The Fox's Son

Chapter 9 - The Realm of the Shikon

When Naruto fazed back into existence, he slowly opened his eyes and found himself beneath a tree with a clear sky above him. He assumed that it was morning, hearing the singing birds and feeling the misty air, indicating that it was at least two hours after dawn. He took a deep inhale before exhaling. He could smell the demons both dead and alive.

"So this is the realm of the Shikon?" Naruto said as his eyes landed on the sight of the ancient Goshimboku tree.

'The tree where Kikyo sealed Inuyasha......' Naruto thought as he inspected the tree. 'Befitting, I suppose....' he thought as he continued to look around the forest. A small distance from himself, he could see the well Kagome came out of.

He let out a soft 'hn' before looking at the jewel shard that was in his hand. The shard began to slowly disappear out of his hand and into the storage seal he had written on his hand during his time in Konoha. The then looked over himself to find that he was still in his black kimono. Not wanting to bring too much attention to himself, the red head decided to change his clothing.

With a snap of his fingers, his body was encased with fire. When the fire died down, was wearing new attire. He was dressed in a white kendo gi, dark gray hakama pants, a dark gray haori jacket, white tabi socks, and a pair of geta. On his waist, were two katana and he had a bow staff in his hand. His long red hair was spiky at the top with chest length bangs framing the side of his face. He still wore his black facial mask on his face, hiding his whisker marks. On his head, was a large conical straw hat that shaded his face.

Satisfied with how he looked, Naruto began to walk. "Now if my memory serves me correctly, the visions say that the village is that way." he said with a mild shrug as he made his way through the forest in the direction of the village.

As he approached the village, he saw the wet fields and crops that formed along the hills and slopes. Something he found interesting. He continued to look around, seeing the wooden houses and lush green fields. It was exactly like the jewel had showed him in his vision. He noted that the wet fields reminded him of the land of rice patties.

When his eyes landed on a hut that was centered in the middle of the village, he concluded that that must have been where the old priestess, Kaede, resided. With a shrug of his shoulders, he began to make his way toward the hut. As he walked through the village, the villagers gave him glances of both curiosity and trepidation, as he passed by them. As to the reason why, Naruto didn't know, so he just ignored it.

As he approached the hut, he saw Kaede and several village men begin to gather in front of his destination. He saw the apprehension and their eyes and the stiffening of their bodies as if they were about to fight. This caused the red head to mentally sigh. He couldn't blame them though. He would be on the defense if he encountered a stranger in his home as well.

"Well now. Isn't this the welcoming party?" he asked with a lazy drawl as he advanced toward them and stopped when he was a couple of yards from them.

The miko, Kaede, stepped forward to speak. "What do ye seek here?" she asked as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I guess you could say, I'm looking for information." Naruto said, cutting straight to the chase.

"We are a simple village." Kaede started. "We have no information for samurai."

"Ohhh, but you do." Naruto stated. "You have information regarding a certain Hanyou, Hoshui, Tajiya, and an untrained Miko."

Naruto saw Kaede's eyes widen. With speed no one her age should possess, her bow was in her hands and she was already pulling back an arrow. She released the string, sending the projectile through the air, heading straight for Naruto's neck.

The arrow whizzed by as Naruto performed a simple side step. "Now was that really necessary?" he chided with amusement. What? He needed some form of entertain to deal with all the things he was going through. Don't judge him.

Kaede narrowed her eyes at the stranger. "What do you want with them? Shouldn't you be fighting in some war?" she said.

"No...not really." Naruto simply replied. This didn't help his situation at all.

"I will not allow you to harm them, assassin!" Kaede said with forceful determination as the men beside her got into defensive positions. Naruto had to admit that even in her old age, the woman was indeed someone not to be trifled with.

Nevertheless, Naruto decided to see how this situation would play out. "Now, now. If they sent me here to deal with a hanyou with a powerful sword, an experienced demon slayer, a monk with a black void in his hand, and a Miko with untrained spiritual powers, then I doubt few villagers and an old woman can handle me." he taunted as he craned his head to side to avoid another arrow. It honestly surprised him that his hat wasn't pinned to a wall yet.

"Young man....." Kaede said as she knocked another arrow. "You do not wish to threaten me." she continued as she aimed her bow. "That is a very foolish and fatal thing to do. I may not be as powerful as my sister once was, but I am indeed more than a match for a common samurai."

Naruto smirked under his hat. He really liked this woman. She reminded him of Tsunade a little as far as attitude goes. "Who's to say I am common?" he asked.

Kaede let her arrow fly. The arrow whizzed through air, aiming toward his chest. Before the arrow could hit him, Naruto disappeared in a burst of speed, causing Kaede's eyes to widen. Before she or any of the villagers could react, she felt the cold blade of a sword on her neck. She could tell it was a reverse blade, feeling that the blunted side of the blade was grazing her neck.

"Now, are you ready to start sharing?" the stranger said from behind her.

In one hand, he held the sword at her neck while his staff was in the other hand. He had it resting over his shoulder and his face was still shaded by his large hat. Under his hat, Naruto was smiling, even as he felt the village men, all moving and pointing their spears at his neck and chest. Kaede gulped and a bead of sweat trailed down her cheek.

"Well, Baba. Where are they?" he said, getting a little impatient at her silence.

The woman refused to speak and stayed quiet. Naruto couldn't help but admire her dedication to the group. Loyalty was a hard trait to find these days.

"They left the village....." a villager spoke to the right of him.

"Masanori!" Kaede yelled to the man in warning with an edge to her voice.

Said man bowed lowly to the older miko. "Forgive me, Lady Kaede, but you are like a grandmother to me. I cannot allow you to die if I should have a way to prevent it."

Naruto eyed to man lazily, yet still critical. "Well?" he said, expecting a specific location of direction.

"They headed eastward." he man answered with guilt written all over his face.

"Thank you." Naruto said before disappearing in swirl of leaves.

The group looked at the place were the stranger stood, startled. They could not believe their eyes. He just vanish with only a trace of leaves. Kaede looked eastward with a worried expression on her face. She hoped that they would stay safe. She turned to look at the spot where the stranger stood before she turned to the villagers. They could all see her worry as she gazed upon them. With a frustrated sigh, she retired into her hut and prayed that the Inu team would be okay.