Espadara Uchiha
Active member
A small fire was lit in the clearing, Naruto and Saki huddled around it. Saki was rubbing her arms, cold from the combination of both her horrible, ragged clothes and the cold night that had descended upon the two companions.
Naruto sat slightly farther from the fire than Saki, constantly keeping it going by tossing in a few pieces of firewood that he had found in the nearby woods. He eyed Saki shivering, and motioned towards his bag. "If you're cold, you can take a few shirts from my bag. They might be too big for you, but they should keep you warm." Saki stayed in her spot, still rubbing her arms and staring into the fire. Naruto's eye twitched, and he gently gave her a little chop on the head.
Saki pouted and glared at him, and Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I don't see why you're getting upset. Go ahead and use my clothes, and don't act like you can't hear me. You're mute, not deaf." The girl huffed, but began digging through Naruto's bag, withdrawing a white shirt and some shorts. A tiny plop was heard as Saki withdrew the clothing, and she gently picked up a small necklace.
It was made of string, tied together at the top. A flower hung at the bottom of it, a miniscule hole allowing the string to pass through. The flower looked beautiful, white with wavy blue surrounding the edges of the petals. Saki looked at Naruto, and pointed at the strange charm.
Naruto looked at it distastefully. "Do whatever you want with it." He said, turning his head away from looking at the charm. It had been a gift; one which he had no use for. He had no idea he had even brought it along, and believed it to be just a whim.
He sighed, tossed another piece of firewood, and glanced as the girl began changing into his clothes. She was beginning to go through the first stages of puberty, tiny mounds as breasts. Her body was covered in bruises and scars. Her body was frail, weak; she was obviously starving for a good portion of her life, and was most likely malnourished because of it. He sighed again, an brought out some fish he had caught earlier that day. He tossed one at the girl, where it hit her on the face and she pouted at him. "Eat up. I'm all for helping you out, but I don't need any dead-weight."
Saki eyed the fish hungrily, and quickly impaled it on a stick to begin heating it in the fire. Naruto leant back into the tree, closing his eyes and preparing to sleep, his mind making plans to get some food for the next day.
He would just go hungry that night.
Naruto lazily opened his eyes to the sound of lightly chirping birds, and the sun piercing through the light mist. He felt a weight shift upon him, and merely tilting his he could see the sleeping form of Saki, who was trying to nestle herself under his right arm. She was sleeping peacefully, a small smile adorning her face, and Naruto couldn't help but smile himself.
Naruto stayed for quite a while, before Saki finally stirred. She pushed herself off of Naruto, yawned, then rubbed her eyes. She stared groggily in the distance, but blinked a few times to shake the last dregs of sleep away. She caught the sight of Naruo looking at her, and her face lit up as she opened her mouth to exclaim good morning only for another rasp to spit out.
"Don't try to talk. Your chords were slit, remember? Until we find a doctor, you're going to have to respond non-verbally." He explained again, finding her frequent displays both pitiful and humorous. He shook his head as she displayed him a thumbs up sign, already knowing that by the time the day was out he would have explained her situation at least five more times.
Sak excitedly jumped up, and began continuing on their path. Naruto sighed (something he noticed he was doing a lot around her) and followed, Banryu and Jakotsuto in their positions at his back and side, respectively. Naruto adjusted Banryu again, slightly annoyed at its constant throbbing ever since he had joined up with Saki. Naruto kept feeling the urge to draw the Zanbato, but he forced himself not to, cautious at what would occur.
But sometimes, when the world was silent, he thought he could hear someone whispering in his ear...
Saki jerked his right arm down, and pointed at a small town in front of them. She smiled, before quickly replacing it with a frown and rubbing her stomach. Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"You want more food? You just ate yesterday!" He explained seriously, before he began chuckling at the indignant pout on her face. He gently rubbed her head, and tilted his head towards the town. "Just kidding. C'mon, let's get some breakfast."
The two walked into the town, Saki holding Naruto's right hand tightly. Naruto ignored her grip, instead choosing to peer at the residents of the small town. They all looked as underfed as Saki, but they came in all ages and genders. Naruto could smell despair in the air, mixed with the faint taste of blood.
A part of him liked it.
