Unbreakable (Book 1) #Wattys2015

Influence- Erika, Katsu

"Freeze," Erika said, slowing Tamiko's rapid movement of the Red Dear. The thing's methodical lope halted and finally silenced.

They were in a forest, snow beginning to peak the tallest of the trees, for winter had come. Stars lined the sky, the only sense of illumination in the dark place as its light reflected off of the snow-caked ground.

"What is it?" Hibiki asked groggily, having been asleep.

"I heard something," Erika answered, peering through the dark trees.

"We're in a forest,"  Hibiki said. "What do you expect?"

"Shut up, Hibiki," she hissed, hopping down from the puppet's hold. "It's not an animal."

"How do you know that?" Tamiko asked, also returning to the ground.

"Don't you feel that chakra too? It's practically humming."  They were silent for a full three seconds, the forest almost holding its breath.

And then a reckless battle cry filled the air before a dozen figures dressed in orange leapt from behind trees, running at them full speed. The figures were all identical, possessing messy, blonde hair and electric blue eyes. One of them was forming a ball of blue energy in another one's hand. As the one with the ball impulsively struck at her with it, Erika hastily caught his forearm before the energy could make contact with her skin.

"STOP!" she shouted, shoving his arm back at him.

The fire in the boy's eyes dimmed, his shadow clones popping out of existence. "Hang on," he finally said, looking at the three of them. "You're just children."

"Really?!" Hibiki asked, angrily throwing his hands up in the air. "Even I'm  not that reckless!"

"Hi, Naruto," Tamiko said quietly, seemingly unphased by their near-death experience with the impulsive boy.

Naruto squinted his eyes and rubbed his chin suspiciously. "Have we met before?"

Hibiki slapped his forehead with his palm.

Erika took a deep breath to maintain her patience. She did not want to lose her temper. Nothing good would come of it. "Yes. Well, not directly," she answered. "We are the children Katsu Inazuna rescued from one of Sasuke Uchiha's prisons. Katsu and Kakashi were forced to leave you in order to escape and fulfill their duty."

"Oh, yeah. I remember you!" Naruto said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "But what are ya doin' sneaking around a dark forest in the middle of the night? Do you know where Kakashi and Katsu are?" He looked around hopefully.

"We are as lost as you when it comes to them," Erika said grimly. "They were taken by Sasuke about a month ago."

"What?! NO!" Naruto shouted. "Oh, come on! But they got away!"

"He found us again."

"How did you three escape?" he asked, eyeing them curiously.

"We can ask you the same question," Hibiki replied.

Naruto ran a hand through his hair. "Well I suppose my massive amount of chakra and even greater mastery of chakra control do speak for themselves."

"Somebody helped you escape, didn't they?" Erika asked.

Naruto coughed, putting his hands on his hips. "Maybe."

"Who?" Tamiko asked, quiet as ever.

"I don't know," he replied, shaking his head once, a concentrated look on his face. "I didn't see their face."