Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Mission! A Trip to Imakura Village! ❯ Abandoned! The Secret of Murashimori! ( Chapter 2 )

"Itadakimasu!!"

They all began to eat in silence, a rare moment because usually Naruto and Sasuke would try to beat each other while eating. Maybe they're still sleepy, Kakashi thought as he ate his portion. Or maybe it's because we're eating in this eat-out, hai-hai...

"Kakashi-sensei, are we going right back to Konoha Village?" Sakura asked.

"Ah… I thought that over bath just now. Maybe we'll have until noon before we should be ready to go back. So I plan to take you guys for a walk around Imakura."

"Really? That's wonderful! Isn't Sasuke?" Sakura turned to Sasuke who was eating silently.

"Hn." He picked another fish and ate it in silence.

I never know if he's agreeing or disagreeing with me. Sakura stared at him, and then at Naruto who tried his best not to make disgusting sounds as he always did while eating. And it's always Naruto who listens instead. She gave a theatrical sigh of despair.

Naruto felt that the table was rather quiet - according to his standards. He turned to Kakashi who did not quite touch his food. Seeing him unoccupied, he decided to ask. "We will go to the hot springs, won't we, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said in a loud voice.

Someone exclaimed loudly as a bowl crashed onto the ground. They looked up from their food and saw the serving lady picking up the broken pieces. After glancing at them for a moment she hurried inside. Angry voices rose from behind the curtained doorway.

"Why is everyone around here always nervous?" Naruto asked no one in particular.

"Naruto, finish your meal." Kakashi placed his chopsticks on the table.

"But - Kakashi-sensei -"

Kakashi turned to Naruto. "Finish your meal. Now."

"Eh!?" That look on the sensei's eye was enough. Naruto wisely shut his mouth and did as he was bid. Sasuke stared briefly at Kakashi, then without a word also finished his meal.

Meanwhile Sakura was doing an observation on her own. Though she appeared to be enjoying her meal slowly, in truth she was taking in what had happened just now.

The woman dropped the bowl as soon as the words hot springs escaped from Naruto's worthless mouth. What is wrong with the hot springs, she thought as she stood up and left with the rest. And why are the people around us looking at us that way?

As if we are intruders?


"That was uncomfortable," Sakura said, relating her thoughts to an inexpressive Sasuke. They had walked for half an hour now, and the Shibata mountain ranges now loomed before them. "Do you think the hot springs around this region are dangerous?"

"Why do you say that?" asked a smiling Naruto. "Maybe there are too many beautiful ladies taking their bath there, and they don't want outsiders to see the ladies na-" Naruto stopped himself, sensing Sakura's eyes trained on his back. "Nothing! To see the ladies nothing!"

"Don't you ever try to take things seriously, Naruto?" she asked him while keeping an eye on Sasuke who walked in front of her. "Sasuke? What is it?"

"Kakashi-sensei," he said simply. "He's gone."

The three looked around them. True enough, their eccentric, slightly off-beat sensei had disappeared. "Now what is he thinking? Leaving us alone here in the middle of nowhere in a strange country?" Sakura began. "I can't stand this any longer! I will report about this to Hokage-sama when we get back! Leaving his charges alone without any warning!"

"Sakura, I don't think sensei wants to leave us," Naruto slowly reasoned. "Maybe he needs to pee or something. You wouldn't want to see that now, would you?"

"I don't care! At least he should've told us or something -"

"Quiet, you two," Sasuke said suddenly. "Someone's coming."

The country road they had traveled on was covered with tall trees , and the road had high banks and thick undergrowth on both sides. There was no immediate hiding spot in sight, so quickly they formed a circle facing outward. Kunai was quickly produced, and they stood still.

Their eyes, however, did not. They scoped and scanned everywhere.

"Is that person near, Sasuke?" Naruto whispered restlessly twirling his kunai in one hand.

"Very near," he replied under his breath. His head cocked to a direction and his hand flew out, throwing the kunai before he could say "There!"

Something hard fell forward and out of the undergrowth. It tumbled onto the road and the three looked hard at it.

It was the serving lady from the restaurant. "I - I don't mean any harm -" was all she managed as she lay there helpless. They all snapped out of the trance and Sakura quickly moved to the woman's side.

"Sasuke!" Naruto took the chance to bash him thoroughly. "How could you! That was just the kind lady! You almost got her killed and create a civil war!"

"She's all right, Sasuke," Sakura called out. "She's just shaken."

"Uh… but - but you almost killed that lady! You should be more careful throwing that kunai of yours!"

Sasuke threw a cold glance at Naruto. "Can't you shut up?"

