Creation

He didn't know how much time had passed only that it had to close to the end of the afternoon. The air was cooling and the wind was beginning to pick up. The clouds above were gloomy and rumbled with impending lightening. The blond knew where he was going but his head was pounding from the voice's constant yelling. He was thankful that he was in a heavily wooded area or else he would be stumbling over his feet constantly. The trees were so close together, he took advantage and used them as a crutch.

The wind shifted suddenly. He turned a sharp gaze to the west and the stench of burnt flesh wafted towards him. His stomach instantly churned. That's when he sensed someone a couple kilometers due west. Whoever it was, he had to be extremely careful. Goosebumps covered his skin since his only article of clothing was his boxers. He continued forward towards the horrifying and distinct smell.

Just a couple more steps and-

A girl with a long side braid appeared in front of him. He froze in place. What was she doing wondering around here? He tilted his head studying her appearance. She was well fed and clean. The horrible war going on around them left her untouched. His shoulders sagged and he gave her a small smile. She eyed him carefully and stepped forward. In her hands he could see her holding out clothes.

He pointed to himself and she nodded holding them out farther. He took the clothes without questioning her any further and put them on. All she had given him was a black shirt with matching black sweatpants. Once his adjusted his pants, the small girl grabbed his wrist and pulled him after her.

"Whoa! Thanks for the clothes and everything but what are you doing?" She turned and smiled.

"Please come with me to the village. I was told to come and pick you up." She tugged on his wrist again and the blond reluctantly followed. The pounding headache he once had disappeared along with the menacing voice. "By the way," The girl spoke with light laughter in her voice. "My name is Ami."

"Nice to meet you, Ami." He mumbled. "My name is-"

"I know what your name is Naruto. Remember I had to come and find you!" Ami stopped suddenly and sniffed the air. "This way should take us back."

Could she tell which way she was going by sniffing the air? As far as he knew the only smell that assaulted his senses was burnt flesh. He pried off Ami's hand and caught her shoulder. She turned slowly meeting his eyes.

The girl, who called herself Ami, had to be about a year or two younger than him and the color of her eyes reminded him of Sakura. They weren't as brilliant but they were still a vibrant shade. Freckles covered mostly around the center of her face and her strawberry blonde hair, even in a side braid, managed to reach her waist. She stood a few inches shorter than him and her feet were bare of shoes. He could see the dirt in-between her toes.

"What's the matter?" She asked keeping her gaze steady.

"You never told me who told you to come and get me, or where exactly to find me."

Her eyes sparkled. "I think you know who sent me." She twirled in a circle and called after him to follow.

He didn't move. The feeling of being watched overcame him and he looked around as if he could spot someone lurking in the shadows. From what he could sense, nothing was in the forest besides Ami and whatever animals lived here. The small girl called out again and he ran to catch up with her.

"Have you gotten word from your friend, Hokage-sama?"

The woman in question leaned back in her office chair and took a swig of her tainted coffee. "Nothing yet but I'm sure he got the message. As we speak he is probably tracking Naruto and is close to detaining him." She smiled at the thought that this problem could be solved so quickly. Then again she knew what could get in her way.

The people of that blasted village were twisted and corrupt. All of them needed to be sent to insane asylums. Their talk of spirits being made of chakra and the guardians who watched over them was all crazy. Yes she had witnessed the chakra beasts as a small child, but they had long disappeared along with their legends. The Hokage remembered going on missions delivering messages back and forth between the Hidden Leaf and their secluded area. The only magnificent building there was their worship temple.

The village elders wouldn't let people who didn't believe their stories go into the tower saying it was a disgrace to their people. They never participated in the wars, and they demanded to be left alone. The last two generations had completely forgotten the existence of the village and the name of it even escaped her.

The thing that puzzled her the most was why Naruto was found near the temple. She had never seen such an emotionally and mentally disturbed ninja before. Of course it didn't help that fact that he was stark naked and dried blood covered his torso, hands, and face. He was so angry and violent. Not to mention that he had almost ripped a rescue ninja to pieces. She was thankful that Shizune was present and apprehended him.

The woman sighed as Kakashi tore her attention from her thoughts. "Say that again? Forgive me I wasn't listening."

Kakashi merely shrugged and repeated, "This has something to do with where the rescue team found him, right?"

"Yes," She nodded before adding, "The team wasn't meant to find him. They were on another mission and just happened to come across him."

