My Shining Star

Love and hate

Naruto was riding on his horse, Jiraiya. It was a long journey, the quest that he went on in a foreign land where a nation was controlled by puppets and the princess he saved her with the skin of his teeth. She invited him to stay, but he declined because he wanted to head back home to his family. He looked at the capital and noticed a dark ominous atmosphere. He didn't set foot in the city, which was white but felt dark; it was as if the city had turned gray. Why was this? He looked at the direction of a kingdom that he had only heard tales about from his mother-a once-thriving Kingdom where fey's once ruled-and he saw was a barren wasteland. The forest was dead, the trees burned due to the usurpers who killed the previous queen and the Royal family, mindlessly destroying the forest for its resources without respecting the sacred place.

He felt sad when he looked in that direction. He heard only stories of how beautiful it once was. He wondered what it would look like if it hadn't been destroyed by industry or by a tyrant king who wanted to pillage everything in order to enrich himself and his family.

That was the tragedy. Though he wouldn't be able to get to the destination tonight, he looked up at the sky and wondered where his shining star was. He had been searching for her for half a decade and still no success. What happened to Hinata? Naruto really wanted to know. He really wanted to know what happened to his shining star. He had been looking for leads for years and no success.

Naruto has simple clothing for a traveler. He had a red cape with orange stripes. His attire was orange and black. Some would call him an idiot for wearing such bright colors, but to him, it's what he likes to wear. Though these days he mostly wore black with only a bit of orange. His hair was ragged. In his human form, he had ears that made him appear to be human, though currently, he's in his true form of his race, the Kitsune. He had fox ears in his preferred form and a heightened sense of smell. His eyes were blue regardless if he's in his human form or his true form.

He didn't stop on the road for most of the day after he woke up. He ate a quick meal and got on his horse, Jiraiya, and continued to ride. The usually beautiful grasslands were nothing of the sort; it was almost as if the land itself felt what was happening in the castle town yesterday. He continued going, and when he went into the gates, the men looked relieved to see him.

"Oh, my God! Menma Namikaze has returned! Please protect us from the dark witch of the East." said a woman who begged him. She grabbed his hand.

"Our Lord. It was terrible, please save us." Said a man who was in his 40s and had white hair.

Naruto looked around, and it was chaos everywhere he saw. A fire had consumed the palace, glass was shattered, and everywhere he stepped, he had to be careful. People looked frightened; who could have done this? Naruto asked himself. He didn't like this at all-it would take him away from his quest. His latest clues about where Hinata was would dry up, and he couldn't afford to waste this opportunity. But could he really abandon these people in their time of need? Naruto, who often felt compelled to help those in need, decided to listen.

"Who could have possibly done this?" Naruto asked the people in the square, where all the shops were usually located but are now closed due to the happenings in the palace. Everywhere he looked, there were shuttered windows; he was able to feel in the air a deep malice that chilled him to his core. He had never felt such hatred; whoever did this has a deep darkness in their soul.

"The dark witch of the East came to the princess's palace. The king of Hyga is dead, and his closest ally is dead. She had brought his head to the court; at least, that's what the rumor says. I cannot confirm it at all, please. My Lord, save us from this witch," begged the woman who was terrified.

He had heard about the dark witch of the East on his travels; she was a powerful witch who conjured dark magic on her enemies. Naruto was reluctant to go to the land known as Hygan for that very reason, because it had nothing to do with his search for his Shining Star. As long as she didn't go after the people he cared about, it was not his problem. People would consider it selfish and blasphemy if he ever said that openly, but that's how he felt. He wasn't a hero because he wanted to be. His failure to protect Hinata 8 years ago and his failure to keep his promise was what motivated him to find her for all those years. Helping those in need was just an afterthought. If they knew that his intentions were never pure, they would look at him in disgust. He saw knights approaching him and knew he had to cut his inner thoughts short.