Naruto gnashed his teeth together. "You won't admit it still, do you? It's a terrible mistake, Sasuke! What if she died from your kunai? Huh?!"

"I'm fine, young sirs," said the lady who slowly pushed herself off the ground and walked, with Sakura's help, toward them. "I'm sorry I had to follow you around like that. I wasn't sure whether you were really going to the hot springs. But it seems you all are."

"What? What about that hot springs?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, miss, what about the springs?" Sakura echoed him. "It seems like everyone is afraid to talk about it."

She gave them a sad smile and released a deep sigh. "As strangers, it's perfectly forgivable that none of you know about the history of Murashimori. Well, Murashimori is the name of the hot springs, and also the forest around it. People used to go there a long time ago for the obvious reasons. But the springs were also known for its medicinal purposes. Stories of illnesses cured in the hot springs were aplenty, and this was why Murashimori was known once as the Goddess' Fountain.

"The name, however, faded after several strange incidents a few years ago. People who went there reported of strange sightings and later on, unexplained deaths began to crop up."

"What strange sightings?" Naruto asked. "What kind of strange sightings?"

The lady turned to him and smiled. "You're an eager boy. But I will tell everything in good time. The sightings were strange to say the least, and disturbing. Because there were always a big group of people going to the springs, the sightings couldn't be denied, as there were a lot of people seeing the same thing at the same time."

"What did they see, miss?" asked Sakura. "Something terrible?"

Sasuke's eyes widened when he heard her snicker. "It's worse than that. It's a spider-lady."

There was an uncomfortable silence that passed over them for a few seconds. Then Naruto skeptically broke the silence. "Hah… there're no such things." Then, uncertainly: "Are there?"

"Of course there are, stupid," Sakura scolded him. "So… that's why the villagers don't like to talk about it. It's terrible and they don't want the outsiders to know about it."

The lady nodded. Her young face suddenly looked very old, as if she was in deep pain. "I - I have told you the forbidden secret of this village," she said in a pained voice. "I - I hope nobody knows about this, and please, for your safety, leave! Don't go there!"

"But -" Sakura began.

"Please! I don't want horrible things to befall on you! You sweet little things… don't go there, I plead to all you!"

Naruto watched as the lady grabbed hold of Sakura's shoulders. Sakura, in turn, turned to Sasuke, and then Naruto. "I think this is dangerous, too," Sakura said in a strained voice. "We should leave this place immediately."

"Oi, aren't you forgetting something?" Naruto asked loudly, typical of his style. "Sensei is lost. We can't go back without him!"

The lady's eyes widened in surprise. "What? He is gone? Where?"

Sakura shook her head. "We don't know, miss! He was there for a moment, and then he was gone the next. We thought he might be pulling our legs, but now I'm not sure…"

"Oh, no," she said, pushing herself away from Sakura," Oh, no! I have to tell the village head! Somebody! Maybe she's got Kakashi-sensei! I have to hurry! Come, children! Follow me back to the village!"

"Ah, I don't think so," Sasuke said suddenly. The coldness in his voice crept a few degrees down.

"What?" Sakura asked. "What do you mean by that? We should get help!"

"I think Naruto knows why," he said, giving Naruto a lopsided, small smile.

Naruto's eyes widened, both in confusion and surprise. Then, slowly he understood. "Ah! Ah-HA! Since Kakashi-sensei is used to us helping him out, why not today?" He laughed arrogantly, and continued: "Sorry, miss! We have to search for our sensei. Besides, we're Genins! And great ones at that! And me, Uzumaki Naruto, will become the -"

Sakura moved fast enough to cover his mouth. "Yes, Naruto, we know that, and we will look for sensei. I think I agree with them, miss," she said, now to the woman, "We have to look for our sensei. Though he is better than us, he might be overcome by this spider-lady."

"Besides," said Naruto after pulling Sakura's fingers off his mouth, "the road back to the village is safe, right? You followed us to here without any incident, so it's safe for you to go back alone and get some help. As if we needed some."

"Don't brag, you useless brat!" Sakura scolded him. "We need help, miss. Just be careful on your way back, okay?"

The woman turned away as she nodded determinedly. "I will." Then as if recalling something, she looked over her shoulder. "There is an old belief around here. It might be helpful to you."

"What is it?" asked Sakura.

"You see those flowers over there?" she said, pointing to a bunch of wildflowers, yellow in color. "It grows in threes. Take each of the flowers from each bush and put it on you - anywhere, as long as it doesn't fall off."

"Why do we want to wear flowers?" asked Naruto. "That's - that's sissy!"

"It is said that this flower will protect you from that monster." She turned away and began running back to the village. "Well, it's just a small belief, but I want to see you all come back alive! Be careful!"