A few men nearby looked perverously at Saki, who clutched Naruto's arm. The blond turned his head to glare at the men, who turned around and began to ignore the new arrivals. Naruto kept his eye on them for a few more steps, but soon stopped. Some of the villagers were glancing at him and pointing at Banryu. Naruto could hear snippets of conversation amongst the crowd, which seemed to be growing larger.
"That sword-"
"-of the Rebels?"
"-Kirigakure, maybe-"
"He's so young..."
Naruto directed Saki to a small building, a collection of old food sitting atop the decrepit table. Most of the bread was beginning to grow mold, and the fish were small and at the very least several days old. Saki didn't seem to mind it, though Naruto scrunched his nose up in displeasure. He motioned to the rotting food, and looked at the Shopkeeper. "Do you have anything fresher?" He asked, quickly stopping Saki from grabbing a moldy loaf of bread. He didn't have a lot of money on him at the moment, and he was hoping to get some good food for the little he had.
The shopkeeper shook his head, and spoke gruffly. "That's all we have. With the war that's going on, food is becoming scarce. Especially since..." The Shopkeeper trailed off, seemingly realizing he was speaking to an outsider. "Point is, there's no fresh fish unless you make or catch it yourself."
Saki looked at Naruto with a frown, tears dotting the corner of her eyes as she once again rubbed her stomach. Naruto pursed his lips, but dropped some Ryo on the table. "Give me the least moldiest bread." He said, taking the still rather moldy loaf from the shop keeper and handing it to Saki. "Take the mold off before you start eating. I don't want you to get sick."
Saki nodded in agreement, before taking a massive bite of both bread and mold. Naruto's eye twitched as he chop Saki on the head. "What the hell did I just say?! Open your mouth, Saki!" He yelled, trying unsuccessfully to make the younger girl spit out the bread. He eventually stopped, and poked Saki on the forehead. "Fine. Eat your moldy bread. If you get sick I won't take you to a doctor."
Saki smiled, and happily licked her lips. Naruto sighed, but took a small piece of bread for himself. He popped it in his mouth, his face souring at the staleness. He looked at Saki, who was still happily eating the bread. He sighed once more, and popped another piece into his mouth.
"Wait!"
Naruto turned around, grabbing the top to Saki's head to make sure she turned around as well. An old man was hobbling towards them, a few men at his side. The old man stopped in front of the blond, withdrawing a cane to rest after the short rush.
Naruto rose an eyebrow, seeing the serious looks of the Old man and his men. "You need anything?" He inquired, his left hand ever so slightly shifting towards Jakotsuto. He pulled Saki closer to him with his right, and adjusted his footing minutely.
The old man nodded, his eyes darting towards Banryu then back to Naruto's face. "Let me ask you something, young man." He said, and giving no time for Naruto to give any disagreement, continued. "Are you a member of the rebellion?"
Naruto blinked in surprise, his posture slowly relaxing. "Uh...no. I'm just a traveling mercenary." This was technically true; Naruto had taken a few jobs en route to the land of Water, mostly involving protecting a few caravans from bandits. The work was far too easy, and the payment far too small to be a frequent source of employment.
The old man gave a toothless grin. "Ah, that's good. We thought, becuase of that blade of yours...ah, but we should've realized the Rebellion wouldn't employ a brat like you! Gahahaha!" The old man and his men laughed, while Naruto scowled at being called a brat. Saki began chucking too, stopping only when Naruto chopped her on the head.
The men stopped laughing, though the Old Man still snickered a bit. "Come. We don't have much travelers these days, so let us offer you a place to rest at the very least." He offered, already turning to lead them. Naruto shrugged, and held Saki's hand as they began walking to an inn.
The inn was just as decrepit as the rest of the town, and Naruto subconsciously placed his money pouch slightly deeper into his pocket. The old man began speaking to the innkeeper, but their discussion was too boring for Naruto to listen properly to. The old man had just turned around when a scream was heard outside.
"The Rebels! They're here!"
A man was knocked into the inn, his clothes sopping wet, evidence of a water jutsu. Naruto let go of Saki's hand, and pushed her to the old man. "Keep her here!" He yelled, racing outside with Jakotsuto already drawn in his right hand. Townspeople were running around yelling, a small group of ninjas terrorising them all.
