocks and the economical and political progress of the country, while Naruto and me will handle the military, since we know more about that," said Sasuke simply, as if everything was already made up in his mind.
"You have plans already, don't you, Sasuke?" asked Saichi. Sasuke nodded.
"Aya, you think you can hand us a record of the stocks progress before and now?" asked Sakura, looking at Aya. She nodded, smiling.
"Oh and Miyu, maybe you can help me study the political background and history of this country as well as hand me a list of the most influential political families," smiled Hinata. Miyu smiled and nodded as well.
"I think we have good leaders," said Raiha contentedly. "And Sasuke, watch out for the girls back at the Private Hall, those are the Elders' granddaughters, I think they have the hots for ya."
"You don't need to say," muttered Sasuke, making the girls giggle.
"Sasuke had his very own fanclub back at Konoha," smiled Sakura. "It consists of almost the whole teen girls population, except for me, Hinata and Tenten. They must be mourning right now."
"I thought you were a member, Sakura-chan?" asked Naruto.
"I wasn't. I generally don't like the girls and they don't like me either, coz I was too close to Sasuke for comfort," smiled Sakura.
"Yeah right. Look who's speaking. Its not exactly as if you don't have your own fanclub, right?" smirked Sasuke. "And Rock Lee's the leader. I wouldn't wonder if Neji is a member too."
"Neji-nii-san? Why should he be a member?" asked Hinata.
"Girls are as clueless to boys as vice versa," grinned Naruto. "Neji was starting to be obvious, wasn't he, Sasuke?"
"So that was why Tenten was looking so sullen these days," muttered Sakura. Then she smiled. "But she has him all by herself now!"
‡--------‡
Back at Konoha-
"I don't believe they're dead, I just don't!" yelled Lee, punching a tree in anger.
"I really don't know, Lee, maybe we should just accept," muttered Chouji. For once, he wasn't munching on chips.
"Vent your anger on something else, Lee, the poor tree has nothing to do with it," muttered Shino.
"But it's really not possible! See, those four aren't that dumb to commit suicide! And besides, if they wanted to, they could've just slashed their wrists or something! Why bother going into a storm?" said Ino.
"Yeah, that makes sense," said Shikamaru. "The villagers told me that it served as a barrier. Maybe they were trying to cross the barrier, for who knows what reason."
"The Hokage said that the Uchiha's money from the private vault was stripped," said Kiba. "Sasuke must've taken the money with him. And a servant of the main family that was Hinata's best friend before was freed coz she held Hinata's family crest. Hinata must've freed her before they went off. She said that Hinata promised to come back. How though, she didn't say."
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna go and train," Neji muttered. "I'm not gonna sulk here and wait for them to come back. For all I care, be they alive or not, its not gonna affect me."
Then he walked off, followed by Tenten, Shikamaru and Shino, the only three sensible enough to see Neji's point. Life goes on and on no matter what.
Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto and Hinata have been walking for several hours now. They left Konoha at around 3:00 AM, and it was now 9:00 AM. 6 hours of nonstop walking and weaving in and out of the forests of Konoha, guided by their leader who holds the map.
Sasuke stopped again, looking at the map, and then looking at his surroundings.
"We're nearing the border, guys, take off your hitae-ate now," commanded Sasuke, taking off his own. "People might attack us if they see we're from Konoha." They set off again silently, for the forest was suspicious. Hinata shivered slightly.
"Are you cold Hinata-chan?" asked Naruto, seeing Hinata shiver.
"No, I just feel like we're being followed." she replied with an uncomfortable smile. Sasuke closed his eyes and opened them again, the Sharingan activated. He looked around.
"Hinata..." muttered Sasuke, gesturing to her eyes. Hinata nodded and activated his Byakugan. As she looked around, she gasped. There were rogue nins spread out around them, following them. Some of them appeared strong, but most of them were weak, as Hinata saw it.
"Come out now, we can see ya already!" called Naruto, grinning carelessly. Sakura braced herself, for these nins might attack them immediately. Several nins came down around them, closing in. They had no hitae-ate, meaning they were missing nins. Sasuke stuffed the map in his bag.
"Why are you following us? We're just passing by," said Sakura bravely. One of the nins came forward. He seemed to be the leader and the strongest, and he was around 18 to 19 years.
