章 48: THE SCATTERED GARBAGE.
Naruto's body moved on its own, as if he was trapped in a dream from which he was just beginning to wake up. The darkness around him was slowly dissipating, revealing the dim lights of the night streets.
The cold that penetrated through the window confirmed that it was late in the morning, a familiar hour for him, who used to wander alone at night.
The energy was beginning to return to his body, but his mind still remained in a trance-like state, unable to fully process what he was experiencing. The memories of the dream clung to his mind, as if they refused to go away.
The Kyuubi, always restless within him, reacted with agitation to the presence that had infiltrated his mental landscape. A man, taller than Kakashi-sensei, was present in his mind, lost in a trance that left him devoid of judgment. The answers he offered to Naruto's questions were vague, or he simply didn't answer at all.
Naruto was engrossed in the presence of this stranger, trying to remember if he had ever seen him before. Despite his countless missions and encounters with different people, he could not recognize the man who now occupied his thoughts.
He could only vaguely remember his stature, his tanned skin, and a long cloak wrapping around him, almost as long as the King of Trozani's robes.
Shaking his head to clear away the last mists of sleep, Naruto realized that he wasn't in his bed, but sitting on the hard floor of his room.
Her blankets lay scattered around her, and her pillow was half slumped between the bed and the floor. It was evident that something more than a mere disturbance had brought him out of his sleep.
The pain in his abdomen, similar to the one he felt after intense physical exercise, reminded him of the presence of the Kyuubi. But this time, the beast seemed disturbed, reacting unusually to the experience Naruto had just lived.
What had caused his seal to burn with such intensity? The question echoed in his mind as he tried to find answers in the darkness of his room.
The moonlight streamed in through the window of her room in only a few small rays, as thin and almost invisible as a curtain of fine ceda; Thin and transparent.
The Apparition of that strange man was not the only intrigue that the blond had in his hands. While the stranger was in a place that no one besides Sasuke was supposed to be able to enter, Naruto was drilling into another target who was even more lucid than the man described above.
El kid. He remembered the appearance of that child more than that of the man absorbed in the darkness. When he saw the boy, his entire surroundings had suddenly changed, and even Kyuubi himself had vanished from his sight.
His mental landscape was no longer a cell with ankle-deep water; But a vast whitish galaxy, in which he himself lay standing, in front of a child who was even more surprised than Naruto himself.
For no apparent reason, he thought it might be a hidden presence; That the man from before was linked to that brat... but I didn't even know what to think anymore.
The boy, about Konohamaru's age, was finished, his clothes torn and grayish, like his battered hair and traces of confrontation on his face.
But beyond that, there was that. One more presence, as white as the panorama in which it was before at that time, but intermingling with what could and could not be seen.
He had grabbed the brat by the chin, forcing him to look him in the eye... the Brat could only give Naruto an extremely alarmed look, completely indescribable for the largest blonde.
His brow had furrowed, and his teeth had clenched tightly as a pout formed on his trembling lips; A painting full of sadness had been painted, the moment he saw Naruto.
How was it possible? Why had this happened to him, of all things?
He massaged his shoulders, waiting for some divine illumination that might clarify things for him. He couldn't remember the last time he had fallen out of bed because of a nightmare. This had been a particular occasion, which shared no resemblance compared to the other experiences.
"Now is not the time to question everything you told us."
Naruto He remembered Kakashi-sensei's words, when they all left Trozani together through one of the King's underground passages.
The copying Ninja had heard Naruto's uneasiness while the entire team was running, and wanted to make up for lost time and bring them up to speed on events as soon as possible.
"Whether the future exists, or not... we have to believe him, for it was this parchment that called for destruction and threatens the Village; We cannot just leave it at that. We have to believe him."
"What the hell is happening to me?" He said to himself. Naruto stumbled to the side as he was getting up. He massaged his head with one of his hands, with a frown on his face. "Future? Parchment...?, It's ridiculous... That dream cannot be due to that."
He gained nothing by denying it, other than the peace of mind of not having to face the scenario of a portal that would take him to a different time.