A few ninja were throwing sacks of fresh food over their shoulder, obviously the hidden storage for the town. Rushing past the corpse of a young boy, Naruto swung Jakotsuto in a curving motion, slicing the chests of a few rebels. It seemed that this act finally placed attention upon him, so he stopped running and watched as five or so rebels began surrounding him.
"You think he's a member of the Seven Swordsmen?" One of them asked the man next to him, peeding at Naruto with a critical eye. The rest of the bandits looked closer, but one of them shook his head.
"No, he's too young to-" the man was cut off (literally) as Jakotsuto plunged into his throat. Naruto scowled at the men. "Seriously, you guys are just gonna stand there and talk aboit my age or are you actually going to do something?!"
The rebels stepped forward, brandishing kunai. Naruto sighed and placed Jakotsuto at his side, choosing instead to withdraw his sake gourd. "You've already lost." He stated, holding his left hand close to his mouth after taking a swig of sake. A small glint of light attracted the rebels attention to his feet, where he saw dozens of thin wires strapped around the rebels, connected to the blond's left arm.
"Shit! Water Sty-"
"Burn." Naruto blew upon the ninja wire, flames dancing across the rebels. He cut the wire, allowing the bodies to drop and continue burning while he stepped back to enjoy the flames. "Fire Style. Ten Burning Marionettes."
The townspeople slowly exited their houses to see the young boy smiling over the burning corpses of the rebels. They stood in shock, before they too began smiling and grinning and laughing in the first time in years. Some began cheering for their savior, but Naruto ignored them in favor of watching the last few wisps of life disappear from the burnt men.
A tug at his right arm brought his attention to be placed upon Saki, who looked at the burning bodies fearfully. Naruto gave her a smile, running his fingers through her hair. "Don't worry, Saki." Saki tore her eyes away from the sight, and sent a smile of happiness at Naruto.
The tapping of the old mans cane caused Naruto to turn around, and he narrowed his eyes. "I have to speak to you, old man." He said. The old man smiled, unfettered by the slight threatening tone.
"And I wish to speak to you," he said gleefully, as though he were several years younger, "Shichinintai-San."
Naruto sat slightly farther from the fire than Saki, constantly keeping it going by tossing in a few pieces of firewood that he had found in the nearby woods. He eyed Saki shivering, and motioned towards his bag. "If you're cold, you can take a few shirts from my bag. They might be too big for you, but they should keep you warm." Saki stayed in her spot, still rubbing her arms and staring into the fire. Naruto's eye twitched, and he gently gave her a little chop on the head.
Saki pouted and glared at him, and Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I don't see why you're getting upset. Go ahead and use my clothes, and don't act like you can't hear me. You're mute, not deaf." The girl huffed, but began digging through Naruto's bag, withdrawing a white shirt and some shorts. A tiny plop was heard as Saki withdrew the clothing, and she gently picked up a small necklace.
It was made of string, tied together at the top. A flower hung at the bottom of it, a miniscule hole allowing the string to pass through. The flower looked beautiful, white with wavy blue surrounding the edges of the petals. Saki looked at Naruto, and pointed at the strange charm.
Naruto looked at it distastefully. "Do whatever you want with it." He said, turning his head away from looking at the charm. It had been a gift; one which he had no use for. He had no idea he had even brought it along, and believed it to be just a whim.
He sighed, tossed another piece of firewood, and glanced as the girl began changing into his clothes. She was beginning to go through the first stages of puberty, tiny mounds as breasts. Her body was covered in bruises and scars. Her body was frail, weak; she was obviously starving for a good portion of her life, and was most likely malnourished because of it. He sighed again, an brought out some fish he had caught earlier that day. He tossed one at the girl, where it hit her on the face and she pouted at him. "Eat up. I'm all for helping you out, but I don't need any dead-weight."
Saki eyed the fish hungrily, and quickly impaled it on a stick to begin heating it in the fire. Naruto leant back into the tree, closing his eyes and preparing to sleep, his mind making plans to get some food for the next day.
He would just go hungry that night.