"We are following you to make sure you are just passing by," he said, smiling slightly, for it was a rare sight to see 13-year-old Chuunins pass the border so bravely without Jounins or teachers to guide them. "Its very rare for us to have visitors around these area, for this forest is famous for being the second most dangerous forest to the Forest of Death. You seem to be from Konoha, yet you removed your hitae-ate. On a mission or going off as missing nins?" [- The Forest of Death is the forest where the 2nd part of the Chuunin exams in the anime and manga took place. In there, Orochimaru placed the curse on Sasuke. He still has it in this fic, yet Naruto and the others from Orochimaru's clutches retrieved him. -
"Missing nins," replied Sasuke, still not removing his Sharingan, which went unnoticed by the other nins.
"Oh." the leader nin chuckled, along with his companions. "Pretty brave of you, eh? But as I heard, Konoha produces elite ninjas at the age of 12. I heard the Hyuuga branch and the Uchiha prodigies were on the top. May I ask how you managed to see us, considering we are experts in stealth?"
"Oh, you are not experts in stealth," said Sakura, narrowing her eyes. The nins fluttered at this. Sasuke smirked.
"Trust her judgment, she's the top female ninja of Konoha," grinned Naruto.
"How are we not experts in stealth, I may ask?" asked the leader nin.
"Firstly, you failed to hide your aura perfectly, for we felt it around. Secondly, earlier I can hear movements around the trees. Thirdly, when operating in stealth, you must know that too many companions can always give your positions away," ticked off Sakura. "Leading to one conclusion: you are not experts for you have flaws."
"You said it yourself," said Hinata. "Konoha produces topnotch ninjas the age of 12."
"And ya know what, dude?" grinned Naruto. "You should be honored to meet 4 of the top 10 ninjas of Konoha."
"The number one rookie is with us too," smiled Sakura, petting Sasuke's head. Sasuke glared.
"I see." smiled the ninja. "I wonder why 4 of the top 10 ninjas went off as missing nins?"
"Sorry, personal reasons," said Sakura. "Sasuke, I think we should go now, we still have quite a far way to go."
"We could help you with crossing this forest," offered the leader.
"What's in it for you? I know you'll never offer help unless there's something in exchange for you," smirked Sasuke.
"We will help you if you give us some money and you tell us why you left Konoha," said the leader. "Its quite a fair bargain isn't it?"
"No thanks, we can do fine on our own. We can't tell you what we need to do or where we need to go," glared Sasuke.
"Well then if you wont tell us, I'll go with you," said the leader nin, pocketing his hands. "Or is it coz you have no money?"
"Ya know if its only money that you want, we'll give you cash," said Naruto. "We cant take you with us."
"Why cant you? All I wanna know is why you passed through here. Its our job to make sure that you aren't spies or anything," sighed the ninja.
"Fine, go with us, you'll see we're not spies," glared Sasuke. "Insecure much, huh? Why, you a member of the Akatsuki or something?"
The ninja growled and narrowed his eyes. "No."
"Can you just stop bugging us for goodness' sake?" muttered Sakura. Hinata fished out a wad of cash from her pocket and threw it at the nin, who caught it deftly. Then the nin sighed.
"We said we'll help you, we come up to our words," he smiled. Then he performed several seals and a portal opened, revealing the small village where the ships docked so you can go to the Water Country. "Go through the portal, you'll find yourself in the village of Fune. Bye. I wont bug you more, I don't wanna get into a fight right now."
"Figures. Better treat that or you'll have an infection," said Hinata. The nin's hand flew to his chest.
"How?"
"Don't ask," muttered Sasuke, stepping through the portal.
‡--------‡
"Finally! Some village where we can eat!" Naruto cheered as they walked through Fune. [- 'Fune' is Japanese for 'ship'. -
"Glutton tummy," muttered Sasuke.
"Shut up, kisama!" hissed Naruto.
"Maybe we should first check the schedule of the ships heading to the Water Country," suggested Sakura. "Then we could get tickets."
They headed towards the building where the tickets were sold and where the scheds were posted. As they went inside, many people looked at them and then went back to their business. Sasuke went to the vacant counter and asked the lady which ship will leave soonest. She told him that the ship named "Vera" would be leaving in one hour towards a village in the northern part of the Water Country named Kita. Sasuke bought 4 tickets and went out of the building followed by the four.
"We still got one more hour," muttered Sasuke. "What do we do?"
"EAT!" cheered Naruto, pointing to a ramen bar. The three sweat dropped.
