After the Rain

Chapter 1: Freak Accident

Warning: This story is rated M for a reason, and will contain character deaths and violence. It's about a war after all.

After the Rain

Naruto never thought she would end up in the past. Not even the one who caused her to go back had anticipated she'd be dragged along for the ride. The Kyūbi had been trying to save himself - not her. She'd once said that the hero always arrive late, but this was quite the opposite. Naruto would be very, very early this time.

Part One

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Chapter One – Freak Accident

"When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew." - Sarutobi Hiruzen

No trees grew on this elevation of the mountain. It was above the tree line, which meant only grass, moss and a few hardy bushes thrived in those rougher parts of the landscape. Spaced evenly around the terrain were gigantic boulders protruding from the ground, convenient for concealing opportunities if the need arose, though Naruto did not bother with hiding herself. Instead, she sat visible out in the open on a rock, staring uncertainly over the edge of the mountain.

Naruto was a small girl with spiky blonde hair falling in a knotted mess to the middle of her back. Her blue eyes and whisker marks usually made her stand out from the crowd when travelling through villages, but it had been a while since she had been in one now. She hadn't seen a bed or mirror in months, and was clad in dirty clothes - random garments stolen from unsuspecting civilians hanging their wash out to dry. It had been a moral line the blonde had initially struggled to cross, until the need for survival had kicked in.

She guessed her current activity could be classified as spying, except Naruto didn't mind it if her target spotted her. They often said she lacked stealth, but even Naruto knew when to hide or not.

The man she was watching was walking along the stream without a care in the world. Where he was headed or where he came from was a mystery. Naruto was still shocked she had ran into him so randomly in the middle of nowhere.

Their current location was somewhat of a mystery to Naruto. The last couple of months had blurred, and for all she knew she could be in Otogakura as likely as Kirigakure. It was hard to tell in these mountains between two different nations.

Naruto wasn't a quitter though, and she knew where she wanted to go now. At the very least she'd try to find a way to get there.

But if she got there, it wouldn't surprise her if they kicked her out again - but what else could she do? Her legs were so short, her physical condition was pathetic, and she was finding it difficult to recognize anything in the past few months she had been wandering through the wild.

Had that much really changed?

Looking down at the man still unaware at the prying eyes evaluating him, Naruto decided that yes, a lot had indeed changed.

It had been pure coincidence she spotted him too. Naruto had been evaluating how dangerous it would be to take a swim in the stream, but had noticed the waterfall not far away. To make sure it wasn't dangerous she decided to walk over to the edge to look down the waterfall. At first the huge drop made her head spin, as it was much higher than Naruto had expected. But then she noticed that at the foot of the fall was a person. She had studied him for several seconds, fining the figure oddly familiar, and as the pieces clicked together she felt her mind explode.

Now, she sat on the stone in the middle of the stream. It was a larger boulder sticking up from the water only a couple steps away from the roaring waterfall, but Naruto no longer felt any nerves about the drop.