A Different Kind Of Journey (Hiatus)

The Forest Part 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

Author's Note: Hey readers! I'm back with a new chapter! I hope you guys enjoy!

Beta Reader: AnimeFanGirl2223

Arc 1: The Forest Part 2

By the time noon had arrived, the dark clouds that had caused the earlier showers were finally gone, and the sun had reached its peak. Citizens everywhere could go outside and do as they pleased without the unfortunate interference of rain.

Along the vast countryside of forests and fields, there was a long, lonely stretch of road. On that road was a transportation wagon heading to its destination. The wagon was small and only needed one simple brown horse to pull it.

Two people sat at the very front of the wagon. The first was a man in his fifties with grey hair, glasses, a large beard and dark eyes. He wore a sleeveless V-neck shirt with an obi, pants and a pair of sandals. He also had a towel hung around his neck and had a pointed hat on his head. The second was a boy in his early teens. The younger had spiky black hair and dark eyes; he donned a similar attire to that of his grandfather.

The two travelers were on a journey to a familiar village, their haul holding loads of wood and building equipment. They knew the road well and were only fearful of bandits or other random acts of violence.

"Grampa Tazuna, do you think we're almost there?" Inari asked. He was obviously excited to see his friends from Konoha again.

Tazuna sighed and kept his eyes forward on the road they were heading down. "Don't get too excited Inari, but yes, we are almost there."

They could just barely see the large and famous Hokage mountain coming into view, but they still had to make it all the way through the forest ahead of them before they reached Konoha.

"Hmm, looks like we are going have to light up the candles when we enter the forest," Tazuna commented, catching the boys attention.

"What do you mean; will it get really dark or something? Inari asked. Even though his grandfather had been to Konohagakure before, this was his first time traveling so far from home and he wasn't sure what to expect.

Tazuna let out a small chuckle. "Well, the last time I went into that forest, the place was kind of eerily quiet and dark so we may have to be alert for any monsters in there." He jokingly said, attempting to scare the boy.

Inari, however, looked unamused. It had already been a long trip… and had been made that much longer from his grandfathers corny jokes; he was almost getting tired of them at that point. "Come on grandpa, monsters don't actually exist! Those are just fairy tales that parents tell their children to get them to behave. Besides, if we are close to Konoha that means there are ninja around who can help us!"

Tazuna let out another chuckle, realizing his once young grandson was growing up. "Oh, alright. I was just joking. Though, we might actually get to see a variety of animals here; forests are the easiest way to go to a zoo without paying."

Inari just rolled his eyes. Sure, his grandfather was a respected master bridge builder and was a genius when it came to architectural knowledge, but he really needed to revise his dad jokes. The teen kept quiet, knowing that as the apprentice and younger of the two, he had to maintain at least some respect; the man was his grandfather after all.