"Naruto, I'm surprised you are still well-nourished when the only thing you eat is ramen," sighed Sakura, pushing to the ramen bar. They sat down, ordered ramen and ate silently, occasionally speaking when it was necessary. Then the next thing that happened shocked them to the bones.
"SAKURA-CHAN!" hollered a gravely familiar voice from behind them. Sakura froze. She forgot that her hair color was easily recognizable! Sasuke looked at her then looked behind. Lee, Neji, Tenten, Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji, Kiba and Shino were all there, with Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai and Asuma. He buried his head into his hands.
"Kami-sama, what did I do to deserve this?" whispered Sakura as their fellow Konoha nins approached them.
"Double trouble, people," muttered Naruto.
"Uh-oh. Neji-nii-san looks furious," muttered Hinata.
"We have no choice," sighed Sasuke, slurping the rest of his ramen and standing up, followed by the three. Lee jumped up in joy and attempted to hug Sakura, but Sakura evaded and dodged to Sasuke, making Lee hit his head on the ramen bar table.
"What the hell are you guys doing here?" hissed Sasuke.
"Retrieving you, of course. We can't let some of the top nins to be missing nins," smiled Kurenai.
"Sorry, but we've already made our decisions. We really need to leave, sorry," muttered Sakura, pulling the three away to the docks. The Konoha nins followed them.
"But Sakura-chan, why d'you have to leave? I mean, you are fine in Konoha and all." asked Lee.
"Mi-mi-tsu!" grinned Naruto. [- Secret. -
"One hour has passed, we need to go now," announced Sasuke, heading straight for the ship named "Vera" and jumped in on it, followed by the three. As soon as they jumped on the ship started to move.
"Hey, wait!" called Ino. "You guys, we'll follow you to the Water Country!"
"Suit yourself!" replied Sakura, smiling a mischievous smile and grasping Sasuke's hand firmly and raising it, waving it slightly. Sasuke didn't seem to mind. Lee and Ino fumed. Neji felt slightly fazed by the act, but chose to ignore it. Then Sakura turned her back on them and proceeded to their cabin.
‡--------‡
After two hours on the ship, the four arrived at Kita peacefully. The four of them had already mastered the seals in the jutsu scroll, for it was easy enough, but required quite a lot of chakra. The technique only has effect when you are in front of the barrier. They got off the ship and roamed around the village, searching for a place where they could rent a yacht. A yacht was enough to get to the barrier, for the map says it was not too far off from the village. They asked some fisherman about it and they confirmed that there was a barrier alright, but it has never been entered ever before, for it was magical, and if you managed to enter the storm, it was an endless one, and you'd never get to the other side.
"If you four are trying to enter it, I suggest you don't, coz it's not really advisable for someone as young as you are. 13 years of age, for goodness' sake! Besides, its forbidden to go near the storm barrier, the guards that are patrolling around it forbids it. They are also examining how to enter the barrier," said one elderly lady.
"Thank you for your piece of information, Mrs. Masami," smiled Sakura. "We'll go off now." They walked to the rental shop they found and rented a yacht, but gave enough to buy it coz they weren't really sure what'd happen to it. They set off towards the barrier, hurrying for they saw another ship arriving from Fune, and it might just board Lee and the others.
They went nearer and nearer the barrier. They braced themselves for whatever might happen, if the yacht would tip. The patrol spotted them and yelled at them over the howling wind of the storm barrier, but to no avail. The four were too busy to listen. They were too far off for the patrols to reach and tow back, so all they could do is watch, along with the other people that had gathered at the dock, looking at them while they approached the barrier. Sakura waved one last time to her friends from Konoha who were watching them from afar. Then she turned back to the howling storm, as if it was hollering at them to stop and go back.
The barrier was like a tornado touching the waters, making it turbulent and bumpy.
"NOW!" yelled Sasuke over the winds. They performed several seals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Tiger, Snake, Dragon, Rat, Goat, Boar, and Ox. Then they pointed the bright white beam to the barrier. It opened a hole through the barrier, and the hole sucked them in, closing again.
