Part 3, allready.
?In Konoha, there is another like you, one that helped save their village when they bound the Kyuubi. He shows that a Jinchuuriki can be a hero. Go there, to the Land of Fire, and you?ll get far better treatment than you ever will here.? Then the old man?s haggard face grew fierce again. ?Let the Tsuchikage?s weapon leave and join with his enemies. Live well, boy, that?s the best revenge!?
And then he was seized with another coughing fit that left him unconscious when it was done. His breathing grew slower and slower and then finally stopped.
It wasn?t hard for me to don a wide-eyed stare as I suddenly felt alone, for the first time in my life. The guard who brought our food called out to the old man, and then swore when he didn?t respond. He tried to get my attention in a softer voice, but I did not move. It was almost an hour later that a group of six men arrived, more than I had ever seen before. I felt my pulse quicken as I realized they did intend to actually open the door. What they needed to do could not be done with the small sliding panel.
Sure enough, a large metallic key was produced, with no small flourish. It was an eternity after it was fitted into the lock that a loud clank was emitted from the door. With a spray of fine red dust, the door to our cell opened for the first time in my memory. I almost lost control of my face, which would have been disastrous, when the blood began to pound through my veins. My muscles began to tremble and I was suddenly bursting with energy. The chakra suppression field on the cell must have been disengaged. The old man had explained the theory behind it, but I?d never felt the difference it made.
I surged to my feet and charged forward in one motion. I ran between the guards for the most part, nudging a couple off-balance. They were so shocked that I was out in the hallway before any of them even shouted.
I ran up the stairs, feeling my legs stretch at the unaccustomed motions. The old man guessed we were at least five levels underground, so I didn?t begin checking doors until after the fifth landing.
Finally, I heard the sounds of pursuit approaching, so I slipped through a door into a darkened hallway. I padded over the absurdly soft floor mats, my calloused feet making no sounds. Since I was only wearing a filthy pair of pants at the time, I had no chance of blending in with the guards or anyone else. My only chance lay in a rapid escape. The rapid footfalls echoing up the stairs drew closer, so I pushed against the closest doorway.
Nothing happened.
It took a frustrated moment for me to realize the door actually slid to one side, but I didn?t waste time cursing. Slipping through, I found myself in another hallway. There was a window halfway down the right-hand wall, and I stared out of it in wonder.
It?s pretty useless to describe what looking at the sky for the first time was like, not for someone who has come to take it for granted. So I won?t. Let?s just say I lost track of a couple of moments as my brain rearranged itself. The window was sealed shut, so I drew back my fist and prepared to shatter it.
A strange sound reached my ears and I hesitated. It wasn?t a particularly smart thing to do, and I?ve wondered how things might have been different if I?d been able to control my curiosity.
As I said though, I was disoriented and behaving rather stupidly, so I followed my ears to the opposite doorway. It slid open and I saw a young person that I guessed was a girl.
She looked a year or two younger than me, though she was even smaller in stature, with short red hair and bright green eyes. She was dressed in a yellow tunic and leggings. The green of her eyes, however, was heavily veined with red, and it was obvious she?d been crying. I was no expert on the ?softer? emotions, but even I could tell she was upset. Even discounting from her coloration, there was something very odd about this girl.
I, on the other hand, was terrified. If she cried out, the guards would find me in seconds. I was still pretty buzzed from being out of the chakra suppression field, so when I jumped backwards, the seal on my stomach glowed green for a second.
The girl?s eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. But instead of screaming, she said, in a wondering whisper, ?You?ve got one just like me.?
I didn?t think anything else could knock me off balance that day, but I was wrong. Rooted to the floor, I stared as she modestly raised the hem of her tunic and screwed her eyes shut. The skin on her stomach was pale, though not as pale as mine. The orangish-red lines of her seal stood out in dark contrast as they flared into visibility, wavered, and then disappeared.
Loud footsteps echoed, coming from the hall I?d just left. My head snapped toward the window, but the girl silently took my hand. ?You want to get out?? she whispered.
I nodded urgently and she pulled me into the room. I quietly closed the door behind me as she cracked another door and carefully peered into another room. ?This is my secret room,? she explained, her voice just as quiet. ?Follow me.?
She led me through more twists and turns than I could keep track of. But true to her word, we were soon slipping out of a servant?s entrance and into a back alley. I glanced up at the towering building we had just exited, the monument to the Tsuchikage?s ego, and my home for the last decade or so. I said goodbye to the old man and prepared to fulfill his last command.
But the girl didn?t let go of my hand. ?Take me with you,? she said, a crease forming between her eyebrows as she frowned.
