Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Mission! A Trip to Imakura Village! ❯ The Trip! ( Chapter 1 )
[ A - All Readers ]
By: Itadakimasu 
The arrival at the Imakura Village!
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Thriller / Comedy / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.30.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.9K | Visits: 593 | Status: Work In Progress
The arrival at the Imakura Village!
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Thriller / Comedy / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.30.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.9K | Visits: 593 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter One: The Trip
“I can’t believe this! Kakashi-sensei is actually taking us on a holiday trip!”
Sakura danced as she said these words. She was feeling happy. Why not? Sasuke was near, the day was clear and the sky was blue, and there were birds singing in the trees, and –
“Yeah! Isn’t it cool?!”
- and hyperactive number one was along. “I thought you weren’t interested, Naruto?”
“Oh! Why did you think I wasn’t interested!? Mountain air, the trees, the –”
“- the fact that we’re actually going to get some very rare herb for the Hokage interests you, Naruto?” Sasuke snickered as he walked forward.
“SHUT UP, SASUKE!” Naruto made a move toward Sasuke who was prepared to bounce back at him.
“Guys,” Kakashi said from behind them, “if we want to arrive at the village before sundown, we better stop talking and really start walking. Okay? Okay. And, Sakura?”
“Yes, sensei?”
“This is not a holiday trip. What got that idea into your head?”
A little blank look appeared on Sakura’s face. “Huh?”
“I said this is not a holiday trip.”
“But – I heard you said that the other day to Iruka-sensei that you were going to take a leave to the Amakura hot springs!” Oh no! And I won’t be able to show off my new – wait a minute… I smell something fishy. She turned to Naruto with murderous eyes. “You set me up, didn’t you, Naruto?” she asked with a sickly sweet voice that Naruto knew something dangerous was about to happen.
“Huh? Set you up for what?” Naruto immediately walked away from Sakura but she quickly caught his orange sweater tail. “Hey! Let me go, Sakura!”
“Admit it! You set me up! You used Kage Bunshin no Jutsu to create a clone and Henge no Jutsu to transform into Kakashi-sensei while you transformed into Iruka-sensei!”
“I am not that shallow, Sakura! Let me go!”
“Please, guys,” Sasuke stared on at them disinterestedly. I can’t believe they’re my teammates. How I managed to tolerate them I never know.
“Sakura! Naruto! Stop it!” Kakashi stepped forward.
“But he tricked me, sensei!” Sakura turned to him with the most innocuous expression she could muster while her hands were wrapped around Naruto’s wrists. “He tricked me! That was just mean!”
“I was talking to Iruka-sensei about the holiday we are planning to have next year in Amakura. The village we’re going to is Imakura.” Kakashi eyed her with that one eye he always had uncovered, and as usual the eye revealed little expression. “How did you manage to eavesdrop on us? And why did you do it?”
For the first time Sakura seemed uncertain. “I – uh… well…”
“Well? WELL!?” Naruto asked angrily, pulling her hands away from his wrists. “I didn’t do it, Kakashi-sensei, honest. I came along because I want to get away. It’s rather boring with nothing to do in the village, and Konohamura always somehow manages to stalk me. It’s irritating.”
Now Sakura was confused. “Then I –”
“Yes, Sakura-chan. You misheard. Now, can we get on going? I want to get to Imakura Village before sundown and I need a good bath. But there is a good hot springs there… or so it used to be… I think I’ve been there ten years ago… I’m confused myself… hmm…”
His students were looking at him with tons of doubts jumping off their faces. Kakashi nodded to himself, ignoring them completely. “Well, let’s get on. Terazuma-san is waiting for us.”
Imakura Village is rather a small village with population no less than a thousand. It lies amongst Shibata, the dormant volcanic mountain ranges. Although sparsely populated, the village enjoys rather good trade with neighboring villages. Imakura Village is famous for its fur imports and fine weapon smithy. Though there are of course better smithy villages around the continent, Imakura is a good choice for those seeking balance between weapon practicality and value for money.
So it was no surprise to see the village still active after night had fallen. Group number Seven was already inside one of the inns (after Sakura pulled them away from the red-light district) and presently a stately man with salt-and-pepper hair entered their room.
“Terazuma-san. Thank you for this room. It is too kind of you to give us such a lovely room and good food too,” Kakashi said, bowing his respect to the forty-something man.
Terazuma nodded, smiling at him and then the youths behind Kakashi. “I see that you are in dire need of both food and comfort, and so I see it fit for you and your helpers to have this.”
“Naruto,” Sasuke whispered, slapping Naruto’s thighs beneath the table, “stop eating so much. You look like a starving convict.”
“Hmmh? Hmm *munch* grhhmm *munch munch* hrgg ghhm *chomp chomp* nggh.” The last noodle slipped inside past his lips. Naruto sighed, contented. Then he gave out a loud burp.