Outside, the barrier was impenetrable, gray and fierce, the weather near it gray and stormy. However, when they got inside and opened their eyes, they found themselves approaching a sunny village full of people ogling at them and looking at them as if they were their saviors, which was kinda true. They looked behind them and saw that the barrier from inside was transparent, thereby showing everything that goes on in the other shore. There were miniature people in the other shore, looking at the barrier hopelessly. Kakashi and the others were on a patrol boat, scanning the vicinity. Ino was crying, her head on Shikamaru's shoulder, who was patting her head awkwardly. Neji had his fists clenched, Tenten had her hands clasped and she was praying. Lee was teary and shocked while Chouji had already dropped his bag of chips. Shino and Kiba were on one side; Kiba looking sad for his lost friends while Shino's expression was undecipherable.
"They think we died," whispered Sakura. "Oh, Ino! I could've at least made amends with her before we left!"
"Don't worry, she already forgave you, she told me," smiled Hinata. "Better just face what awaits us."
They faced the people. They were near the docks and some of the people grabbed the yacht's rope and tied it to a pole while they anchored. They jumped down and were approached by a man in his mid30's.
"Welcome to the village of Kai. I am Koruno Tsukete, the baron of this village. As you may well know, nobody yet has crossed the barrier of our country. Can you please state your names and your business here?" the man asked.
"Uchiha Sasuke," said Sasuke, producing the certificate and the crest.
"Haruno Sakura," smiled Sakura.
"Hyuuga Hinata."
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
There were murmurs at this. "They all look so much like the founders in the painting at the castle!"
"Bless my soul, finally!"
"The Four Chosen Ones are here at last!"
"Our country will be prosperous once again!"
"The Four Chosen Ones indeed," smiled the baron Koruno, as if he'd seen a miracle. "Follow me."
They followed Koruno to the town square, tailed by the curious people. Koruno told them, more like pleaded them to wait at the town square while he fetched the scroll that can open a portal to the main village connected to the mansion in the center of the country. The people ogled them like they were species sent back from an expedition to Pluto. Some punks pushed forward and shoved aside the crowds, approaching them bravely and shamelessly, unlike the other people who were afraid to go near them or too respectful to go and talk to them, for they noted that these people were mere peasants. The leader of the group, a boy about the same age as them came forward, eyeing them.
"Are you really the chosen ones?" he snorted. All the other people were listening now. "You look like a bunch of little kids to me. You're just my age, for crying out loud! How can teenagers be the leaders of a fairly large country needing expert guidance?"
Sasuke glared at him. Before he could speak, Sakura interjected. "If you've got nothing good to say, shove off, before we lose our patience. Or else you'll end up in the hospital."
"Oooo! I'm scared of a little helpless girl!" laughed the leader, faking a scared expression. Then he looked over at Naruto, then to Hinata who was behind Naruto, and then to Sasuke who had his eyes closed. The leader laughed at Sasuke. "And this one's supposed to come from the Uchiha clan. A bunch of fakes if ya ask me. I was told that the whole of the Uchiha was wiped out a couple of years ago."
Before you could even say a single word, Sasuke snapped open his eyes with the blood red Sharingan, pulled out a kunai, knocked the leader of the gang to the ground and stepped on his throat. Then he threw the kunai at the side of the terrified boy's head, missing him only by a mere inch. The people oohed and ahed.
"You're right about that one, boy. The whole of the Uchiha clan was wiped out a few years ago," announced Sasuke, making the crowd murmur. "But you didn't get the whole of the news. The youngest of the clan survived, for the one who massacred the whole clan let him go to make him suffer. The youngest was me. And the murderer was my brother. Nobody insults my family."
Then he released the punk who scrambled back up and scampered away with his cronies. Just then, the baron came back, holding a scroll. He placed the scroll on the ground, performed several seals, and the scroll opened a portal to the city of Yami, just next to the mansion. The portal seemed to open right in the middle of the city's square. They stepped through it and the portal closed, leaving them there in the middle of a foreign city they didn't even know.
2 guys and 2 girls of about 13 years of age followed by several soldiers came to them. "Are you the said chosen ones who came through the barrier?"
"Yeah," smiled Sakura. Sasuke presented the scroll and the crest again, confirming their identities.
"Its an honor," said one guy with waist-length black hair and onyx eyes, getting off his horse and bowing in front of them. "I am Masuda Saichi, and this is my younger brother Raiha," he explained, gesturing to the other guy with onyx eyes and black hair that stood up and had fringes at front. "We are the new generation of the Masuda's the family that served as right hands of two the Four Founders. I come from Yami, my powers come from the Moon, meaning I am Uchiha-sama's right hand while Raiha comes from the Hikari, his powers from the Sun, that's why he is Uzumaki-sama's right hand."
