“Kakashi!”

“Ow…Iruka you didn’t have to hit me!”

“Yeah you need seven copies of my newest book!”

“See Jiraiya agrees with me.”

“That’s not the point.”

Snicker. “Poor Kakashi-sensei.”

“Six Hokages, FIVE BIG FAT KISSES! Four evil sound-nin, three old sannin, two bowl haircuts, and a shiny headband with the Konoha leaf.”

“On the eight day of Christmas my shinobi gave to me, eight old scrolls, seven orange books, six Hokages, FIVE BIG FAT KISSES! Four evil sound-nin, three old sannin, two bowl haircuts, and a shiny headband with the Konoha leaf.”

“On the ninth day of Christmas my shinobi gave to me. …. What did the shinobi give to me?”

“Nine tails of Kyuubi?”

“…. Naruto… why are you talking about a dead demon’s tail?”

“Cause I can’t think of anything else that’s nine?”

“How about nine new gennin?”

“Fine.”

“On the ninth day of Christmas my shinobi gave to me, nine new gennin, eight old scrolls, seven orange books, six Hokages, FIVE BIG FAT KISSES! Four evil sound-nin, three old sannin, two bowl haircuts, and a shiny headband with the Konoha leaf.”

“On the tenth day of Christmas my shinobi gave to me, ten sharp kunais, nine new gennin, eight old scrolls, seven orange books, six Hokages, FIVE BIG FAT KISSES! Four evil sound-nin, three old sannin, two bowl haircuts, and a shiny headband with the Konoha leaf.”

“On the eleventh day of Christmas my shinobi gave to me, eleven kage bunshins, ten sharp kunais, nine new gennin, eight old scrolls, seven orange books, six Hokages, FIVE BIG FAT KISSES! Four evil sound-nin, three old sannin, two bowl haircuts, and a shiny headband with the Konoha leaf.”

“On the twelfth day of Christmas my shinobi gave to me, twelve –“

“BOWLS OF RAMEN!”

“…. Naruto only you would want Ramen…”

“Of course Sasuke. Ramen is the best!”

Sigh. Shake head.

“Eleven Kage Bunshins, ten sharp kunais, nine new gennin, eight old scrolls, seven orange books, six Hokages, FIVE BIG FAT KISSES! Four evil sound-nin, three old sannin, two bowl haircuts, and a shiny headband with the Konoha leaf.”

“On the thirteenth day of Christmas my shinobi gave to me, thirteen challenges from Gai.”

“… Kakashi are you feeling alright?”

“Hah! So you accept my challenges!”

“That’s how many times he’s challenge me to something today.”

“Hey are you two still tied?”

“Kakashi! I challenged you to another round of tic-tac-toe!”

“….. Gai-sensei I don’t think this is the best time to be doing this.”

“This is really troublesome…”

“Oh be quiet Shikamaru!”

“Can we get back to the song?”

“Oh right.”

“Twelve bowls of ramen, eleven Kage Bunshins, ten sharp kunais, nine new gennin, eight old scrolls, seven orange books, six Hokages, FIVE BIG FAT KISSES! Four evil sound-nin, three old sannin, two bowl haircuts, and a shiny headband with the Konoha leaf!”

“On the fourteenth day of Christmas my shinobi gave to me, fourteen dogs of summoning! Wait… Kakashi-sensei do you have fourteen different dogs that you can summon?”

“That’s a good question. I never counted them.”

“Who cares? Let’s just keep going. Thirteen challenges from Gai, twelve bowls of ramen, eleven kage bunshins, ten sharp kunais, nine new gennin, eight old scrolls, seven orange books, six Hokages, FIVE BIG FAT KISSES! Four evil sound-nin, three old sannin, two bowl haircuts and a shiny headband with the Konoha leaf!”

“On the fifteenth day of Christmas my shinobi gave to me, fifteen new jutsus, fourteen dogs of summoning, thirteen challenges from Gai, twelve bowls of ramen, eleven kage bunshins, ten sharp kunais, nine new gennin, eight old scrolls, seven orange books, six Hokages, FIVE BIG FAT KISSES! Four evil sound-nin, three old sannin, two bowl haircuts, and a shiny headband with the Konoha leaf!”

“On the sixteenth day of Christmas my shinobi gave to me, sixteen evil bad guys!”

