It was as Naruto and Victor were shoveling the last bits of dirt upon the mutilated remains of the Sound Shinobi that Naruto felt something. It was like a strange itch on the back of his neck, turning and looking around Naruto's eyes scanned the dark trees that surrounded him looking for anything that could have caused the feeling.
As he looked around his enhanced sight allowed him to see through the night like it was day, but this enhancement did not allow him to look through trees.
Deciding to try something else out Naruto drew on his sensing abilities; although he did not that they be as good as Mito's sensory abilities, Naruto's had a unique trait to them. Searching the surrounding area with his abilities he soon found the source of his discomfort.
Sitting roughly twenty metres back from the tree line was the figure of another person, to Naruto's the person stuck out from the rest of his surroundings, his figure a blazing light compared to the rest of the dull and grayish landscape.
The reason the man stuck out so much despite trying to suppress his chakra was due to the nature of Naruto's sensory ability, he did not sense chakra like a normal sensory Shinobi, instead he sensed life force.
Unfortunately though, something about his stance must have alerted the observer that he had been spotted. As without any warning they started leaping through the trees in the direction of Naruto and Victor. It took the Shinobi barely a few seconds to cross the distance and leap at Victor a kunai in hand as he shot towards his unwary prey.
It all happened so fast for Naruto, one second he had spotted an enemy Shinobi hiding in the background, observing the two of them, the next second he could see a blur like figure bursting out of the surrounding trees and heading for his newly made friend Victor.
It was as this was all happening that Naruto's adrenaline surged; his recently increased reserves of chakra roaring to life Naruto unconsciously started drawing on the chakra of the souls he had consumed. The energy flooding his limbs as Naruto lunged forward, heading to intercept the enemy Shinobi as they closed in on Victor, who only now was turning around.
As he moved Naruto felt his every sense flaring, the scent of blood and smoke in the air was stifling, the sound of his feet crunching against the forest floor. As he moved his eyes caught a glint of metal on the floor, it was an axe, no doubt dropped by one of the loggers when they were attacked.
Taking a few steps forward his body thrumming with energy, Naruto lent down and scooped up the axe from the floor, the overabundant chakra running through his body, now pouring from his hands in a bluish grey wave as Naruto unconsciously channeled it into the axe he was wielding.
Another step and he had somehow caught up to the enemy, the person who had once been a blur coming into focus as Naruto approached. His axe already swinging though the air, even as the now revealed man lunged forward with his kunai, the metal forehead the man wore glinting in the firelight, as it revealed the symbol of the sound village.
CRUNCH!
With a dull crunching sound Naruto's axe made contact with the Shinobi, the blade of the axe connecting where the man's neck met his shoulder. The chakra infused blade cutting through muscle, skin and bone like a hot knife through butter.
To Naruto's enhanced sight he could see how the flesh seemed to go grey and shrivel as the axe made contact, not that it really mattered as blade continued its path and sliced through the man's body, bursting out the other side in a shower of gore.
Falling on to his knees Naruto started panting, it had been barely five seconds since Naruto had identified the enemy, but somehow he felt as if it had been an hour. His heart thundered in his chest even as his entire body began shaking. Looking up he could see the vacant look in the gaze of the man he had just killed.
Holding back a wretch, Naruto could already see the orb of light that represented his soul beginning to rise into the air above the man's slain body.
"Aww that's sweet, you brought desert…"
Looking up as he heard the voice Naruto saw Victor stood above him, the boy already twirling the scalpel in his hand as he looked down at the dead body in front of him. An assessing look on his face as he inspected the dead Shinobi's remains.
"Did you have to make such a mess though? I mean you probably ruined his heart and lungs. You my friend need some practice."
Looking at Victor a disbelieving expression on his masked face Naruto couldn't help but let loose a bark of laughter, the boy had come close to death, and yet he was so nonchalant about it. To Naruto it was absolutely absurd.
Looking down Naruto again looked at the dead body of the Shinobi before turning his gaze instead to the woodcutter's axe he had picked up, the metal axe head was still in perfect condition, but the wooden handle was covered in splinters and cracks, it looked like it could fall apart at any second.
"I think I broke my axe." Naruto said blandly before turning his gaze back to Victor. The boy merely looking at him with an amused expression for some reason.
"We'll get you a new one, now hurry up and eat you're desert like a good boy. As I am in the market for a spare liver….
....
' Kushina '
Kushina sat silently on the bed in Naruto's room, her eyes red from crying and her throat raw. The sound of heavy rain hitting the now closed window and strong wind made the only noise in the room, one of the Land of Fire's rare storms having hit the village an hour ago.
She felt sick and tired both, physically and emotionally. But no matter how hard she tried Kushina couldn't sleep, not while her son was missing.
They had been unable to get permission from the Daimyo of the Land of Rice, though not for lack of trying. The problem was that unless they gave their reason for wanting to cross the border they would not be allowed, but if word that Naruto had been taken got out there would be chaos.
Even with his condition Naruto was still the son of the Hokage, not to mention one of the very few Uzumaki left in existence. The moment it became known to other villages that he was taken there would be a mad scramble to find him, so Minato had to be very careful with who knew.
This unfortunately didn't include the Daimyo of a country allied with the Hidden Rock, who were the last people they wanted to find out.
But now they had no leads, no trail and no way to track him, even now the storm washed away what few traces of his presence that were probably still around. Even if they were allowed to cross the border now the trail would have gone cold, leaving nothing for them to follow.
There only hope now was, as much as she hated it at the moment…Jiraiya.
Unfortunately they needed to wait for him to return to the village, the old pervert having left after the triplets birthday, after Kushina had…asked him to leave…with her foot…and a few well thrown kunai.
...
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baseball, huh ??
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