They nodded at her and stood there as the woman disappeared at the bend. "Now what are we going to do?" Naruto asked. "We don't know where sensei went. All we know that he might be somewhere around this forest."

Sakura was looking at the wildflowers the woman had pointed to earlier. "All right guys, I think we all should take that lady's advice."

Naruto was the first to back away. "No. No-no-no-no-no!"

"Sakura, that's just a stupid belief. Don't tell me you believe that?" said Sasuke, skeptical and cold. "Leave it be."

"But -"

"Come on, Sakura. I'm not going if I'll have to put some flowers on me," Naruto said triumphantly, walking behind Sasuke who had retrieved his kunai from the tree up at the high roadside.

Sakura briefly debated in her head.


As the road got deeper into the forest, it became less and less clear. When the road came to an abrupt end they considered paving the undergrowth. To their surprise the rather dense undergrowth hid a cobbled path.

"Cobbled path," Naruto said, seeming to outwardly reflecting but actually knowing nothing about it.

"It means this was a commonly-used road once," said Sakura, staring at Naruto, knowing what he would say in retort.

"Ha! I know that, Sakura! I was just testing you!"

As expected. Case closed. She ignored him. "I think if we follow this path…" Sakura said, staring at Sasuke, waiting for him to finish her sentence. (Her sentence! One step closer to Sasuke-kun!)

"…we'd be able to get to the hot springs faster," Sasuke finished her sentence. "Start cutting."

"You're not going to boss me around -" Naruto began, but Sakura slapped his head.

"Shut up and work, you bragger!"

Naruto used his clone skill to triple the speed while Sakura did her best single-handedly using a slender dagger. Sasuke sought for more hidden paths, but there was only this one, and he stayed ahead to seek out dangers. A few minutes later Naruto and Sakura saw Sasuke's hand move up in a sign: stay low and silent.

Both did so, and moved toward him as silent as their skills would allow. "Eh, Sasuke, what can you see?" Naruto whispered.

A long while later, when Naruto's patience almost snapped, Sasuke replied in a low, strained voice, "Nothing."

"Ah? Nothing? Then why are you so serious!? If there's nothing, then we have nothing to worry about!"

Sakura pulled him down just as Naruto was about to stand up. "Don't! Don't you remember what sensei always says? Always read underneath the underneath!"

"I hate that phrase," Naruto said. "What about it?"

"Sasuke means that he cannot see anything. Not even a squirrel or a bird. Now, listen around you. Can you hear anything?" Sakura pointed to the forest roof. It loomed above them like some dark entity.

Naruto's ears perked, moved and he tried not to breathe for a few minutes. There was complete silence around them. It felt like a vacuum sucking in everything that made a sound. "Ah! You're right! It's creepy, Sakura! Not even a cricket!"

Sakura sighed in defeat. "Naruto, crickets come out at night! What kind of a fool are you!?"

"Quiet, you guys," Sasuke whispered harshly. "I see something."

Sakura moved behind Sasuke. Naruto, who didn't want to be left behind, crawled beneath the undergrowth, and looked upward. Sasuke was sitting on a bough of a low tree, his hand covering his eyes.

"What is it?" Sakura whispered.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "What is it?" she asked again.

Suddenly Sasuke jumped off the bough and rolled away on the ground, pulling the other two along with him toward the base of a very big tree that had very large roots, enough for two grownups to hide in. He gathered the two close and peeked.

"What's the idea?" Naruto asked, irritated.

Sakura was about to protest, too, when she saw what made Sasuke run. "Hell… it can't be…" she managed to whisper out. Immediately her spine felt weak.

Naruto looked to where Sakura's eyes were locked. His eyes widened, too, as wide as Sakura's.

There, less than fifty feet away from them, hobbled an ugly, huge monster of a spider, its hide hardened by time and moss had grown over it. Its knobby legs creaked as it moved slowly, almost selectively, amongst the trees. Its incisors, each as big as a spearhead, clicked together now and then. They made a sound like rusted nails. It had moved almost leisurely just now, but somehow, the eyes turned in their sockets, and suddenly it changed its direction.

Toward them.

Naruto tried very hard not to scream. Sakura was already feeling faint, the smell coming from the monstrous spider nauseating and choking her scream. She could only open and close her mouth uselessly. Sasuke's eyes were narrow and his mind was quickly trying to figure a way out.

The only problem was that monstrous spider's speed increased each second as it moved. Time had just become crucial.


TBC


Author's Note: I can't find a Japanese name for this spider monster. If I remember correctly there is a Japanese name for it. Can anyone tell me? Otherwise I'll just have to call it the spider-lady... ai-hai...