Sakura couldn’t resist the notion, and so she hit Naruto on the head. Naruto’s face fell into the fortunately empty ramen bowl. Bickering ensued. Kakashi hung his head in shame.
“I apologize, Terazuma-san,” he said over and over again, to which Terazuma gracefully waved away. “Shall we sit down?”
After they all were properly seated – and the bickering had ceased – Terazuma took out a small lacquer box from beneath the table. “This is what you all came for,” he said with a dramatic flair as he opened the cover. Inside lay a wrinkled, blackened root… or something. They all stared at it as if it would leap up and run away. It didn’t.
Naruto was the first to break the prolonged silence. “We came for that piece of dry plant? What a joke.”
Terazuma smiled at Naruto, and Sasuke thought, I can’t stand it. How many times he smiles a day? And doesn’t it get boring?
“Naruto! Be respectable,” Sakura hissed at him. Naruto stuck out his tongue at her.
“It does look undesirable, yes, but Naruto-kun, it’s a very rare herb. It grows only here on the volcanic soils of Shibata, and it only blooms for one day in fifty years. When it blooms, it’s the only proper time to take its roots.”
Naruto wasn’t impressed. “It still looks like cow dung to me.”
If Terazuma was losing his patience he could hide it very well. “It’s a very delicate herb! Very hard to cultivate, very hard to come by, and takes fifty years to grow and bloom! And in one day it blooms and then the next day, it will die! You see how impressive this herb is?”
A strained silence followed. Naruto scrutinized the root under the light and looked up at Terazuma with a straight face. “Ah, I think you have an old man's spot under your left eye, the one like our Hokage has -”
For the first time in 8 years Terazuma-san lost his patience.
“You couldn’t have administered a more just punishment on Naruto. I apologize deeply on his behalf. Yes, Terazuma-san, we will take good care of it.”
Kakashi was about to close the door when suddenly Terazuma’s hand held the screen door open. “Kakashi-san…”
“Yes?”
Terazuma looked down, and slowly he searched Kakashi’s face. “I – need to ask you something.”
Kakashi’s uncovered eye was open wide. “I’m listening. Or do you prefer to come inside again and talk about it?”
“No – not in front of those kids. No – definitely not.”
“Then we shall discuss it on the doorway. What is it?”
Terazuma still looked uncertain. Then he took a deep breath and stared into Kakashi’s eye. “Have you ever heard of the Murashi Incident?”
“Eh?”
“That old man shouldn’t have done it,” Naruto complained the next morning as he rubbed his tender ass. “How dare he spanked me?! I’m not a baby anymore! Ouch…”
“Served you right,” Sakura said sleepily from behind the sheets. It was morning, but the temperature was cool, as if the sun hadn’t yet risen. Outside, though, the signs of life were present. A cockerel crowed and somewhere someone was chopping firewood just outside the window.
Sasuke looked as if he had had a bath, and Naruto decided he should get some, too. “Oi, Sasuke, is there a public bath in this inn?”
“Where do you think I had my bath, in the toilet bowl?”
“I was asking! For goodness’ sake…” Mumbling to himself, Naruto walked out and brought along a towel. He followed the signs, (to his delight the inn had hot springs! Or so the signs said) wondered briefly whether he should transform into a girl and go inside a women’s only bath, thought better of it, and stepped inside the men’s only bath.
Inside there were three figures. The steam made it hard to recognize, but later as he settled down, Naruto realized his sensei was one of them. “You’re up early, Naruto. Your ass still hurts?”
“Very funny, sensei. I should’ve used my devastating technique and left him breathless.” Naruto dunked his head and came up for air after some time. “Sensei, are we going back today? Can’t we have a small tour, a little look-about? You know, like a small vacation.”
One of the bathers cut in. “You should go to the dormant volcano. It’s not far from here, just a few hours’ walk.” Another suggested that they should go to a small temple at in the Abemori. Soon the four spoke at length almost every historical and titillating spots around the village, and Naruto listened with great delights to it all.
“Ah, I heard that Murashimori is a nice spot for hot springs!” Kakashi mentioned conversationally. “I remember I came there maybe ten years ago… it was a great spot if I remember it correctly. There were trees all around, like a big umbrella, covering the springs. And the temperature! It’s nice and warm and – ah? You’re leaving already?”
The two bathers rose and said the proper goodbyes and promptly left. Naruto watched this rather rushed exit with wonder. “Ah… Kakashi-sensei? Why did they leave? Sensei? Hello, sensei…”
But Kakashi wasn’t paying attention to him. There was this strange look on his face. He seemed to be deep in thought as he rose and left the bath. Naruto was left alone. Just as then Kakashi called from outside:
“Come, Naruto! We’ll have a small tour around Shibata.”
