Zero Shinobies ( Shinobi Hunter Naruto)

ch 20

(One day later)

It was an early morning over the Village Hidden in the Leaves and despite all that'd happened recently, things in the community seemed to be going on as normal. The adults were getting ready for work, children were getting ready to head to school, and even the animals were greeting the rising sun with verve and delight. Everything was so calm and serene that one could almost forget that an explosion equivalent to a nuclear warhead going off had decimated a good portion of the Uchiha Clan district not that long ago.

It'd taken an hour for all the explosive tags to finish combusting and about eight hours to put out the fires.

But now things seemed to have settled down after that. Following the destruction of the police station and the events that transpired during that period, the entire village seemed to pick itself back up from where it'd left off like nothing had ever happened.

This much was true in the case of the humble artist and painter who'd managed to find himself a comfortable spot in Konoha's market area. Having set up an easel and canvas, the fifty-year-old man was doing quite well for himself, sketching funny portraits of children for children, and painting visual memories of families for ten ryo apiece. Since he was in such a populated area of downtown Konoha, the gentleman was able to pick and choose where and when he wanted to work.

After all, being an artist who sold his craft for the delight of others was his passion. Even if it did mean he went hungry some days, he still loved what he did.

While he was in the process of preparing his gear for another eventful day- sharpening his pencils and organizing his paints- the grey haired man with the goatee was suddenly interrupted from his mantra by the arrival of a child. When he turned to see who'd come to stand by his seat, he balked a little when he saw the bandaged form of Naruto Uzumaki staring right back at him.

His hands and arms wrapped in cotton, and his face and neck also sporting First Aid patches for the burns and cuts he'd suffered, the youngster adorned in the white jacket, black T-shirt, and orange pants calmly faced the street vendor as if there was nothing unusual about his appearance.

The vendor on the other hand couldn't help but blink as he took in the child's rather beaten-up appearance. "Oh. Good morning, young man."

"Hey there, jiji," Naruto replied in his usual, straight-forward tone, before quietly glancing across at the man's canvases lined up on the floor beside him. Seeing the artist had quite a few landscape paintings of Konohagakure on display, including a very lifelike portrait of the Third Hokage and his wife, the blond couldn't help but nod his head in approval. "How're things? Business good?"

"Uhh... sure. Things have been going quite well," the old man replied, reaching up to stroke his chin as he watched the blond youngster admire the work he had on display by the road. "Are you... interested in a self-portrait? Something you can hang up on your wall? Or perhaps you would like to take a look at some of my other works from my folder?" He said this while gesturing to the portfolio sitting underneath his chair. "I've got a lot of other drawings and sketches I think you'll like."

"Perhaps some other time," Naruto replied, thumbing at the patch on his cheek before looking back at the artist seriously. "I was wondering... do you think you'll be able to draw another person for me? Someone who is... not here?"

"Another person?"

"Y-Yeah. See... I have this face burned into the back of my head and, since I don't have a photo or anything else of him to use, I was hoping someone would be able to draw him for me," the blond continued, at the same time slipping his hands into his pockets nervously. "If I described him well enough to you, would you be able to do a sketch of this person... with colour?" Since he couldn't find any information of the individual in question and that he was a terrible artist, this local street merchant was the only person he could think of that would be able to help him.

At least attempting to get some sort of reference image was a step in the right direction. Hopefully the universe would be kind enough to grant him this little wish.

Considering Naruto for a moment and the request he was making, the grey-haired old man in the painted frock smiled softly and gave the blond a nod. "Sure thing, sonny. I think I'll be able to come up with a suitable likeness... provided you can tell me as many details as you can." Quickly reaching into his pocket and drawing a lead pencil, he then pulled a drawing board into his lap and readied himself for his task. "Now... what does this person look like?"

A bright smile tugged at Naruto's lips. Relief flooding through him, the spiky haired youngster then moved around to stand at the man's shoulder. From there he then proceeded to describe to the elder the face of the subject in question...