"Okay," grinned Naruto. "Now I'll be giving my first order. Stand up and don't ever bow to me again," he said to Raiha. "I see my people as equals."
"Stand up, Saichi, you might be my right hand servant, but I didn't grow up with servants to bow to me," said Sasuke. The two stood up. Then the two girls came down off their horses and introduced themselves.
"I am Usui Aya, and this is my younger sister, Miyu," she smiled. She was beautiful, with strange blue hair that was laid down elegantly and ocean blue eyes. Miyu had light blue hair in a braid and sky blue shy eyes. "I come from Hikari, my powers from the Sun, and I serve Haruno-sama. My sister meanwhile comes from Yami and her powers are from the Moon, so she serves Hyuuga-sama. Our family has served the Four Founders as well alongside the Masuda clan."
"If you will kindly follow us, we will lead you to the mansion," said Saichi, gesturing to the horses.
"Uh-oh..." sighed Hinata. "I never rode a horse before."
"Well then maybe you can ride with Uzumaki-sama, and Haruno-sama could ride with Uchiha-sama," suggested Saichi. He appeared to be the oldest of the four servants, even though all of them are only 18 years old. They followed the suggestion and mounted the horse, the girls in front. Naruto was grinning like mad again, his hands holding the ropes attached to the horse's harness, his arms around Hinata who was blushing ever so slightly. Sasuke had one arm around Sakura and the other holding the rope.
As they passed by, the people separated and bowed. Naruto groaned. Then he called out to the people. "You don't need to bow! I see my people as equals!" Sakura smiled at Naruto's antics. The people reluctantly stood up slowly.
"Typical Naruto," muttered Sakura, shaking her head. "He doesn't like seeing people being slaves or servants because of his experiences."
"That's nice too. That way the people wont think of us as snobby stuck up little brats," muttered Sasuke, looking around the previously bustling city now paused due to their arrival. The city seemed really prosperous and advanced even though they were not influenced in any way by the outer world for two whole centuries. [- Just like Japan, ne? -
"The city seems really advanced even though it was isolated, huh?" whispered Sakura, as a girl gave her a clump of cherry blossoms as they passed by. She smiled at the little girl, who looked like a five year old with blonde hair in pigtails and bright blue eyes. Her dress was tattered and dirty, saying that she was only a beggar.
"You are like an angel, hime-sama," she said in her little voice, smiling wide. Sakura felt a strange sense of adoration for the little child.
"Why, thank you!" smiled Sakura, taking the flowers. The child went back to the crowd and waved at her as they went on. "Kawaii!" whispered Sakura, settling back again and holding the cherry blossoms in her lap.
"Why does every single child you see likes you immediately?" asked Sasuke, smiling slightly.
"I don't know," grinned Sakura.
Meanwhile, Naruto was riding with Hinata grinning like there was no tomorrow. Then his stomach growled. He groaned. "Too much excitement takes up too much energy. I never did finish my ramen anyways, now I'm starved!"
"Hey, heads up!" called a boy of about ten, who threw an apple at Naruto. He caught it deftly and grinned.
"Thanks!" grinned Naruto. "Want some?" he offered to Hinata, who declined, giggling slightly.
"What's so funny?"
"Not much, just, nothing." giggled Hinata.
"Yeah right. And I'm supposed to believe that."
"Really! Its nothing!"
"Okay, okay, chill," grinned Naruto, taking a large bite out of his apple.
"Hey, Naruto, can you stop eating? We just ate ramen earlier!" called Sakura.
"No can do, I'm hungry! Don't blame me, blame my stomach!" he replied, making several people laugh.
"Glutton tummy," hissed Sasuke. Naruto threw the remnants of the apple at his head. It hit Sasuke's head and he glared, planning to retaliate but was stopped by Sakura.
"Can you two stop acting like 3 year olds?" laughed Sakura.
"I'm not a 3 year old!" retorted Naruto and Sasuke hotly.
"Whatever," laughed Hinata and Sakura. Then Sakura started humming a song.
After a few more minutes, they approached a lane lined with cherry blossoms and a valley on each side. The lane had to be at least a kilometer or two in length. When they reached the end of the lane, they were facing a large pure silver gate. They entered and were welcomed by a lot of servants bowing and ninjas saluting. They faced a large mansion that covered at least 20 acres, with pools, lush gardens, summerhouses, and many more. There was a gate that opened into the valleys so they can ride horses or have picnics and stuff.
