The Willow Maiden [Naruto]

{14} Her Dark Secret

"Naruto! Sasuke! You're back!" Ruka runs over to both boys and hugs then. They just returned from their mission and Ruka is happy to see them. "I missed you!" 

"Look at that. She missed you." Tsunade smirks at the scene. "I had Ruka stay here for the day. I found her wandering in the forest singing a song. As beautiful as it was, I can't risk having her exposed." 

"Understandable." Kakashi nods his head. 

"Ruka, wanna get some ramen?" Naruto smiles at Ruka. 

"Maybe some tea?" Sasuke suggests with a tint of blush on his cheeks as he turns his head the other way. 

"Both!" Ruka smiles at the two boys. Since squad 7 had no more missions, they were free for the rest of the day. 

Kakashi had left and Naruto, Sasuke, Ruka and Sakura had went to a Tea Shop. Instead of ramen, Naruto got sushi, Sasuke got tea, Sakura got dumplings, and Ruka had all of the above. 

"How are you enjoying your stay in the leaf village, Ruka?" Naruto questions while he watches her eat. 

"It's a safe place here. A lot better than my birthplace. Today, while you were all out on a mission, I ran into a few other squads. Squad 8, squad 10, and Gai's squad. They all very nice. Especially Rock Lee. He told me to come to him if there was something wrong. He's really sweet." 

When Ruka said this, Sasuke and Naruto gave her a look as if they were telling her to stay away from him. But they didn't say anything. "Well, we're glad that you're enjoying the village." Sakura smiles. 

"Ne, do you want to go into the forest? I want to show you all something. It's going to be a lot of fun. I promise." Ruka suggests while tilting her head to the side as she smiles at the group. Being asked in a cute way, Naruto or Sasuke couldn't say no. 

"Okay." The two boys nod their head. 

"Great! Let's go!" Ruka giggles and skips out of the Tea Shop, and skips into the woods. The group follows her and Ruka stops in the middle of the forest. "Please, stand back." She tells the group, looking at them behind her shoulder. 

Ruka folds her hands together as she closes her eyes. The ground begins to shake, but not too much, and the branches, roots, and other greens from the forest began to move on their own. 

The roots rise up from the dirt and twist, and plants grew taller. Also, because of Ruka's woods style, she created targets with orange colors on them. The area they were in had completely changed. 

"Woah! This is so cool!" Naruto cheers, looking around the new part of the forest. "I had no idea you could do this, Ruka!" 

"Nice touch." Sasuke smirks with his eyes closed. 

"It's so beautiful." Sakura says in awe. 

"If you want, this can be our own little hideout so we can play together. Think of it as an appreciation for doing so much for me. I have you all thank for, for showing me your hospitality." The Maiden bows her head with a light smile. 

"Alright, let's take a look around!" Naruto gets started roaming the area of the forest that Ruka has created for them. Sasuke only walks around, taking in the sights of the place while Sakura joins Naruto in exploring. "This is so great! It's like a whole new world!"

"Naruto! Not so loud! Why do you have to be such an idiot!" Sakura shouts after him. While these two were exploring, Ruka sat in the grass with her feet in the small lake  in front of her while her eyes were closed and humming a tune. 

She watches her team browse around the place. "Hey, Naruto. Try not to fall to your death this time." Sasuke shouts to his teammate. 

"Oh, bite me, Sasuke! You just worry about yourself!" Naruto sticks his tongue out at Sasuke. While he was hopping around, he didn't see the tree branch in front of him. The back of Naruto's head hits the branch hard, which causes him to fall.