The mere mention of the subject provoked in his body the same reaction as when the Ghosts were mentioned: Naruto simply did not want to know about either of them, whether they were real or not.
I wish I knew the answer. Deep down, I wanted to know the truth; I wanted to find out why I was so afraid.
His hands were sweating, and he swore that he felt that all the blood that his veins carried to all his other limbs cooled down as the minutes passed. He felt uneasy, as if he had forgotten something extremely important in Trozani.
Since he left that citadel of strangers, he did not feel comfortable; Konoha no longer felt the same.
He had discovered that when he got home. He knew, for the sky did not look as calm as it used to be.
There was a strange feeling when she looked at it before going to bed. A feeling that shouted things at him that never became words. I was sure it was a feeling of inconclusiveness, but it was impossible... he was sure that he had left nothing halfway in Trozani.
So why couldn't he even sleep peacefully anymore? Not even her bed felt the same.
He moved as best he could on his feet, muttering things to himself, as he watched his things on the ground. Naruto stood in front of his bed, and looked out the window. The blow, the lucid dream and the memories of Trozani, had taken away his sleep.
He wasn't sure what he was looking for out there that would serve as entertainment (or boredom) and make him sleep, but he simply wanted to keep his mind occupied with something. Konoha was asleep in the moonlight... or so he expected when, with his hand, he vaguely pushed aside the thin curtains that decorated his poor window.
The village was immersed in a scandal that was not usually heard at this time. The lights of nearby homes and buildings were felt on, while loud murmurs echoed through the streets surrounding the area where the blond Ninja resided. Naruto slightly furrowed his eyebrows at this oddity.
The loudest scandal he has heard at this time on other occasions, had been due to robberies in the area, or simply some fights between drunks. They never went beyond the level of having to call a crowd of civilians to ramble; Not when they could do it the next morning, in the safety of sunlight.
The Uzumaki boy didn't think about it anymore. He lived alone, so there would be no one to reproach him for his night outings for the investigation. He finished opening the window completely, and with a jump, he was squatting with his feet on the wall of the window.
He had a full view of his own balcony, before pushing himself and jumping on it, not bothering to touch the floor of it.
Naruto felt how the Ramen he had had for dinner, rose inside his stomach while gravity took effect, and unexpectedly, he realized how cold it was when the outside was immersed in an almost icy breeze, and without traces of wanting to rain or snow.
The chill lasted until his feet touched the ground, and he began his walk without a specific destination. Curiosity gnawed at him, and that inner experience which had interrupted his sleep was the chief unfortunate thing in fostering it.
Similar to the days when there would be fireworks, people peeked out of their windows and balconies. Most of them were not even inside their houses, and they saw the sky in individual groups, commenting on things that he did not manage to assimilate in time.
"Is he gone...? The moon is gone?!" Naruto heard a civilian say.
With his hands stuffed into the pockets of his home pants, Naruto not only internally regretted not going out with something a little warmer, but he paid much more attention to what civilians were commenting on.
They were too busy hurting their necks when they looked up, that none of them turned to give him any of the characteristic glances they used to give him.
"No, you idiot. It's there! Look!" Another man spat in the group. Some people stood dangerously on their balconies, and even shared comments with the residents of the lower floors. "T-The moon can't disappear, it doesn't make sense! N-It won't happen... Not that!"
The man's voice faded with a few rings of nervousness. Their attempts to appease the unknowns of others fell into confused collective despair.
"And what was that a while ago? They were not fireworks." A woman, in her fifties, joined from one of the balconies closest to the first floor of a small apartment complex. She sounded more confident than the man just now. "I saw it clearly, the moon lit up beautifully... And it happened! He blew all the clouds with a single blast of who knows what!"
A nervous gasp was perceived in the small group of people. The nervous man became defensive, and the rest of the people stopped paying attention to the sky to exchange resigned glances with each other, or simply sigh from exhaustion in preparation for what was coming.
"W-W-What do you say, Mom?! Go to sleep now! I-I'm sure you're already saying strange things again!"
"Haah?! How do you say?!" The woman spat, raising a fist in the air. "Then come and come up to shut my mouth, you cowardly idiot!"