"Either way I'm glad to know he wasn't dead." He cleared his throat. "Have the elders noticed anything?"

"No not yet. I'm planning on keeping it that way for as long as I can too." Tsunade stood from her chair and stretched. "If you'll excuse me I have a war meeting to go to."

"Hey Ami, do you smell anything in the air?"

The girl shook her head. "No, why do you smell something?"

"I'm not sure. I've been smelling…" He trailed off, shrugging his shoulders.

The girl turned her head sizing him up. "Obviously, you weren't the greatest ninja in your village were you?"

An eyebrow twitched with annoyance. "I don't think it's your place to be making that kind of judgment, Ami." He tried pulling free from the girl's grip but she had a pretty good hold.

"If big sis saw how much you were struggling to get free. She would beat you up."

That statement puzzled him. "So you have a sister?"

Ami turned suddenly fueled with boisterous energy. "She told me all about you and told me to come and get you at a certain time and place! So don't be stupid and hurt her feelings!"

Naruto cringed. "I'm not trying to hurt anyone's feelings! I just want to understand what is going on!" That's when he saw the tears brimming on her face. Not to mention Ami's nails were digging deep into his wrist.

"Just be a good boy, Naruto, for me and my mom's sake!" Tears streamed down her face. "Please!" She started wiping away the tears but her sobbing only worsened. That's when Naruto brought her in for a hug; softly rubbing his free hand up and down her back.

"I'm sorry, Ami. I can be a handful I know. Please forgive me." She pulled back, letting go of Naruto's wrist and placed her hands on either side of his face.

"Big sis mentioned that you would be kind to me." She kissed his forehead quickly, and then grabbed onto his wrist again to finish the rest of their journey.

"We're almost there, Naruto." Ami's grip tightened for a moment before relaxing again. "I hope you find my village to your liking."

The boy didn't answer. He was too busy staring at the woman who appeared before them. She looked like an older, more mature version of Ami. But something about her eyes was unsettling. Ami let go of Naruto's wrist and ran towards the woman, arms stretched wide as she enveloped her in a hug. The woman returned the hug but kept staring towards Naruto.

When Ami released the woman, she introduced her. "Naruto this is my mother, Suki. She's got another change of clothes for you."

His eyes fell down to the black and blue kimono in her arms. That's when he felt a hand touch his hair. He blushed at the contact and peered up at the woman noticing that she was in fact blind. Her hand fell to his cheek then back to her side as he grabbed the clothes from her. He didn't even hear her move towards him!

"We'll change into our kimonos over there out of sight that way we can all have our privacy. But hurry up we have a festival to attend!" Ami's voice was stern as she led her mother away to a group of trees to conceal them.

Naruto didn't waste time and just as he was trying to tie his kimono up Ami and Suki were already done. He hid his surprise at their swift change of clothes. Ami scolded the blond about being slow and helped him tie his kimono properly. She then proceeded to grab a hold Naruto and Suki's hands letting her excitement pour out in huge waves of enthusiasm. Naruto took this time to study Suki only to have her turn and smile at him.

"The festivals are a very big part of our village this time of year." Suki's eyes never wavered from him.

"Really? What do you celebrate this time of year?" His throat felt dry and itchy. He couldn't figure out why this woman was making him so frazzled.

She smiled. "We celebrate the time of lust, greed, and rebirth."

Naruto frowned. "Lust and greed?"

"Well, you see in order for people to be reborn they need to learn from their lust and greed. It's sort of… a time period in our lives where we learn to not be selfish and to think of others instead." She pointed to her daughter, Ami. "She was born out of the lust and greed of her father and me; which in turn, taught me to put her first and not let my negative desires get the better of me."

Ami piped up. "Daddy died after he left us for another woman. It was life's way of teaching him a lesson."

Naruto was stunned. "You really think he died because of his lust and greed?"

Ami nodded while Suki seemed thoughtful like she wasn't really sure how to answer his question. They walked in silence for what seemed like forever until a certain rumble of drums off in the distance caught his attention. It sounded like they were finally getting close. Ami sprang forward releasing Naruto and Suki's hands and shot off towards the drums. Suki stumbled over a rock and Naruto was quick to steady her again.

"I should've mentioned that Ami hasn't experienced what we have yet. She is still young and naive." Suki grabbed a hold of Naruto's arm letting him lead her.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You literally died before being reborn just like me and many other people in our village have only we did it spiritually, you were a special case. Something you should be very proud of."