?I have to run away?? I started to explain, but then stopped. There really wasn?t time.
?I know,? she said. ?I overheard them talking. I? I?m not really his daughter, I?m just a tool to them, some? thing they?re raising to be loyal. My whole life is one big fat lie! I don?t want to ever see them again!? Her last words came out in a hiss, and for a second I thought the sun was reflected in her eyes. Then I knew better.
?All right,? I agreed, wondering if I would regret this later. ?But it?s going to be dangerous, and we have to move fast.?
?I bet I can run faster than you,? she challenged.
?We?ll see,? I said as I took off down the alleyway.
We tried to stay out of sight at first, but we weren?t really dressed or equipped for stealth. We were halfway around the marketplace before someone spotted us. In seconds a cry went up and the two of us ran like the wind.
Our pursuers were only slowly gaining on us. The shinobi were bigger, and maybe a little faster, but we were smaller and more maneuverable. And probably better motivated. The girl proved true to her words and I wondered if we might actually be able to make it when disaster struck.
Bad luck and our last turn led us into a dead end. The pursuit was right behind us, so I only had a moment to shove the girl behind a pile of crates before I leaped to the top of a wall so I could start running across the rooftops.
Of course, we?d stayed on the street level for a reason. No sooner had I cleared the awnings and debris than a pair of bolos flew through the air and wrapped around my arms and legs. I fell to the rooftop, rolled off, and landed hard on the pavement. To my dismay, I ended up not too far from the girl?s hiding place, but there was nothing I could do about that, other than hope she kept her mouth shut. Better at least one of us got away from those *******s.
Anyway, the Tsuchikage?s men didn?t appreciate the exercise we?d given them, and they let me know with their hands, feet, and assorted sharp implements. I was a bloody mess by the time they were done with me, and I could do little more than twitch and bleed as they lifted me by my feet and dragged me off.
On the plus side, the girl hadn?t lost her nerve, and was still hidden? though I thought I heard her gasp once when my arm was cut open. With the eye that wasn?t swollen shut, I glared up at the five shinobi that dragged me through the streets. What was up with those stupid one-sleeved uniforms, anyway? Old man was right, they were a bunch of losers. I could have sworn there were six of them when they were beating on me, but my memory was a little fuzzy.
______________
wow i need 2 stop makin these...
Till chapter 4!
?In Konoha, there is another like you, one that helped save their village when they bound the Kyuubi. He shows that a Jinchuuriki can be a hero. Go there, to the Land of Fire, and you?ll get far better treatment than you ever will here.? Then the old man?s haggard face grew fierce again. ?Let the Tsuchikage?s weapon leave and join with his enemies. Live well, boy, that?s the best revenge!?
And then he was seized with another coughing fit that left him unconscious when it was done. His breathing grew slower and slower and then finally stopped.
It wasn?t hard for me to don a wide-eyed stare as I suddenly felt alone, for the first time in my life. The guard who brought our food called out to the old man, and then swore when he didn?t respond. He tried to get my attention in a softer voice, but I did not move. It was almost an hour later that a group of six men arrived, more than I had ever seen before. I felt my pulse quicken as I realized they did intend to actually open the door. What they needed to do could not be done with the small sliding panel.
Sure enough, a large metallic key was produced, with no small flourish. It was an eternity after it was fitted into the lock that a loud clank was emitted from the door. With a spray of fine red dust, the door to our cell opened for the first time in my memory. I almost lost control of my face, which would have been disastrous, when the blood began to pound through my veins. My muscles began to tremble and I was suddenly bursting with energy. The chakra suppression field on the cell must have been disengaged. The old man had explained the theory behind it, but I?d never felt the difference it made.
I surged to my feet and charged forward in one motion. I ran between the guards for the most part, nudging a couple off-balance. They were so shocked that I was out in the hallway before any of them even shouted.
I ran up the stairs, feeling my legs stretch at the unaccustomed motions. The old man guessed we were at least five levels underground, so I didn?t begin checking doors until after the fifth landing.
Finally, I heard the sounds of pursuit approaching, so I slipped through a door into a darkened hallway. I padded over the absurdly soft floor mats, my calloused feet making no sounds. Since I was only wearing a filthy pair of pants at the time, I had no chance of blending in with the guards or anyone else. My only chance lay in a rapid escape. The rapid footfalls echoing up the stairs drew closer, so I pushed against the closest doorway.
Nothing happened.
It took a frustrated moment for me to realize the door actually slid to one side, but I didn?t waste time cursing. Slipping through, I found myself in another hallway. There was a window halfway down the right-hand wall, and I stared out of it in wonder.