His screams caused a wave of tired sighs in tune, and at the same time, all the people looked wearily at the man who shuddered silently.
The woman let out a despotic hoarseness, and turned to enter her apartment while sweeping the ground with her feet in order to minimize her son's attempts to respond to her.
"You'll be an idiot...! On the Next Moon I won't even let you know! I'll look for another child with whom I can tell him my crazy things, while you make a ball in your apartment!"
As Naruto left the group of people behind, he could hear the sound of the Man's wavering voice. Apparently, the son of the lady who was now ranting in the comfort of his apartment.
The man said from afar, things that coincided with what the woman had said, and to Naruto's surprise, none of the people who, accustomed to their fights, watched in silence the exchange of shouts, contradicted them.
A luminescent Moon that vanished all the clouds in the dark sky; That's what he heard.
"The Moon...?" The Uzumaki reflected, directing his blue eyes to the sky devoid of clouds or stars. The Adolescent walked and walked, without any fixed direction; On every street I entered, they were there: People grouped together, talking the same thing, not brave enough to get far enough away from their own homes. "What happened? What happened while I was sleeping?!"
His feet moved on their own. Naruto's eyes were wide open as his body moved by instinct. He had no idea exactly where he was going, but of one thing he was certain: There was no person who did not comment the same.
La Luna; A bright and white phenomenon.
La Luna; In its Half Form with a blinding Luminescence.
What were all those comments? What strange thing was it about the moon that made everyone leave their houses at this time of night?
It wouldn't be at all strange if he knew the reason, obviously. However, considering all the bizarre actions the world did against them over the past few weeks, he was worried that the reason for all this hubbub, was due to that.
The topic that Naruto had wanted to avoid since it was mentioned the first time.
But there was no escape, because not only did Konoha have in his hands the supposed weapon that was used to carry out the phenomenon of the Portals with dead people, but also the high command were taking into account that possibility, since Hokage herself did not hesitate twice to take it as a far from remote consideration.
And, above all, Iruka-sensei. His dear Professor was determined to lend a hand if that proved to be true; If the origin of the suffering of the corpses that he witnessed, ended up being the truth.
People of the Future, coming here... People of the future, escaping from their present.
"Naruto!"
A very familiar voice brought him out of his thoughts. His body, on its own, had carried him to the main streets of the village, through the popular agitation that now agglomerated the half-sleeping village.
He woke up to himself, and saw to his right, a familiar face, hurriedly descending the stairs that led to the front door of a house that only Naruto knew from outside.
"Sakura-chan..."
The blond Ninja waited a few seconds, until the Hairy One approached his front, his strangely alarmed countenance consuming her.
"Are you okay, Naruto?!"
"Huh...?! Ah... Yes." He answered, with evident hesitation.
His mind, which now recovered the tonality of colors, put him back together, and all the comments he had heard before reached him. Catching a closer eye at Sakura's face, Naruto could only paraphrase, with growing trepidation:
"Why...? What is happening?"
Sakura fell into instant muteness, as if she was studying the Uzumaki's eyes. Naruto didn't have time to question her again, when, with a troubling urgency, the Hairy One ranted at him in a failed scolding.
"What's wrong with you...? Were you fast asleep or what?! Just look at how everyone is doing!" He says, rhetorically.
Deep in his eyes, he really wanted Naruto to start looking at all the people, and find an answer for himself. As of course it would not be that simple, she threw herself to his aid, approaching as one more among the whispered people, and shared the information with the Blonde, visibly Anxious.
"The Moon was completely white, and it seemed to have burst into a bright light, The entire sky was cleansed by the brutality of the shockwave that occurred!"
"What do you say...?" Naruto muttered, incredulous. All of the above comments clicked in his head as he found sense of them. Moreover, a part of him felt incomplete because he had not noticed this phenomenon while he was sleeping. His heart was pumping faster. "Is that true?! How...?"
"Just... Look at them all!" Sakura exclaimed, spitting out a whisper, more like a hurried hiss.