His heart skipped a beat. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"You will soon enough, Naruto. Many things will become clear in the near future. I can promise you that." She patted his arm affectionately, the small smile still on her face.

The drums gradually grew louder as they approached the village and Naruto's stomach churned. Suki was crazy. That's all there was to it and he knew that meant the other villagers were going to be the same way. They stopped for a moment so Suki could adjust her shoes, and Naruto took the time to study the festival.

It was just like any other festival he had been too. People were wearing masks, there were games, children running and screaming, and couples out on dates enjoying each other's company. He noticed a few people turned in his direction. For some reason he got the feeling that they were curious about him. Just as someone was about to speak out to him, Suki tugged on his sleeve.

"Naruto? Is everything okay?" She was staring at him again.

He replied 'no' and returned his gaze to the crowd around them. He watched for Ami, but it seemed she was long gone by now. He didn't want to admit it, but he really didn't want to be alone with Suki.

"Do you want to play any games, Naruto?"

"Um… sure how about the fishing game over here." Naruto led her over to booth and panicked when he realized he didn't have any money with him. Before he could apologize to the booth owner, Suki handed over some cash. When Naruto looked up, he found her grinning down at him.

She replied, "This was one of my favorite games when I was your age."

Naruto cleared his throat and began to fish. He needed to find the red ring in order to win a stuffed animal and he had his eyes on a giant, orange fox for Ami. After his three tries in the bucket, he got nothing but duds. He scratched his head in embarrassment. Just as he was about to lead Suki to another booth a girl in a red, rose printed kimono came up and handed him some more money. Her face was hidden behind a raven mask and even her eyes were hard to make out behind it.

"I can't accept your money, plus I'm terrible at this game!" He pushed the cash back towards the girl only to meet resistance. His mouth fell open. Was this girl really serious? His shoulders slumped in defeat.

"You can do it, Naruto. I believe in you!" Even though Suki couldn't see him, he still rolled his eyes. He went back to the game and handed over the cash. The booth owner's eyes gleamed with pride probably due to the fact that this booth was rigged just to pull in more customers' money.

He bit the inside of his cheek as he crouched down again with his fishing pole at the ready. He caught the girl with the raven mask crouching down next to him so close that their shoulders were touching. Blood rushed to his cheeks.

Naruto ignored it and tossed the end of the fishing line into the bucket. He figured if he dug at the bottom maybe he could capture the elusive red ring. But just as he caught a ring and brought it the surface it turned out to be another dud. He slapped his palm against his cheek and let out a long sigh.

"This is ridiculous." He mumbled resting his head on his hand.

A hand curled around his and forced him to throw the line back in. As it was sinking low into the bucket the girl jerked his hand and the rod, and there right at the end of the hook was the red ring. Naruto couldn't believe his eyes! He looked up at the owner and saw the disappointment painted throughout his expression, and then turned to the girl who had helped him. From what he could figure, she wasn't at all surprised about his win.

"How did you do-"

A voice cut him off. "Did you win, Naruto?"

Naruto turned to Suki and replied, "Yeah I did with the help of-"

The girl's grip on his hand vanished and the blond snapped back only to see her disappearing into the crowd. That's when he saw the rosy, pink hair tied up into a bun in the back and his heart skipped a beat yet again. Naruto had a sneaking suspicion about her and now there was no doubt about who she was.

Shortly after, Naruto went on a winning streak with the games and was currently trying to hold onto every prize that he had gotten in the last twenty minutes. Ami didn't make an appearance, so he and Suki sat at a picnic table eating their dinner in silence. Naruto had won Suki a pair of pearl earrings and she could not stop rubbing them with her fingers, analyzing everything about them. She had explained to him that the last time she had gotten a present from a man was when she was married. Naruto balked at the comment and scratched his head nervously.

He quickly changed the subject to other matters such as what this small village was famous for. Suki pondered for a while before commenting about the fact that they were a peaceful village and didn't need to be famous for anything. But she did go on to mention the prized temple right smack dab in the middle of the festival. Naruto took the time to admire the building noticing how well kept it appeared from a far. It was obviously a very prized possession among the villagers.

"What is it for anyway? Do you go there to pray or something?"

Suki beamed. "Yes that is one of the many things that can be done there. We also have weddings, births, and all sorts of small events at the temple."