It?s pretty useless to describe what looking at the sky for the first time was like, not for someone who has come to take it for granted. So I won?t. Let?s just say I lost track of a couple of moments as my brain rearranged itself. The window was sealed shut, so I drew back my fist and prepared to shatter it.
A strange sound reached my ears and I hesitated. It wasn?t a particularly smart thing to do, and I?ve wondered how things might have been different if I?d been able to control my curiosity.
As I said though, I was disoriented and behaving rather stupidly, so I followed my ears to the opposite doorway. It slid open and I saw a young person that I guessed was a girl.
She looked a year or two younger than me, though she was even smaller in stature, with short red hair and bright green eyes. She was dressed in a yellow tunic and leggings. The green of her eyes, however, was heavily veined with red, and it was obvious she?d been crying. I was no expert on the ?softer? emotions, but even I could tell she was upset. Even discounting from her coloration, there was something very odd about this girl.
I, on the other hand, was terrified. If she cried out, the guards would find me in seconds. I was still pretty buzzed from being out of the chakra suppression field, so when I jumped backwards, the seal on my stomach glowed green for a second.
The girl?s eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. But instead of screaming, she said, in a wondering whisper, ?You?ve got one just like me.?
I didn?t think anything else could knock me off balance that day, but I was wrong. Rooted to the floor, I stared as she modestly raised the hem of her tunic and screwed her eyes shut. The skin on her stomach was pale, though not as pale as mine. The orangish-red lines of her seal stood out in dark contrast as they flared into visibility, wavered, and then disappeared.
Loud footsteps echoed, coming from the hall I?d just left. My head snapped toward the window, but the girl silently took my hand. ?You want to get out?? she whispered.
I nodded urgently and she pulled me into the room. I quietly closed the door behind me as she cracked another door and carefully peered into another room. ?This is my secret room,? she explained, her voice just as quiet. ?Follow me.?
She led me through more twists and turns than I could keep track of. But true to her word, we were soon slipping out of a servant?s entrance and into a back alley. I glanced up at the towering building we had just exited, the monument to the Tsuchikage?s ego, and my home for the last decade or so. I said goodbye to the old man and prepared to fulfill his last command.
But the girl didn?t let go of my hand. ?Take me with you,? she said, a crease forming between her eyebrows as she frowned.
?I have to run away?? I started to explain, but then stopped. There really wasn?t time.
?I know,? she said. ?I overheard them talking. I? I?m not really his daughter, I?m just a tool to them, some? thing they?re raising to be loyal. My whole life is one big fat lie! I don?t want to ever see them again!? Her last words came out in a hiss, and for a second I thought the sun was reflected in her eyes. Then I knew better.
?All right,? I agreed, wondering if I would regret this later. ?But it?s going to be dangerous, and we have to move fast.?
?I bet I can run faster than you,? she challenged.
?We?ll see,? I said as I took off down the alleyway.
We tried to stay out of sight at first, but we weren?t really dressed or equipped for stealth. We were halfway around the marketplace before someone spotted us. In seconds a cry went up and the two of us ran like the wind.
Our pursuers were only slowly gaining on us. The shinobi were bigger, and maybe a little faster, but we were smaller and more maneuverable. And probably better motivated. The girl proved true to her words and I wondered if we might actually be able to make it when disaster struck.
Bad luck and our last turn led us into a dead end. The pursuit was right behind us, so I only had a moment to shove the girl behind a pile of crates before I leaped to the top of a wall so I could start running across the rooftops.
Of course, we?d stayed on the street level for a reason. No sooner had I cleared the awnings and debris than a pair of bolos flew through the air and wrapped around my arms and legs. I fell to the rooftop, rolled off, and landed hard on the pavement. To my dismay, I ended up not too far from the girl?s hiding place, but there was nothing I could do about that, other than hope she kept her mouth shut. Better at least one of us got away from those *******s.
Anyway, the Tsuchikage?s men didn?t appreciate the exercise we?d given them, and they let me know with their hands, feet, and assorted sharp implements. I was a bloody mess by the time they were done with me, and I could do little more than twitch and bleed as they lifted me by my feet and dragged me off.
On the plus side, the girl hadn?t lost her nerve, and was still hidden? though I thought I heard her gasp once when my arm was cut open. With the eye that wasn?t swollen shut, I glared up at the five shinobi that dragged me through the streets. What was up with those stupid one-sleeved uniforms, anyway? Old man was right, they were a bunch of losers. I could have sworn there were six of them when they were beating on me, but my memory was a little fuzzy.
______________
wow i need 2 stop makin these...
Till chapter 4!
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