Naruto immediately forgot about the strange look and leapt out of the bath, screaming with joy. But then he stopped and peeked outside. "Kakashi-sensei, do you think we can have breakfast first?"
Unwillingly Kakashi nodded.
TBC...
“I can’t believe this! Kakashi-sensei is actually taking us on a holiday trip!”
Sakura danced as she said these words. She was feeling happy. Why not? Sasuke was near, the day was clear and the sky was blue, and there were birds singing in the trees, and –
“Yeah! Isn’t it cool?!”
- and hyperactive number one was along. “I thought you weren’t interested, Naruto?”
“Oh! Why did you think I wasn’t interested!? Mountain air, the trees, the –”
“- the fact that we’re actually going to get some very rare herb for the Hokage interests you, Naruto?” Sasuke snickered as he walked forward.
“SHUT UP, SASUKE!” Naruto made a move toward Sasuke who was prepared to bounce back at him.
“Guys,” Kakashi said from behind them, “if we want to arrive at the village before sundown, we better stop talking and really start walking. Okay? Okay. And, Sakura?”
“Yes, sensei?”
“This is not a holiday trip. What got that idea into your head?”
A little blank look appeared on Sakura’s face. “Huh?”
“I said this is not a holiday trip.”
“But – I heard you said that the other day to Iruka-sensei that you were going to take a leave to the Amakura hot springs!” Oh no! And I won’t be able to show off my new – wait a minute… I smell something fishy. She turned to Naruto with murderous eyes. “You set me up, didn’t you, Naruto?” she asked with a sickly sweet voice that Naruto knew something dangerous was about to happen.
“Huh? Set you up for what?” Naruto immediately walked away from Sakura but she quickly caught his orange sweater tail. “Hey! Let me go, Sakura!”
“Admit it! You set me up! You used Kage Bunshin no Jutsu to create a clone and Henge no Jutsu to transform into Kakashi-sensei while you transformed into Iruka-sensei!”
“I am not that shallow, Sakura! Let me go!”
“Please, guys,” Sasuke stared on at them disinterestedly. I can’t believe they’re my teammates. How I managed to tolerate them I never know.
“Sakura! Naruto! Stop it!” Kakashi stepped forward.
“But he tricked me, sensei!” Sakura turned to him with the most innocuous expression she could muster while her hands were wrapped around Naruto’s wrists. “He tricked me! That was just mean!”
“I was talking to Iruka-sensei about the holiday we are planning to have next year in Amakura. The village we’re going to is Imakura.” Kakashi eyed her with that one eye he always had uncovered, and as usual the eye revealed little expression. “How did you manage to eavesdrop on us? And why did you do it?”
For the first time Sakura seemed uncertain. “I – uh… well…”
“Well? WELL!?” Naruto asked angrily, pulling her hands away from his wrists. “I didn’t do it, Kakashi-sensei, honest. I came along because I want to get away. It’s rather boring with nothing to do in the village, and Konohamura always somehow manages to stalk me. It’s irritating.”
Now Sakura was confused. “Then I –”
“Yes, Sakura-chan. You misheard. Now, can we get on going? I want to get to Imakura Village before sundown and I need a good bath. But there is a good hot springs there… or so it used to be… I think I’ve been there ten years ago… I’m confused myself… hmm…”
His students were looking at him with tons of doubts jumping off their faces. Kakashi nodded to himself, ignoring them completely. “Well, let’s get on. Terazuma-san is waiting for us.”
Imakura Village is rather a small village with population no less than a thousand. It lies amongst Shibata, the dormant volcanic mountain ranges. Although sparsely populated, the village enjoys rather good trade with neighboring villages. Imakura Village is famous for its fur imports and fine weapon smithy. Though there are of course better smithy villages around the continent, Imakura is a good choice for those seeking balance between weapon practicality and value for money.
So it was no surprise to see the village still active after night had fallen. Group number Seven was already inside one of the inns (after Sakura pulled them away from the red-light district) and presently a stately man with salt-and-pepper hair entered their room.
“Terazuma-san. Thank you for this room. It is too kind of you to give us such a lovely room and good food too,” Kakashi said, bowing his respect to the forty-something man.
Terazuma nodded, smiling at him and then the youths behind Kakashi. “I see that you are in dire need of both food and comfort, and so I see it fit for you and your helpers to have this.”
“Naruto,” Sasuke whispered, slapping Naruto’s thighs beneath the table, “stop eating so much. You look like a starving convict.”
“Hmmh? Hmm *munch* grhhmm *munch munch* hrgg ghhm *chomp chomp* nggh.” The last noodle slipped inside past his lips. Naruto sighed, contented. Then he gave out a loud burp.
Sakura couldn’t resist the notion, and so she hit Naruto on the head. Naruto’s face fell into the fortunately empty ramen bowl. Bickering ensued. Kakashi hung his head in shame.
