Gentle Caress

The Treasure of the Kaguya

The birds chirped as they hopped from branch to branch. Snow was slowly dripping off leaves, as the morning sun melted it back into water. Neji cupped his hands together, collecting some from a somewhat thick stream. He brought it up to his lips, shivering at the mouth-numbing sensation. "I'm glad winter's over." The group agreed, taking turns drinking from the trickle.

"I forgot how nice Kiri looks without all the snow." Sai splashed a bit on his face, his cheeks turning pink under a thin layer of grime. "Snow doesn't get in your shoes as sand does."

"But sand won't kill you." Gaara reasoned, his bear nodding as he swayed.

"Unless you're the one controlling it." Sasuke tapped the gourd now tied to the redhead's back. He had found the gourd a few towns ago, presenting it to the younger boy. Gaara's sand could be heard gently sloshing around inside.

"I guess you're right. Sand is very dangerous. And it hurts when it gets in your eyes." He thought back to his last fight with Naruto. He had overpowered the blonde and was going in for the 'kill' when the blonde threw a fistful of his own sand in his eyes. The gang was infamous for their practice matches, they were free-for-all and there weren't any real rules to them besides not actually killing each other. Sakura scolded the boy while Sasuke and Neji rolled over in laughter, it was Haku who had guided him to the river to watch the sand out of his eyes. "I will admit. It was a good play."

"I've had to use that a few times before in a real fight. It only works when you're going against one person. Cause if it's a group that ganged up on you, they only get angrier and become more aggressive." Naruto pointed out as he fixed the scroll tied to his back. Out of the seven scrolls, he was currently holding onto the Hyuga scroll. It was filled with secret techniques from the esteemed clan, as well as explanations for Neji's current lack of a seal and Hinata's new eyes.

Sai tapped his chin. "Some fights aren't always fair. It's a good way of getting out of one. Especially if you didn't want the fight to begin with."

"But it's not a very nice thing to do. You know?" Sakura tied her hair back with a scrap of fabric.

Haku laughed, "Sakura. I like you but let me tell you something. We're orphans, in a shinobi world. Nice isn't going to get you very far here."

Hinata agreed. She was looking down at her reflection in the lake. It was the first time she ever actually got to see her own eyes. Her byakugan still had pulsing veins around her temples, but her irises had changed. They were no longer a pale silver, but rather a light shade of lilac. They were very pretty. And that was the best kind of kunoichi. Pretty but deadly. "The world isn't kind to us. It's been unkind longer to Naruto. So why should we be kind?"

"I could never have said that better myself." Neji looked down at his cousin, reaching his hand out for her to take. She takes it and pulls herself back to her feet. "So? Are we ready?"

The group didn't answer but they didn't need words to know that they were. The upcoming village was holding a festival. And festivals mean many things. Careless people dropping food, toys, and money is one of those things. And who knows? They might find something that'll turn their luck around. One can only wish.

Sakura dove under a table, clutching a stick of fried squid in her small hands. This one was her fourth. It seemed like she had found a good stop. People don't often pick up their food once it falls on the floor, so it was free picking from there. She sat and looked at her treasures if one could call them that. She had four sticks of fried squids, one of which was missing a bit from it, a bag of candy, and a ball that a child had thrown on the floor, declaring he didn't want it anymore. And was it stealing if the person no longer wanted it? She pressed her fist to her lips to keep in a giggle as she remembered his reaction to the missing ball. He threw a tantrum right there in the square. It's funny how quickly people change their minds about things. He only wanted the ball back after realizing that someone else wanted it too.