Through Dimensions...? (On Hold)

The girl in the crater, and a lesson on chopsticks...

***Chapter Three***

The girl in the crater, and a lesson on chopsticks...

~~~

“Idiot!” Izumo barked, bonking his bestfriend on the head. “You can’t sleep on guard duty!”

Kotetsu, a spiky-haired Chuunin, shrugged carelessly, smiling. “It’s not like Hokage-sama’s watching our every move, Izumo,” Kotetsu retorted back coolly.

“Oh yeah?!” He yelled back, an angry vein popping. “Have you forgotten he has that freaky crystal ball? Hm?”

“Besides,” Kotetsu continued, completely ignoring Izumo. “No-one’s come through the gates for days. Loosen up.”

“Hey!” Izumo roared. “Don’t ignore me!”

It seemed that the bandana-wearing shinobi was to get no answer – because Kotetsu had already fallen asleep, his bandaged face flat on the entry desk. Izumo’s eye twitched, his anger vein pulsing madly.

“That’s it!” He screamed, causing a large flock of birds to shriek and fly off. “I’ve had it, mister!” He yanked Kotetsu up by the ear, and, with a chakra-enhanced fling, threw him over the desk and onto the dirt ground.

Kotetsu ‘hmphed’ and rolled over, seemingly still asleep. Izumo sweatdropped.

“What the bloody hell –”

BOOM!

The loud boom echoed through the village, causing villagers to stop and listen in wide-eyed shock. Izumo stared through the gates into the distance, his jaw hitting the ground. Kotetsu was already up, a kunai clenched tightly in his fist.

“What in the name of Kami was that?!” Kotetsu exclaimed. Both Chuunin stared in wonder at the huge cloud of dust and debris, which was floating silently in the blue sky like a massive cloud.

“I’ve no idea,” Izumo admitted. “But it doesn’t look good. We should report to the Hokage…”

Said man suddenly appeared behind the duo in a puff of smoke, and clapped a hand on their shoulders, shocking the living daylights out of them.

“I heard a rather large boom, and it most definitely wasn’t Uzumaki Naruto,” Sarutobi Hiruzen stated rather calmly, sighing.

Kotetsu and Izumo spun round, their faces alight with shock.

“Ah – er, Hokage-sama!” They yelled in unison, bowing deeply.

The Hokage chuckled, and both Chuunin could see his eyes sparkling, even though he wore the traditional Kage hat, which shadowed his face. Izumo began to wonder how the old man wasn’t extremely hot, considering that they were in the Land of Fire, and that he was wearing his usual long, white robes.

“Izumo, Kotetsu, have you any idea what that earthquake was?” He inquired, staring at them hard.

Kotetsu shook his head. “No, Hokage-sama,” He sighed truthfully. “We just heard a bang, and all…that appeared.” He gestured to the mushroom-shaped dust cloud in the distance.

The Hokage nodded, and, suddenly, a group of masked shinobi appeared in a circle around the old man. “I want you all to figure out what created that explosion,” Hiruzen ordered, addressing the Anbu. He received a chorus of ‘yes, Hokage-sama’ and ‘yes sir’. The Hokage inclined his head at Kotetsu and Izumo. “And I want you two to gather as many shinobi as you can find, and calm the villagers.”

The Hokage raised his hand, and whipped it downwards. “Scatter!” He ordered, and they all left in a cloud of dust.

                                                        ***