“We have sixteen evil bad guys?”

“Err… well there’s that snake, his six lackeys, and the Akatsuki so sixteen right?”

“Wow Naruto. That’s gotta be the most intelligent thing I heard you say all night.”

“Are you trying to pick a fight Kiba!”

Smirk. “Of course not.”

“You two. Behave!”

“Yes Iruka-sensei.”

“Fifteen new jutsus, fourteen dogs of summoning, thirteen challenges from Gai, twelve bowls of ramen, eleven kage bunshins, ten sharp kunais, nine new gennin, eight old scrolls, seven orange books, six Hokages, FIVE BIG FAT KISSES! Four evil sound-nin, three old sannin, two bowl haircuts, and a shiny headband with the Konoha leaf!”

“On the seventeenth day of Christmas my shinobi gave to me, seventeen new ideas.”

Silence

“What? I can’t think of anything else. Unless someone has a better idea.”

“Nope, no problem Hokage-sama.”

“Sixteen evil bad guys, fifteen new jutsus, fourteen dogs of summoning, thirteen challenges from Gai, twelve bowls of ramen, eleven kage bunshins, ten sharp kunais, nine new gennin, eight old scrolls, seven orange books, six Hokages, FIVE BIG FAT KISSES! Four evil sound-nin, three old sannin, two bowl haircuts, and a shiny headband with the Konoha leaf!”

“On the eighteenth day of Christmas my shinobi gave to me, eighteen bags of chips!”

“You seriously can’t be hungry again Chouji.”

“I’m a growing body! I need the food!”

“…”

“Seventeen new ideas, sixteen evil bad guys, fifteen new jutsus, fourteen dogs of summoning, thirteen challenges from Gai, twelve bowls of ramen, eleven kage bunshins, ten sharp kunais, nine new gennin, eight old scrolls, seven orange books, six Hokages, FIVE BIG FAT KISSES! Four evil sound-nin, three old sannin, two bowl haircuts, and a shiny headband with the Konoha leaf!”

“On the nineteenth day of Christmas my shinobi gave to me, nineteen bendy straws!”

“Bendy straws?”

“Lee what does bendy straws have to do with Christmas or anything at all?”

“Dunno. Would you like me to say nineteen shots of sake?”

“Oh no… you are not getting drunk again!”

“Sake!”

“We should go get some after this Tsunade.”

“Finally the best idea I’ve heard all night.”

“On the nineteenth day of Christmas my shinobi gave to me, nineteen shots of sake, eighteen bags of chips, seventeen new ideas, sixteen evil bad guys, fifteen new jutsus, fourteen dogs of summoning, thirteen challenges from Gai, twelve bowls of ramen, eleven kage bunshins, ten sharp kunais, nine new gennin, eight old scrolls, seven orange books, six Hokages, FIVE BIG FAT KISSES! Four evil sound-nin, three old sannin, two bowl haircuts, and a shiny headband with the Konoha leaf!”

“On the twentieth day of Christmas my shinobi gave to me, twenty ways to kill the person who suggested for us to do this!”

“…”

“Fine, I’ll change it.”

“On the twentieth day of Christmas my shinobi gave to me, twenty new friends, nineteen shots of sake, eighteen bags of chips, seventeen new ideas, sixteen evil bad guys, fifteen new jutsus, fourteen dogs of summoning, thirteen challenges from Gai, twelve bowls of ramen, eleven kage bunshins, ten sharp kunais, nine new gennin, eight old scrolls, seven orange books, six Hokages, FIVE BIG FAT KISSES! Four evil sound-nin, three old sannin, two bowl haircuts, and a shiny headband with the Konoha leaf!”

“You know this is song is really long. Is it supposed to be this long Jiraiya?”

“Yeah. It says the title of song is the 120 Days of Christmas!”

-Whack!-

“You idiot! There isn’t even a 120 days in Christmas!”

“It’s what the title of the song says!”

“I think someone wrote another zero in…”

“I think you’re right Neji.”

“… So we’ve been singing this in for nothing?”

“Not really Sakura. We’re just supposed to have stop at day twelve instead of singing to day twenty.”

Twitch.

“Hey now. Let’s not start fighting. It’s Christmas!”

“I think you shouldn’t have asked Jiraiya to pick the song, Iruka.”