Naruto lazily opened his eyes to the sound of lightly chirping birds, and the sun piercing through the light mist. He felt a weight shift upon him, and merely tilting his he could see the sleeping form of Saki, who was trying to nestle herself under his right arm. She was sleeping peacefully, a small smile adorning her face, and Naruto couldn't help but smile himself.
Naruto stayed for quite a while, before Saki finally stirred. She pushed herself off of Naruto, yawned, then rubbed her eyes. She stared groggily in the distance, but blinked a few times to shake the last dregs of sleep away. She caught the sight of Naruo looking at her, and her face lit up as she opened her mouth to exclaim good morning only for another rasp to spit out.
"Don't try to talk. Your chords were slit, remember? Until we find a doctor, you're going to have to respond non-verbally." He explained again, finding her frequent displays both pitiful and humorous. He shook his head as she displayed him a thumbs up sign, already knowing that by the time the day was out he would have explained her situation at least five more times.
Sak excitedly jumped up, and began continuing on their path. Naruto sighed (something he noticed he was doing a lot around her) and followed, Banryu and Jakotsuto in their positions at his back and side, respectively. Naruto adjusted Banryu again, slightly annoyed at its constant throbbing ever since he had joined up with Saki. Naruto kept feeling the urge to draw the Zanbato, but he forced himself not to, cautious at what would occur.
But sometimes, when the world was silent, he thought he could hear someone whispering in his ear...
Saki jerked his right arm down, and pointed at a small town in front of them. She smiled, before quickly replacing it with a frown and rubbing her stomach. Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"You want more food? You just ate yesterday!" He explained seriously, before he began chuckling at the indignant pout on her face. He gently rubbed her head, and tilted his head towards the town. "Just kidding. C'mon, let's get some breakfast."
The two walked into the town, Saki holding Naruto's right hand tightly. Naruto ignored her grip, instead choosing to peer at the residents of the small town. They all looked as underfed as Saki, but they came in all ages and genders. Naruto could smell despair in the air, mixed with the faint taste of blood.
A part of him liked it.
A few men nearby looked perverously at Saki, who clutched Naruto's arm. The blond turned his head to glare at the men, who turned around and began to ignore the new arrivals. Naruto kept his eye on them for a few more steps, but soon stopped. Some of the villagers were glancing at him and pointing at Banryu. Naruto could hear snippets of conversation amongst the crowd, which seemed to be growing larger.
"That sword-"
"-of the Rebels?"
"-Kirigakure, maybe-"
"He's so young..."
Naruto directed Saki to a small building, a collection of old food sitting atop the decrepit table. Most of the bread was beginning to grow mold, and the fish were small and at the very least several days old. Saki didn't seem to mind it, though Naruto scrunched his nose up in displeasure. He motioned to the rotting food, and looked at the Shopkeeper. "Do you have anything fresher?" He asked, quickly stopping Saki from grabbing a moldy loaf of bread. He didn't have a lot of money on him at the moment, and he was hoping to get some good food for the little he had.
The shopkeeper shook his head, and spoke gruffly. "That's all we have. With the war that's going on, food is becoming scarce. Especially since..." The Shopkeeper trailed off, seemingly realizing he was speaking to an outsider. "Point is, there's no fresh fish unless you make or catch it yourself."
Saki looked at Naruto with a frown, tears dotting the corner of her eyes as she once again rubbed her stomach. Naruto pursed his lips, but dropped some Ryo on the table. "Give me the least moldiest bread." He said, taking the still rather moldy loaf from the shop keeper and handing it to Saki. "Take the mold off before you start eating. I don't want you to get sick."
Saki nodded in agreement, before taking a massive bite of both bread and mold. Naruto's eye twitched as he chop Saki on the head. "What the hell did I just say?! Open your mouth, Saki!" He yelled, trying unsuccessfully to make the younger girl spit out the bread. He eventually stopped, and poked Saki on the forehead. "Fine. Eat your moldy bread. If you get sick I won't take you to a doctor."
Saki smiled, and happily licked her lips. Naruto sighed, but took a small piece of bread for himself. He popped it in his mouth, his face souring at the staleness. He looked at Saki, who was still happily eating the bread. He sighed once more, and popped another piece into his mouth.
"Wait!"