He squinted at the building once more noticing lights all throughout were turned on. "Do people like monks watch over the temple then?"

"Oh no, Naruto, the spirit of lust and greed resides there. It watches over the villagers and takes care of the temple for us."

His eyebrows scrunched together, confused by her words. "So you mean to tell me nobody else takes care of the temple besides the spirit of it?"

"You got it. Our only job is to cleanse our spirits of impurities and beg to be called upon for our tasks to become better people." Naruto could tell she was being dead serious about everything she was talking about.

"So anybody is allowed to enter the temple then? To 'cleanse' their souls?" He pressed on trying to make sense of her words. For some reason something about that temple was beginning to bother him.

Suki frowned for a moment and tapped a finger against her chin to think. "To be honest… nobody outside of our village is allowed in but there has been a recent case where someone from the outside has gotten in. I just don't remember who or why exactly."

He felt a ringing in his ears growing louder and louder with every second. The next thing he knew he was on the ground writhing in pain. Nobody looked in his direction even Suki seemed unaffected. It was like time had slowed down. Just as quick as the episode had started, it ended leaving Naruto's body limp.

He craned his neck and looked up at a blurry figure of what appeared to be an old man with white hair and strange clothing peering over him.

The man quickly helped Naruto up and onto the bench not uttering a single word. His gaze passed from him to Suki.

"Suki, is that you?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

The woman in question scrunched her unseeing eyes. "Jiraya?" She asked back.

"What happened to your eyes? The last time I saw you…" His voice slowly died off as he glanced at the temple then back to Suki.

She smiled. "The last time you saw me I could see. Yes well…" She shrugged her shoulders. "Things are changing for the better. I gave birth to a healthy girl while you were away."

Naruto watched as Jiraya nodded his head slowly. For some reason this man and his name was familiar but he couldn't think why. When he took notice of the man's headband it suddenly hit him.

"You're one of the legendary Sanin, aren't you?"

Jiraya turned and gave him a cheeky smile. "Why yes I am brat, and you must be the boy I'm supposed to take back to village, right?"

"No! You mustn't do that! He is meant to stay a little longer!" Suki stood reaching her hand out for the boy. "Come on now. This man isn't any good for either of us. You need your rest now."

Jiraya stood from his kneeling position and pressed his hand against Naruto's chest. "Listen, Suki, I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm just on a simple mission to bring this boy home nothing more."

Suki walked around the table and slapped Jiraya's hand away. "Leave now, Jiraya. You were banished from here long ago. Now disappear before you are noticed."

"I can't do that. Just give me the boy and I will be on my way out."

"Never."

Jiraya roughly grabbed Naruto by his kimono and drug him to his feet. "What the hell?" The blond shouted.

"Leave him alone!" A small, yet fierce voice yelled from behind the old man. They all turned to find Ami standing and holding cotton candy. A large raven mask hung around her neck. "Whatever you're planning to do with him, stop it. You heard my mother."

Naruto was dumbfounded. Never in his life had he experienced something like this before. Well maybe once when Sasuke and Ino were arguing over stupid things. But this was completely out of his league of understanding.

"I know what you are planning to do with him. You're going to send him to the temple." Jiraya's grip on Naruto's kimono tightened.

"He has no choice and you will not take this away from the village." Ami threw her cotton candy to the ground and stalked forward. Naruto tried to pry the man's hand off but it wouldn't budge.

"Whoa! Hold on, Ami! You're just a kid!"

Ami was spitting venom. "Shut your mouth, Naruto! This isn't the time for you to be talking!"

A hand rested on his shoulder and he turned to stare at Suki. Watching as she gazed upon Jiraya and spat at his feet. Naruto could feel the ringing in his ears start again. Everything was too chaotic he just wanted it to end. He wanted answers to his questions not more questions for his questions. His hands lost their grip on Jiraya's and slid off. His vision began to swirl and the blackness began to shroud his thoughts.

Ami screamed his name and Suki caught his body as Jiraya loosened his grip. His head rested in the woman's lap and she quietly shushed him, not wanting him to speak. His hearing faded and the darkness eventually ate him whole.

Naruto was startled when he woke up to find himself in bed. The fireplace next to him roared with warmth. He watched the crackling wood and sparks, mesmerized by the colors and noises it created. The fiery reds, burnt oranges and bold yellows blended together like a beautiful canvas. The wood smelled of oak and he relished the smell. Breathing in deeply and letting the smoky scent fill his lungs.