“I apologize, Terazuma-san,” he said over and over again, to which Terazuma gracefully waved away. “Shall we sit down?”
After they all were properly seated – and the bickering had ceased – Terazuma took out a small lacquer box from beneath the table. “This is what you all came for,” he said with a dramatic flair as he opened the cover. Inside lay a wrinkled, blackened root… or something. They all stared at it as if it would leap up and run away. It didn’t.
Naruto was the first to break the prolonged silence. “We came for that piece of dry plant? What a joke.”
Terazuma smiled at Naruto, and Sasuke thought, I can’t stand it. How many times he smiles a day? And doesn’t it get boring?
“Naruto! Be respectable,” Sakura hissed at him. Naruto stuck out his tongue at her.
“It does look undesirable, yes, but Naruto-kun, it’s a very rare herb. It grows only here on the volcanic soils of Shibata, and it only blooms for one day in fifty years. When it blooms, it’s the only proper time to take its roots.”
Naruto wasn’t impressed. “It still looks like cow dung to me.”
If Terazuma was losing his patience he could hide it very well. “It’s a very delicate herb! Very hard to cultivate, very hard to come by, and takes fifty years to grow and bloom! And in one day it blooms and then the next day, it will die! You see how impressive this herb is?”
A strained silence followed. Naruto scrutinized the root under the light and looked up at Terazuma with a straight face. “Ah, I think you have an old man's spot under your left eye, the one like our Hokage has -”
For the first time in 8 years Terazuma-san lost his patience.
“You couldn’t have administered a more just punishment on Naruto. I apologize deeply on his behalf. Yes, Terazuma-san, we will take good care of it.”
Kakashi was about to close the door when suddenly Terazuma’s hand held the screen door open. “Kakashi-san…”
“Yes?”
Terazuma looked down, and slowly he searched Kakashi’s face. “I – need to ask you something.”
Kakashi’s uncovered eye was open wide. “I’m listening. Or do you prefer to come inside again and talk about it?”
“No – not in front of those kids. No – definitely not.”
“Then we shall discuss it on the doorway. What is it?”
Terazuma still looked uncertain. Then he took a deep breath and stared into Kakashi’s eye. “Have you ever heard of the Murashi Incident?”
“Eh?”
“That old man shouldn’t have done it,” Naruto complained the next morning as he rubbed his tender ass. “How dare he spanked me?! I’m not a baby anymore! Ouch…”
“Served you right,” Sakura said sleepily from behind the sheets. It was morning, but the temperature was cool, as if the sun hadn’t yet risen. Outside, though, the signs of life were present. A cockerel crowed and somewhere someone was chopping firewood just outside the window.
Sasuke looked as if he had had a bath, and Naruto decided he should get some, too. “Oi, Sasuke, is there a public bath in this inn?”
“Where do you think I had my bath, in the toilet bowl?”
“I was asking! For goodness’ sake…” Mumbling to himself, Naruto walked out and brought along a towel. He followed the signs, (to his delight the inn had hot springs! Or so the signs said) wondered briefly whether he should transform into a girl and go inside a women’s only bath, thought better of it, and stepped inside the men’s only bath.
Inside there were three figures. The steam made it hard to recognize, but later as he settled down, Naruto realized his sensei was one of them. “You’re up early, Naruto. Your ass still hurts?”
“Very funny, sensei. I should’ve used my devastating technique and left him breathless.” Naruto dunked his head and came up for air after some time. “Sensei, are we going back today? Can’t we have a small tour, a little look-about? You know, like a small vacation.”
One of the bathers cut in. “You should go to the dormant volcano. It’s not far from here, just a few hours’ walk.” Another suggested that they should go to a small temple at in the Abemori. Soon the four spoke at length almost every historical and titillating spots around the village, and Naruto listened with great delights to it all.
“Ah, I heard that Murashimori is a nice spot for hot springs!” Kakashi mentioned conversationally. “I remember I came there maybe ten years ago… it was a great spot if I remember it correctly. There were trees all around, like a big umbrella, covering the springs. And the temperature! It’s nice and warm and – ah? You’re leaving already?”
The two bathers rose and said the proper goodbyes and promptly left. Naruto watched this rather rushed exit with wonder. “Ah… Kakashi-sensei? Why did they leave? Sensei? Hello, sensei…”
But Kakashi wasn’t paying attention to him. There was this strange look on his face. He seemed to be deep in thought as he rose and left the bath. Naruto was left alone. Just as then Kakashi called from outside:
“Come, Naruto! We’ll have a small tour around Shibata.”
Naruto immediately forgot about the strange look and leapt out of the bath, screaming with joy. But then he stopped and peeked outside. "Kakashi-sensei, do you think we can have breakfast first?"
Unwillingly Kakashi nodded.
TBC...