“I think this was a bad idea from the start.”

Sweatdrop.

Yelling.

“Probably.”

“QUIET!”

Silence.

“Good. Now what’s done is done. Let’s start again from the top!”

“Do we have to?”

“Yes. Until everyone gets it right.”

“Aww!”

“On the first day of Christmas…”

---------------owari-----------

Mesa no own FMA

Seito: It’s strange… and odd by my standards… probably not my best work… Yes… But thanks for reading. XP

-----------------

Thankful
------------------

Edward was on a mission. He was determined to find out what everyone was thankful for. Why? He wasn’t sure. It might be the spirit of Thanksgiving, it might be some crazy authoress who had no idea what she was doing, or it might be that some sort of alien had possessed him. However as everyone began to gather in Hughes' house for a turkey dinner for Thanksgiving, he set out with a piece of paper and pencil and began to satisfy his curiosity.

Of course the first person he asked was his brother. Nothing less expected when Al replied, “For you and mother.”

Ed then moved onto First Lieutenant Hawkeye. Her response had been slightly surprising but not that much different then what an average person would say. “For life,” said Riza. Then she looked at her faithful pet standing next to her. “And for Black Hayate too.”

Ed next asked Havoc. His response a little selfish and expected but suited him oh so well. “Thankful? I guess tobacco and beautiful ladies,” he said as he lighted his next cigarette.

Armstrong’s response… was scary… Upon hearing Edward’s question, Armstrong’s jacket flew off and he began to flex his muscles, as pink sparkles seem to float in the air. “Why for my beautiful muscles of course!”

Fury had been the next one to be asked. “For my glasses because I wouldn’t be able to see without them,” he said with a light laughter.

Hughes response… well Ed wasn’t even sure why he had bother asking the older man, knowing already what the man was thankful for. “Why for my beautiful wife Gracia and my adorable daughter Elicia! In fact I just devolved the newest set of pictures. Here! Let me show you!” Ed ran away very fast so not to get caught up in that trap again.

Gracia smiled at her husband’s antics before saying, “Sorry about that Edward. And I’m thankful for Hughes and Elicia as well.” Next to her, Elicia nodded rapidly shouting in her tiny child voice, “For mommy and daddy!’

Edward then ran into Winry who response had well been predicted. “My wrench of course! And Edward you better not damage your automail again!”

Then from Falman he got the answer, “Books. Knowledge is important you know.”

Though out the rest of the night Ed got similar answers. The most general was the “For family and friends” where as the stranger ones were probably even more sincere. It was a wide range of different point of views, each answer unique and strange. Nevertheless before dinner was served, Ed had satisfied his curiosity. Still there was one little thing bothering him.

“Aren’t you going to ask me, Fullmetal?”

Ed turned around. Behind him stood Roy Mustang. In his head, his mind said, ‘No not really. You’ll probably say something like miniskirts or something like that.’ At the same time, Ed happen to know his commanding officer well and knew the Flame Alchemist would answer his question whether Edward asked or not. Probably to just annoy him.

“What are you thankful for, Colonel?” Ed asked, already expecting the answer he predicted.

Instead Roy bent down and kissed Ed on the forehead. “I’m thankful for you.”

--------------------------------

Owari
--------------------------------

Mesa no own FMA

Seito: Happy White Day! Hopefully all you girls got something nice from your boyfriends. So enjoy the story. –smile-

&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&

Just a Bit of Chocolate
&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&

Summary: Because on White Day, men give chocolate to their special person.

&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&

Al could not understand what was going on. White Day was tomorrow and they had brought all their chocolate for the girls that gave them chocolate on Valentine’s Day, but for some reason, Ed still insisted on going back to the hotel and making his own chocolate. He even asked the manager if he could use the kitchen!

Now, Al had faith in his brother’s cooking/baking skills, despite what he made it sound like. He knew that Ed wouldn’t burn down the kitchen. Al wasn’t completely sure what was going on, but as he watched his brother, the pieces of the puzzle slowly began to click together in his head. When someone actually takes the time to make their own chocolate to give someone, it usually meant that they liked the person in return.