"I'm at a loss for words," muttered Sakura. Sasuke raised one brow.
"Just like the estate, pools, gardens, summerhouses, etcetera, not new, not new," he whispered. They got off the horses at the front doors and went inside.
"You will have to meet with the counselors first," said Raiha. "Follow me."
The inside was like a palace. But according to Saichi, this was the welcoming house, where there was the hall for the counselors where private meetings were held, and then there was the grand hall large enough for about 200 people, there was a high table to eat; apparently it was used for formal gatherings. There were several rooms upstairs for the counselors and their families. They were taken to the Private Hall where all the counselors were waiting.
As they came in, an instant hush came across the people inside the huge room. On the marble floors was the crest of the Twilight Country, then two smaller crests on each side. The right crest had a larger Sun on top, meaning it represents the Hikari, while the left crest had a larger Moon on top for the Yami. [- In case people don't know, Yami means Dark and Hikari means Light. I made it like that coz during twilight, the moon is rising and the sun is setting, and they are both in the sky. When you are lying on the ground, your head to the north, you see the moon to your left while the sun is to your right. See now? -
The people inside the room were assorted, some were stern, some kind, some inexpressible. There were five Elders sitting in a V position. The one in front seemed to be the leaders.
They must be the counselors, thought Sakura. I wonder who these other people are?
"Hello. I am Elder Homura, the leader of the five Elders," said the one in front of the row. He had a strange twinkle in his eyes, as if he was irritated or angry or something. "You must be wondering who these other people here are. They are the Elders' families, living here as well."
The four looked around unfazed. Sasuke was more like glaring than looking. Sakura spotted the reason for that almost instantly. There were a couple of teen girls huddled in a corner looking at Sasuke, blushing, then giggling and talking in hushed voices. Sakura giggled. Just like the Uchiha Fan Club. Sasuke harrumphed, irritated.
"We Elders will serve as your guiders and counselors, but we are still under your right hands Saichi, Miyu, Raiha and Aya. They are above us, and you are above them. You will lead the decisions for this country, influenced by our advices and suggestions," smiled a female counselor left side of Homura. "I am Elder Seri."
"You must know that you are the new leaders of this country and the people are looking forward to your guidance so we can keep up with the other countries outside and be as strong as we were before," said a female Elder right side of Homura. "I am Nuri."
"You shall wear these as evidence that you are the leaders of this country," said another Elder behind Nuri. "I am Elder Toshida." A servant brought in a glass case containing two necklaces and two hitae-ate. The pendants of the necklaces were crests, one silver with the Moon larger, one golden with the Sun larger. The hitae-ate were not rectangular, but in the form of crests. And the binder was not cloth, but a band of gold/silver. The silver one had the moon larger while the gold had the Sun larger. Sasuke was given the silver hitae-ate, Naruto the golden one, Hinata a golden necklace, Sakura a silver one.
"Even though Haruno-sama came from the Sun and Hyuuga-sama from the Moon, it is written that Hyuuga and Uzumaki rule the Hikari and Haruno and Uchiha rule the Yami," said the last Elder explained. "I am Elder Kyosa. You shall train to get stronger and master all the jutsus and ways of this country; your right hands will gladly guide you through. I assure you that you will learn to harness your powers in just a few months' time. In the mean time, we would like to hear what your first orders to organize the country will be, so that we can start immediately. This is a tedious work that needs time, and so..."
Sasuke fastened the silver hitae-ate in the same place where the former one was, followed by Naruto. Sakura and Hinata put on the necklaces.
"Well?" asked Elder Homura, slightly showing his irritation, we are wondering why. Sasuke had his eyes closed.
"Ask the eldest," grinned Naruto, pointing to Sasuke. This was his first time to speak, that's why the people murmured. "He's the strongest after all."
"Not to mention the number one ninja rookie of Konoha," muttered Hinata. "Sakura maybe can help too, since she was the most intelligent female rookie."
Elder Homura flinched. [- Wondering why he's irritated? You'll see! Those who can guess, tell me! I'll give you a chance to voice your opinion and where you want the story to go if ya guess right! - "But can teenagers, even though they are the number one rookies, make decisions for a fairly large country?" sneered Elder Homura. Then Sasuke spoke up silently, with a tone deadlier than a blade, colder than ice.