The memory of Sakura and candlelight consumed his mind. The way her emerald eyes were bright even in the poorly lit room. The orange ambience tinting her hair and skin in such an exciting way he had to flip away from the fireplace so the memory didn't eat him alive. He didn't like this feeling of wanting to be close to her and touch her with his own intent. It was all so new and fresh. He had never experienced this before especially with another person. To feel the softness of her skin and particularly the beating of her heart would definitely send him over the edge.

It was hard for him to imagine that she was a living, breathing thing. Just the thought of her drove him insane. He didn't understand why his feelings were so strong whenever she popped up into his mind. All he could conclude was that it was unhealthy and weird for a boy at fourteen to be feeling this way. Well, next month he would be fifteen but that wasn't the point. The point was that girl was a lot more trouble than he initially thought.

He hadn't noticed Ami was standing in the room with him. She was holding a cup to her lips and was watching him intently. Naruto smiled up at her watching as she flashed him a toothy grin as well.

"How do you feel?" She whispered.

"I feel groggy, I guess. I assume we're at your house?"

Ami's pale, green eyes glittered in the shadows of the room. "Nope, you're in jail for being a bad boy."

Naruto snorted at the joke while Ami padded over to the boy and sat down next to him emptying the last remaining liquid from the cup. She licked her lips and set the cup down next to her.

"What were you drinking?" Naruto was parched and whatever was in that cup smelled delicious.

Ami poked the boy's nose and giggled. "I'm not telling you! You're being punished!"

Naruto's stomach growled in response.

"Now, Ami be polite. He's a growing boy in need of nourishment." Suki appeared with a tray of beef stew along with a cup of steaming rice. Naruto's stomach growled again. He noticed as he tried to get up that he was stiff to the bone. Suki set the tray down and helped him sit up.

"That's what you get for being asleep for twelve hours. Of course, you'll need all your pent up energy for today."

Naruto's jaw dropped. He had been sleeping for twelve hours? It wasn't unlike him most days when he had the day off to train or needed to catch up on sleep, but twelve hours in this place was ridiculous!

"Do you want me to feed you like a baby, Naruto?" Ami was teasing but he couldn't bring himself to laugh along with her.

He looked up at Suki meeting her grey, blue eyes. "Where is Jiraya at?"

Suki's expression remained blank. "He's in the village staying with the elders."

"So he's not banished then?"

Ami poked Naruto with a fork gaining his full attention again. "Eat. You need energy."

He let out a long sigh and did as he was told. Before long he finished his meal. Ami took his dirty dishes away and quickly came back moments later.

"It's time for you to leave." She reported.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean?" That's when it hit him. "Does this have to do with going to the temple?"

Ami smiled wide. "You know it."

Honestly, the blond had thought he would have been anxious or resistant to the idea, but he wasn't. He suddenly realized that he wanted nothing more than to go to the temple. He felt ready to face whatever was waiting for him there, whether it involved Sakura or not.

"You'll have to change back into your black shirt and sweatpants again." Ami pointed to the clothes in the corner of the room.

"I thought we left our clothes in the forest." He slowly stood up and moved towards the clothes.

Ami leaned back and forth on her feet. "My mom picked them up and washed 'em for you."

Naruto nodded and waited for her to the close the door. He peeled off his kimono and stared down at his abdomen. The tattoo, in a weird sense, was striking. The symbols were strange but overall if this tattoo was on someone else he knew it would catch his eye. Shaking his head of those thoughts, he finished changing and walked out of the room.

Ami and Suki were waiting outside and ushered him along. Reaching the temple was going to be easy, but facing what was inside was a whole another story.

Oh dear lord. It's a super long update compared to the past! Writing this chapter felt so good and posting this feels even better! I have been dying to update this story and now I am done with college for the semester. Finally I can push myself to start updating more seriously! Overall I really feel good about this chapter and the characters I introduced. I tried to make them strange and different compared to what Naruto usually experiences with people. Anyway, stay tune for the next one! WHY?! Because we finally get to seriously meet the 'mysterious' girl! ;) And that's all I'm going to say about that!

Thank you for reading and PLEASE REVIEW BELOW!

I want to hear what's on your mind when you finish this chapter!

P.S. Thank you all for the reviews I have been getting! I seriously wake up early just to check what you guys leave me because I can't stand not knowing! Anyway until next time!