Now the question… who was it for? Al tilted his head to the side wondering whom Ed was making chocolate for. It wasn’t Winry. Ed was the one who suggested getting her a wench instead of chocolate. Of course… Winry was also the only female around Ed’s age that they knew. Al really doubted it was one of the girls Ed and him met during their travels. But anyone else they knew was twice their ages and with the exceptions of the First Lieutenant, Riza Hawkeye, and the Major General, Rayna Mustang, everyone else was a guy. Also considering the fact that Riza and Rayna were together, there was only guys left.

‘Actually it would make a lot of sense if onii-san did like guys. It would explain why he never liked girls that much,’ thought Al.

But the question still remained who? It wasn’t anyone Al hadn’t met. Ed wasn’t that good at keeping secrets from him. So Al knew it wasn’t anyone he didn’t know. But the only people they knew in Central were the Colonel and his staff. Still… that didn’t make sense… unless… Al’s eyes widened and a grin broke out. Oh, now everything made perfect sense in the world!

&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&

A large wooden door opened to reveal to Riza the smiling face of her girlfriend.

“Hey Riza!” said Rayna cheerfully. She let Riza in. Rayna Mustang, or Ray as she preferred, was Roy’s twin sister and known as the Ice Alchemist. (Makes sense since her brother was the Flame Alchemist.) She was the female mirror version of Roy and stood slightly shorter then her brother. Normally, at work, Ray was know for as the Central’s Ice Queen and for her short temper; a nice cover for someone who wasn’t all that heartless, as Riza had discovered long ago in her girlfriend. So, literally, Rayna had two personalities: the cold major general at work and the friendly, playful sister around those who knew her well.

“Ray… Is there a reason why you called me over here?” asked Riza. She was slightly confused to why her girlfriend urgently called her.

“Oh, I just thought you would want to see the show.”

Riza blinked. “Show? What show?”

Rayna pointed to the kitchen. “Oh that show. Roy is attempting to make chocolate.”

Riza’s eyes widened. “And you let him!”

Riza and Rayna both knew that when it came to cooking, Roy could set cereal on fire (without alchemy, mind you) if he tried. That or freeze porridge. In short, Roy was not a good cook. Riza just couldn’t believe Rayna would actually allow Roy into the kitchen. She thought for sure her girlfriend would throttle Roy if he took a step into the kitchen to cook.

“Maa, maa. If he wants to make chocolate, I can’t really stop him. Not when I know who it’s for,” said Rayna, with a grin.

Riza blinked again, confused. “Who are they for?”

Rayna’s grin grew larger. “Take a guess.”

Now it was Riza’s turn to grin. “Oh, well then. I guess we’ll just have to let him make the chocolate.”

Then they both noticed the smoke coming from the kitchen. Looks like Roy burned his chocolate. Rayna shook her head. “Then again… maybe it was crazy of me to let him in the kitchen alone.”

&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&

Roy cursed to himself as he burnt another batch of chocolate. Who would have thought making chocolate was this hard! He turned his head as he heard the clicking of a camera shutter.

There, in the doorway, stood his sister and Riza. Rayna was snapping pictures away like a mad reporter as Riza could only shake her head. Roy twitched. Must Rayna take pictures of his failures! Did she have to invite Riza to watch him too? Argh! Curse this stupid chocolate! It’s going to drive him crazy!

But Roy wasn’t the type of person to give up nor was he the type of person to ask for help. So thus, he refused to ask his sister and her girlfriend for help in making his chocolate. He would finish making these chocolate by tomorrow morning!

‘Ack! The chocolate!’ The beeping of the smoke detector was accompanying Roy’s thoughts. That and, of course, Rayna and Riza’s soft chuckles.

&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&

Morning came all too soon. The sun’s warm rays were comforting and Central was bubbling with people. Male officers were busy delivering their chocolate to their female comrades. Overall, it was a joyous day.

Colonel Mustang’s staff was no different. Since most of his staff were made up of men, there was much more giving of chocolate this time of year. Riza of course, got most of the chocolate in thanks for the gift chocolate she gave them on Valentine’s Day.

“Here you go, Riza,” said Ed. He handed her a small box of chocolate that he bought from the store.

“Thank you, Edward,” said Riza with a smile. “Where’s Al?”

Ed fished through his bag, searching for something as he answered, “Dunno. He ditched for me some reason this morning. I have no idea where he went so I thought I would deliver all this chocolate before I go and look from him.” Then he finally found what he was looking for. “Ah, here.” He revealed another box that was similar to Riza’s. He handed it to Riza.

