Hidden Villages

I: Enter Naruto

The cold rain brought out the lush smells of the green forest surrounding the two travelers. The boy's bright blue eyes looked up at the gray clouded sky almost as if bemused by the onslaught of rain which poured down on their faces, plastering locks of hair against the back of the neck and the forehead.

The two lone figures stood under the tree, having become caught in the storm and having no other shelter than that of a rather large tree. Both leaned up against the tree allowing the park to scratch the fair skin of the child as he looked up at what was a normality in his life. A small hand reached up in an attempt to wipe his nose which resided just above a big grin.

The adult on the other hand simply stood looking off into the distance with his mouth pulled into a scowl. His arms crossed his hefty chest while patiently waiting for the storm to let off. Every so often the man glanced at his child companion in order to make sure said child wasn't up to some sort of mischief.

A laugh betrayed the fact his young companion decided suddenly to cause mischief and the man found himself looking towards the road where the blond haired boy splashed in a puddle of mud. "Naruto..."

"What is it pervy sage?"

"How many times have I asked you not to call me that?"

The boy paused long enough to look at the white-haired man who gave him a rather stern look. "Why not? You're a big perv and I'm a little perv, right?"

The man took a deep breath. "That's not really something you should admit, alright. Plus, what did I tell you about splashing in the mud puddles?"

"Not to." Naruto's smile widened as a finger wiped under his nose in an attempt to wipe the moistness away, but his attempt was hindered by the rain pouring down. The laugh which came from the boy's mouth matched the mirth reflected in his vivid blue eyes. "That was because I would get wet, but I'm already wet so it doesn't matter."

Jiraiya turned to look further up the road. His mouth twisted into a deep frown indicating he wasn't pleased with his young charge. The sage looked at the boy out of the corner of his eye and took in the way mud managed to soak into the boy's pant legs staining them all the way up to the knee. Of course, Naruto stood there not caring.

"Well, if there is no point in stopping because of the rain, then I guess we should continue heading onto Konohagakure." Jiraiya pushed himself away from the tree and started walking down the path letting his sandals leave a resounding clapping sound as he walked.

"What?" The child's legal guardian didn't need to look back to know Naruto now stood in the middle of the path with his shoulders slumped over and a petulant pout upon his small countenance. "You said we could take a break! What happened to taking a break?"

"I said we could stop and get out of the rain, but what are you doing? You're out in the rain playing, aren't you?"

Jiraiya turned in time to see Naruto sit down in the mud making it so even the seat of his pants would be stained with mud by the time they got to their destiny. The child stubbornly folded his arms across his small chest but let a sour look plaster across his face. "I'm not going."

"Well, I guess Naruto can take care of himself. He'll be able to find food easily without my help, but also a dry, warm bed." Jiraiya continued down the path fully determined not to put up with the child's stubborn streak.

After a few minutes a blur came hurtling out of nowhere and crashed into the man's back. His small hands clutched into the man's clothing. "Don't leave me."

Jiraiya let his eyes roll up into the back of his head in frustration. "We're almost there."

The two travelers soon themselves at the gate as the rain continued pouring down. While the rain did manage to wash away some of the mud, the child was still quite filthy and yet Jiraiya needed to present the child to the third and his wife.