Naruto turned around, grabbing the top to Saki's head to make sure she turned around as well. An old man was hobbling towards them, a few men at his side. The old man stopped in front of the blond, withdrawing a cane to rest after the short rush.
Naruto rose an eyebrow, seeing the serious looks of the Old man and his men. "You need anything?" He inquired, his left hand ever so slightly shifting towards Jakotsuto. He pulled Saki closer to him with his right, and adjusted his footing minutely.
The old man nodded, his eyes darting towards Banryu then back to Naruto's face. "Let me ask you something, young man." He said, and giving no time for Naruto to give any disagreement, continued. "Are you a member of the rebellion?"
Naruto blinked in surprise, his posture slowly relaxing. "Uh...no. I'm just a traveling mercenary." This was technically true; Naruto had taken a few jobs en route to the land of Water, mostly involving protecting a few caravans from bandits. The work was far too easy, and the payment far too small to be a frequent source of employment.
The old man gave a toothless grin. "Ah, that's good. We thought, becuase of that blade of yours...ah, but we should've realized the Rebellion wouldn't employ a brat like you! Gahahaha!" The old man and his men laughed, while Naruto scowled at being called a brat. Saki began chucking too, stopping only when Naruto chopped her on the head.
The men stopped laughing, though the Old Man still snickered a bit. "Come. We don't have much travelers these days, so let us offer you a place to rest at the very least." He offered, already turning to lead them. Naruto shrugged, and held Saki's hand as they began walking to an inn.
The inn was just as decrepit as the rest of the town, and Naruto subconsciously placed his money pouch slightly deeper into his pocket. The old man began speaking to the innkeeper, but their discussion was too boring for Naruto to listen properly to. The old man had just turned around when a scream was heard outside.
"The Rebels! They're here!"
A man was knocked into the inn, his clothes sopping wet, evidence of a water jutsu. Naruto let go of Saki's hand, and pushed her to the old man. "Keep her here!" He yelled, racing outside with Jakotsuto already drawn in his right hand. Townspeople were running around yelling, a small group of ninjas terrorising them all.
A few ninja were throwing sacks of fresh food over their shoulder, obviously the hidden storage for the town. Rushing past the corpse of a young boy, Naruto swung Jakotsuto in a curving motion, slicing the chests of a few rebels. It seemed that this act finally placed attention upon him, so he stopped running and watched as five or so rebels began surrounding him.
"You think he's a member of the Seven Swordsmen?" One of them asked the man next to him, peeding at Naruto with a critical eye. The rest of the bandits looked closer, but one of them shook his head.
"No, he's too young to-" the man was cut off (literally) as Jakotsuto plunged into his throat. Naruto scowled at the men. "Seriously, you guys are just gonna stand there and talk aboit my age or are you actually going to do something?!"
The rebels stepped forward, brandishing kunai. Naruto sighed and placed Jakotsuto at his side, choosing instead to withdraw his sake gourd. "You've already lost." He stated, holding his left hand close to his mouth after taking a swig of sake. A small glint of light attracted the rebels attention to his feet, where he saw dozens of thin wires strapped around the rebels, connected to the blond's left arm.
"Shit! Water Sty-"
"Burn." Naruto blew upon the ninja wire, flames dancing across the rebels. He cut the wire, allowing the bodies to drop and continue burning while he stepped back to enjoy the flames. "Fire Style. Ten Burning Marionettes."
The townspeople slowly exited their houses to see the young boy smiling over the burning corpses of the rebels. They stood in shock, before they too began smiling and grinning and laughing in the first time in years. Some began cheering for their savior, but Naruto ignored them in favor of watching the last few wisps of life disappear from the burnt men.
A tug at his right arm brought his attention to be placed upon Saki, who looked at the burning bodies fearfully. Naruto gave her a smile, running his fingers through her hair. "Don't worry, Saki." Saki tore her eyes away from the sight, and sent a smile of happiness at Naruto.
The tapping of the old mans cane caused Naruto to turn around, and he narrowed his eyes. "I have to speak to you, old man." He said. The old man smiled, unfettered by the slight threatening tone.
"And I wish to speak to you," he said gleefully, as though he were several years younger, "Shichinintai-San."