“Can you give this to Major General Mustang?” he asked.

Riza blinked. “Eh? You know who she is?”

Ed nodded. “Yeah, well, sort of. She kinda gave me chocolate on Valentine’s Day but before that I had no idea who she was.”

Havoc swung his arm around Ed’s neck. “Eh? Chocolate from the Major General, huh? She must like you, if you know what I mean,” he said, nudging Ed in the arm. They both didn’t notice Riza twitch.

“What about me?”

Havoc froze, stood up, saluted and stammered, “Major General!”

Rayna had a neutral expression her face as she appeared behind Riza. She took the box of store-bought chocolate from Ed. “Is this for me?” she asked in a monotone voice.

Ed nodded furiously. He didn’t admit it, but there was something about the Major General that unnerved him a bit. (Just a tiny, little, small piece of fragment, bit). “It’s thanks for the chocolate you gave me on Valentine’s Day.”

Rayna blinked; her tone of voice immediately lightening. “Eh? You didn’t have to. I thought it was only fair, that you got chocolate because you knew my brother.”

“Your… brother?”

Rayna nodded. “Yes, my baka nii-san.” Then she turned and handed Riza a bag of homemade chocolate. “Ah, here. I made some yesterday.”

Riza took the bag and then produce a box of her own homemade chocolate. “Good. Then you’ll take mine.”

Rayna scratched the back of her head (mind you, this is an odd sight to see at Central Headquarters). “Maa, maa. You didn’t have to, Riza-chan.”

That earned her a glare from Riza. “So you can and I can’t?”

Rayna held up her hands in defense. “No! It’s just… alright… you win.” She took a piece of chocolate from the box. There was no way she was going to win an argument like that against her girlfriend. As you can tell, both were oblivious to the people around them.

Ed on the other hand, had snuck away to find Roy. If he was lucky he could just slip into the Flame Alchemist’s office, leave his chocolate on Roy’s desk and be on his way. Luck was not on his side. Ed ran straight into Roy.

“Fullmetal. You really need to watch where you’re going or are you too small to see over the desks and such,” teased Roy in his ever so playful manner.

Ed frowned and opened his mouth to comment when Roy patted him on the head and began to walk away. “By the way, your brother is in the office somewhere. He was looking for Hughes. He said that he’ll meet up with you after you finish delivering your chocolate,” said Roy in his usual confident tone.

All words failed Ed. How was it that Roy always knew! It must be a plot, a conspiracy. There was no way Roy always knew the things that Ed wanted to know. Granted, it did save Ed the trouble of trying to find his brother, but how was it that arrogant older man always knew!

Those thoughts were quickly brushed aside as Ed became aware that something was on top of his head. He reached up to find a small box. Inside were some misshapen pieces of chocolate. Only one person could have put them on his head. Roy…

Ed took after the Flame Alchemist. “Roy!”

Roy turned around, mildly surprised that Ed was calling him by his first name. It didn’t take long for Ed to catch up with Roy, after all, they were only a few yards apart.

“Here.” Ed thrust his own box of candy into Roy’s hands. That surprised Roy even more as he opened the box. While he was doing that, Ed began to feel uncertain and a little bit nervous. (Of course we all know that Ed was showing that… not)

Roy popped a piece of the delicious sweet treat into his mouth. It literally melted in his mouth. Roy had no idea Ed was such a good chocolate maker. He should consider getting lessons from the smaller alchemist. That way, Rayna and Riza wouldn’t have the pleasure of watching him make his chocolate.

“So is it any good?” asked Ed hesitantly. Honestly, he hadn’t used the recipe in a long time and wasn’t sure if he still knew how to make it. Of coursed when it comes to Roy, for some reason Ed always became very unsure of his skills. (Unless it’s alchemy, of course)

&-&-&-&-&-&-&

The two were so caught up in their conversation that they didn’t notice Riza and Rayna spying from around the corner.

“First Lieutenant? What are you doing?” asked Al as he walked towards them. Riza just grabbed him and covered the general area where his mouth would normally be.

“Quiet Alphonse,” she instructed. Rayna, of course, was taking pictures like crazy.