"Improve the ninja academies. Teach more advanced prospects. Strengthen the ANBU, Jounin and Chuunin forces. Prepare the Genins for the Chuunin exams," he said silently. Then Sakura followed.
"Invest more money into the business areas to improve it. Stabilize all political proceedings. All in all, establish a firmer foundation for a strong country. Then after you've done all that, we'll proceed to building a prim and proper country, and we'll ensure that nobody goes astray."
"Remember that its necessary to make our military forces stronger," followed Hinata. "The other countries use it as a basis on which is the leading country of all. Currently Konoha is at its peak, followed by Suna and Oto." [- Sand and Sound. -
"And you need to be more advanced than any of them for them to respect you," said Naruto. "I'm sure this country holds many secret jutsu not even known of in the other countries. Let the students and the militaries master them."
"I think that's enough for now, you'll have trouble doing all of that, for sure," smirked Sasuke, opening his eyes. "Its in my blood to be a perfectionist, so make sure what you do is right in every. Single. Aspect. That goes for both Yami and Hikari." Then he looked at Saichi, who was smiling slightly. Saichi nodded and turned on his heels, walking out of the room, followed by the four new leaders and the other right hands.
They walked out of the hall and proceeded to the back of the house, where there was another grand door leading outside to a garden. Then they went through the gardens to another house, which was well kept but appeared as if no one lived there. The walk from the counselor's house to this one was at least 5 minutes, which was pretty long.
As the front door closed behind them Miyu and Aya started to giggle and laugh.
"What's so funny?" asked Hinata.
"I think the four other Elders are fond of you guys except for Elder Homura. His expression was hilarious!" giggled Miyu.
"No one has ever spoken to them like that ever before. Even though they admitted that they are below us, they still act as if they're above us, just coz we're younger," smiled Saichi.
"They say that we are irresponsible and tolerant," hissed Raiha. "Suits them well, having someone to boss them around. Well, not actually all of them are bad, only Homura, coz he's a power freak. He's been like, the Lord of the country ever since he was appointed as lead elder! He's been corrupting the money and the country was starting to go down the drains when you came along, the saviors!"
"No way I'm going somebody like that rule this country!" exploded Naruto. "That's the kind of people I hate, the one who enslaves others for his own good."
"There's nobody who'll corrupt in this country, I'll make sure of that," muttered Sasuke. "If they want a nice and powerful country, then they need to be upright, not crooked."
"I think we can talk about how to organize a large country better after a nice bath and some food, don't you think?" smiled Sakura. "I am drained. Using the jutsu to open that one hell of a barrier really takes up much!"
"Okay, Uzumaki-sama, Hyuuga-sama, please follow us," said Miyu and Raiha.
"Please call us by our names, okay? And no 'sama' in the end," smiled Sakura.
They nodded. "Okay then, Haru- I mean, Sakura and Sasuke, this way," smiled Aya. They went opposite ways. The house was so nice. There were two grand suites, meaning Sakura and Sasuke shares, same as Hinata and Naruto. But even though there was only one bed, they both had their separate sinks and closets and showers and bathtubs. But there was one Jacuzzi by a window and in front of a fairly large TV intended to be shared, according to the right hands. [- Oooo, imagine the two couples sharing a bath! Hinata would be beat red! And I'm not talking the nasty people! I'm not that kinda gurl! ;) -
After they took a shower and dressed up in new clothes from the closet (the closets were full of clothes, shoes, accessories, etc.) they went down and toured the house. There were many antiques in the house, and the motif was mixed moon and sun, silver and gold. The living room was spacious, with a widescreen cinema-like TV and many soft couches. There was a sun room/tea room, where there were couches, sofa beds, fireplaces and things, and each window shows a different garden; the sun room's fireplace was a lion with its mouth open that's why they call the room the Lion Room. The dining room was fit for 12 people in one table, and the plates were not ordinary ones, but pure gold, silver or sometimes studded by crystals; some are even pure crystals themselves! The kitchen was nice, with 3 fridges and a counter stocked with wine and champagne, and there was a small table for four, there were luxurious items and utensils. Naruto decided the kitchen was his favorite hangout. Then there was a room upstairs in between the suites where there was a playhouse for small kids, and bedrooms for them, who know why it was there. Then there was a gym complete with equipments for working out; there was an indoor pool for relaxing, a spa and a massage center; and at then there was the rooftop where there was a room with simple couches and the roof opened to the sun. There were telescopes there, supposedly for stargazing. There were also two other empty rooms upstairs beside the suites. And there was also one room that served both library and office. Outside behind the house was the different gardens seen at the Lion Room, and there was an outdoor pool, with a Jacuzzi, a beach style front and diving boards at the deep end, which was 14 feet deep. There was also a patio connecting to the living room. The swimming pool had some surround sound speakers too so you can listen while swimming or sunbathing. All in all, the house was fit for a multi-millionaire, which was what the four were now.