Naruto followed his request, and spotted all the people trying to find some trace of the phenomenon that had supposedly swept the sky. Sakura looked at him, alarmed, as he returned his attention to her.
"It was too big... Is it...?" She whispered. She might be off duty, but Sakura was still a Shinobi. "I couldn't take the risk of nonchalantly commenting on confidential information." She swallowed. "S-Saturo-sama confirmed it, and although we haven't met any supposed survivors yet... could it be due to that?"
Still lacking words to complete the hint, Naruto understood the hint. He was an airhead, but neither was he an idiot who did not listen or remember the missions he attended; Not when the lives of innocent people were at stake.
They had heard from Saturo's lips the possibility that the open Portals were due to the presence of people from a Future unknown to the Present. Later, back in Konoha, Kakashi-sensei managed to clarify the true circumstances to everyone.
There would be no other reason why the portals have been opened. So said the King.
But why this? What did a Moon have to do with a Jutsu that supposedly could play with time?
I wanted it not to be a possibility; I just didn't want to accept it, I didn't want to face such an unreal phenomenon. Even for him it was unexpected to come across that thought in his head: 'I don't want to do it.'
Uzumaki Naruto? Refusing to face anything? That Naruto? The one who vows to become a Hokage and unite all nations? The same Naruto?
He felt a chill run down his spine. In his body he perceived the sensation of Repelús when he personified the blessed scenario.
It was more than a possibility. He had ceased to be so when Trozani's Ninjas were sucked into those same portals, right under his very nose, and he knew it. Even he wasn't sure why he kept refusing to acknowledge him, and that bothered him more than anyone.
"The Portals, Trozani, The Scroll, Old Hokage and That King... And now the Moon?" He said to himself. "Why is this happening to us? What's happening to the Village?!"
"You two."
Both; Naruto and Sakura turned around before realizing that in front of them, different Cunin had landed from the rooftops, and approaching the scattered groups of people, they raised their hands calmly to call for obedience.
Instead, the two old teammates from Team Seven spotted a single Ninja approaching, doing exactly the same routine that their teammates practiced with the rest of the civilians.
Naruto gave him a piercing look, with both eyebrows raised in the event of protesting. Sakura was the closest of the two to the appeased surprise.
"I must ask you to leave the streets as soon as possible, The Fifth ordered a curfew." The Ninja solemnly informed them. Both teenagers stifled a moan, and continued. "Please be obedient and stay in your homes until tomorrow. The Fifht doesn't want anyone out."
"Ah?!"
"A curfew?" Haruno asked, after his friend Uzumaki. "Something serious happened?!"
The blond remained waiting for some response from the Ninja in question. However, the Man remained static and mute, however, his lips pressed tightly, and his eyes did not have the initiative to look the apprentice of the fifth in the eyes.
"I'm sorry, I can't tell you why." He confesses. "The Hokage expressly requested that all Ninjas withdraw, and only those authorized to take up the task; You cannot leave until tomorrow, or be called directly by the fifth."
Almost at the same time, Naruto and Sakura stifled another groan. Again, the fifth Hokage was demanding privacy and discretion, and they both knew the reason; It couldn't mean anything else, not when even Akatsuki hasn't given them any news about illicit activity for days.
"What is Granny Tsunade trying to do...? By turning away in this way...!"
His arm was pulled firmly back, causing him to stumble momentarily. Sakura stood by his side, without the usual accusatory expression that demanded silence.
She was also uneasy; I was afraid. But like Naruto, she couldn't do anything to avoid being treated as a nuisance. The two had attended together with Kakashi-sensei and Sai Trozani; The Kakashi team was the most informed.
But they had already fulfilled their mission. The Hokage had to take over now. They helped more by remaining silent.
And Naruto was finally able to fully read Sakura's thoughts. And because of his growing anxiety and lack of answers, he wished he couldn't have been able to read it.
I didn't want to spend the whole night staring at the ceiling and waiting; Waiting as the hours go by, while the adults took care of something he already knew beforehand, and he wanted to solve it.
I didn't want to have to see the same expression of Iruka-sensei, in Sakura-chan, again.
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