“Oh. Is the thing that I think is happening, happening,” asked Al pulling out a camera. He looked around the corner to see his brother and Roy talking. Then he too, began to take pictures.

“Oh, how nice of you to join us, Alphonse,” said Rayna, still paying attention to Ed and her brother. “I’m Major General Rayna Mustang, if you must know. But introductions can be taken care of later.”

“Oh, I agree,” said Al.

Riza could only smile and continue to watch.

&-&-&-&-&-&

Roy contemplated on how to answer Ed’s question without angering Ed and still get him to agree to going out to dinner tonight. Well, the direct approach was the only path available and not to mention it was the only easy one too.

He kissed Ed.

Ed let out a tiny ‘eep’ of surprise, allowing Roy’s tongue to slip it. As the small battle of domination continued, Ed could taste the sweet chocolate from Roy’s mouth.

They only broke apart as they noticed the flashes of cameras coming from down the hall. Both of them looked to see three spies and two of them were holding a camera.

Rayna sweat dropped. “Oh dear. Looks like we got caught.” She grabbed Riza and ran away. Behind her was Al. They all knew they had to at least get out Roy’s Flame range. Then of course wait about a minute and then Roy will cool down. Another four minutes was required in order to make sure one doesn’t suffer from Ed’s wrath. Only then was one allowed to come back and continue taking pictures.

After they disappeared, Ed and Roy looked at each other. Figuring that everything went alright so far, Roy spoke, “So do you want to go for dinner?”

Ed’s eyebrow rose. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

Roy chuckled to himself and took Ed’s question as a yes. He merely pushed the smaller alchemist towards the front doors. “It’s White Day, Edward. So just allow me to treat you to something small.”

&-&-&-&-&- Owari &-&-&-&-&

I think that's all I'll post here for today. >>
yeah. *sigh*

Lazy Days go passing by
As I sleep under the sky
Soothing Songs
Tell me where I belong
Deep beneath the ocean’s eyes

Summer Warmth draws ever near
Please do have a cup of cheer
Under the sun is where I sing
Along with the bells that ring
No fears belong here

someone said they were gonna read. =.= meh oh well. >>

It was quiet for once. Seika looked around, beginning to become nervous. It was never good when it was quite. It was unsettling, really. The calm before the storm. She was expecting an attack, a prank.

'Get a grip Seika. No one is gonna attack you, prank you maybe, but attack no. And Naruto isn't too stupid to pull another prank so soon. Not after you yelled at him this morning when his prank ended up flooding the house.'

"Hi!"

Seika twirled around, whacking the person with a flying pan.
It was Ita.

"Ow..." Ita said slowly. Seika was moody sometimes. Then again it was never a good idea to sneak up on her. Seika hadn't fought in a battle in years, but that didn't make her skills any less rusty.

"Do NOT do that," Seika growled.

"Why so jumpy today?" Ita asked, nursing his new bump.

"Because it's quiet."

"And?"

"It means something is gonna happen."

"Right... Seika I think you're overreacting."

"I am not!"

Behind the door, Naruto snickered. Ita was right! Doing nothing caused Seika more stressed them him actually doing something. Naruto had to remember this for later. It was way too fun it bug his sister.

-------------

Without Life

-------------

Summary: 5 years ago Naruto disappeared without a trace. The effects of his disappearance were devastating. Now a person named Shin appears in the middle of the Chuunin Exams. With him, he brings Death herself...

Prologue: Without a Trace...

====

5 years ago...

Konoha was at war with Sound and Orochimaru. Soon, all the countries were dragged into this mess as well. War broke out everywhere. It was a bloody time for everyone. No one knew who to trust anymore. Blood spilled every day on the battlefield. Many tried to wash the blood off their hands, but the stench of death never left them. Enemies and friends were lost every single day, falling in battle. The death count rose and a few people began to fear.

Yet despite this, as strange as it seems, Konoha remained in somewhat peaceful times. People carried on with their business with little thought of the war. The only ones who thought of it were the shinobis. But even then an Uzumaki Naruto usually washed their fears away.

He didn’t know it and the people didn’t realize it, but Naruto had a positive effect on Konoha. He made things more... livelier, I guess. There was never a dull moment with his pranks and his determination to succeed was contagious to the newer genins and students. Even some of the adults, who used to scorn him, were affected by his bright attitude. He wormed his way into people’s heart with his unique style and personality. True he may act like an idiot at times but it was his own way of life.