"I think I'm hungry after the long walk. This is some hell of a house!" cheered Naruto as they headed for the kitchen to get some snacks. They ate at the patio leisurely.
"I think I can get used to this kinda life," smiled Sakura. "Where do you four live?" she asked the four right hands.
"We formerly lived in that house," said Aya, pointing to a bungalow house not far from the Kage Ie, as they called the house where they were in now. [- Kage's House. - "But since you're here already, we're gonna live in this house, in those two other rooms aside from the playhouse and suites upstairs. It states that the right hands wee supposed to be near the leaders as much as possible."
"Oh," sighed Sakura. "Maybe we should talk about how we should start with this country, huh? Then we'll get some sleep, we haven't slept last night."
"Okay then, maybe Sasuke should lead," said Hinata.
"Sakura and Hinata will handle how the stocks and the economical and political progress of the country, while Naruto and me will handle the military, since we know more about that," said Sasuke simply, as if everything was already made up in his mind.
"You have plans already, don't you, Sasuke?" asked Saichi. Sasuke nodded.
"Aya, you think you can hand us a record of the stocks progress before and now?" asked Sakura, looking at Aya. She nodded, smiling.
"Oh and Miyu, maybe you can help me study the political background and history of this country as well as hand me a list of the most influential political families," smiled Hinata. Miyu smiled and nodded as well.
"I think we have good leaders," said Raiha contentedly. "And Sasuke, watch out for the girls back at the Private Hall, those are the Elders' granddaughters, I think they have the hots for ya."
"You don't need to say," muttered Sasuke, making the girls giggle.
"Sasuke had his very own fanclub back at Konoha," smiled Sakura. "It consists of almost the whole teen girls population, except for me, Hinata and Tenten. They must be mourning right now."
"I thought you were a member, Sakura-chan?" asked Naruto.
"I wasn't. I generally don't like the girls and they don't like me either, coz I was too close to Sasuke for comfort," smiled Sakura.
"Yeah right. Look who's speaking. Its not exactly as if you don't have your own fanclub, right?" smirked Sasuke. "And Rock Lee's the leader. I wouldn't wonder if Neji is a member too."
"Neji-nii-san? Why should he be a member?" asked Hinata.
"Girls are as clueless to boys as vice versa," grinned Naruto. "Neji was starting to be obvious, wasn't he, Sasuke?"
"So that was why Tenten was looking so sullen these days," muttered Sakura. Then she smiled. "But she has him all by herself now!"
‡--------‡
Back at Konoha-
"I don't believe they're dead, I just don't!" yelled Lee, punching a tree in anger.
"I really don't know, Lee, maybe we should just accept," muttered Chouji. For once, he wasn't munching on chips.
"Vent your anger on something else, Lee, the poor tree has nothing to do with it," muttered Shino.
"But it's really not possible! See, those four aren't that dumb to commit suicide! And besides, if they wanted to, they could've just slashed their wrists or something! Why bother going into a storm?" said Ino.
"Yeah, that makes sense," said Shikamaru. "The villagers told me that it served as a barrier. Maybe they were trying to cross the barrier, for who knows what reason."
"The Hokage said that the Uchiha's money from the private vault was stripped," said Kiba. "Sasuke must've taken the money with him. And a servant of the main family that was Hinata's best friend before was freed coz she held Hinata's family crest. Hinata must've freed her before they went off. She said that Hinata promised to come back. How though, she didn't say."
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna go and train," Neji muttered. "I'm not gonna sulk here and wait for them to come back. For all I care, be they alive or not, its not gonna affect me."
Then he walked off, followed by Tenten, Shikamaru and Shino, the only three sensible enough to see Neji's point. Life goes on and on no matter what.