Then tragedy struck...

It was a cold night when it happened, shortly after Sasuke left Naruto at his house. That night was the last time Sasuke saw his friend. The next day Naruto didn’t show up for training. Team 7 began to worry. Naruto never missed training. He would have made it there rain, snow, or shine, whether he was sick or not.

So after stopping at Iruka’s house to pick up Naruto’s spare key, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, and Iruka headed towards Naruto’s house, full of worry. They were surprised to find the house empty and everything seemed untouched. The 4 took to the streets in search of their blond friend. The next day Tsunade was informed. She had everyone who was available search for Naruto. After a week of searching and with no answer found, 3 possibilities came up.

1 was that Naruto was killed.

2 was that Naruto was kidnapped

3 was that Naruto betrayed the village

Sakura protested greatly as she heard that last theory and she wasn’t the only one. Everyone who knew Naruto knew that he would not abandon the town he grew up in just like that. (Jiraiya, Kakashi, Iruka, and Tsunade all thought it would have sounded more reasonable a few years ago before they met him.) Besides, there was nothing missing in Naruto’s apartment that would have suggested that he did leave. All his clothes were in placed in the closets and dresser drawers. Not a single scroll, kunai and shuriken was missing. The cupboards were well stocked in food. The only things that seemed to be missing were whatever Naruto was wearing and had with him that day. Other then that, the house was untouched, as if Naruto was going home that day. Plus no ninja, who thinks ahead, would run away without rations and weapons if given the chance to pack before escaping.

The second and first theories were then looked upon. They actually made more sense then the third, although no one wanted to believe the first two. Those theories however accused Sasuke of these crimes. But the landlady saw Naruto enter his house that night and watched Sasuke leave but the next morning she didn’t see nor hear the boy leave. That proved three things. One, Naruto was attacked sometime between the time he arrived home and the next morning. Two, Sasuke was innocent. Three, whoever attacked Naruto was most likely in the house when Naruto got home.

But from there it made little sense. There was no forced entry into the house and when the house was checked over, every door and window was locked. Because of what was sealed in Naruto (Kyuubi) there were various seals around the apartment that prevented ninjas from teleporting in or anything else. So how did the attacker did in? The house was neat and untouched. There were no signs of a fight. Of course they all knew that Naruto would have fought back if he was attacked. But there was always the possibility that he was knocked out just as he got in.

The only clues they had to this mystery were a piece of orange cloth from Naruto’s jacket and a kunai. There was a black sticky substance on the kunai. It wasn’t blood, tar, ink, or any other substance they could think of. The substance closely reminded them of blood, just the wrong color and gave off a smell like rotting bodies. No one knew where it had come from.

======

Finally everyone accepted the fact that Naruto was gone. While the people who didn’t know the blond boy of energy, thought good riddance to that demon, those who knew Naruto took the fact hard. Sasuke took it the hardest.

Iruka always seemed depress. His classes were no longer filled with smiles. He trudged through out the day with a sad smile or frown. Sakura grew quiet. She missed arguing with her friend. Yes, Naruto was her friend even through all she did was hit him and ignore him. Hinata stopped smiling for long period of times, always going off alone to train. That alone damped everyone’s mood around her. Neji felt an unspeakable anger. Naruto wasn’t supposed to leave or disappear. Why would he disappear? Lee felt his determination waver many times and felt confused most of the time. He didn’t understand any better then anyone else. Kakashi seemed the same on the outside but his students and Iruka knew better. Kakashi was blaming himself again for the supposed death/disappearance of one of his friends and students. Tsunade practically cried herself to sleep every night at the fact that she lost someone close to her again. When she wasn’t doing that she was a daze trance until someone talked to her. Jiraiya disappeared again, wanting to isolate himself, but some suspected he went off to look for Naruto himself. Many thought that he didn't take the death of his student too well. Shikamaru actually spent more days lost in thought then sleeping or cloud watching. Chouji didn’t eat as much for days. He didn’t look any kinds of noodle type of food, especially ramen. Konohamaru was lost, he lost the first person to acknowledge who he was and not whose grandson he was. He was the one of the very few who took that sadness and used it as an excuse to grow even stronger. Even Kiba grew quiet.