Naruto Another

Current Day

Sora woke up in a cold sweat. He'd fallen asleep knowing he shouldn't have. After wiping the sweat from his brow he quickly stood up and looked outside his window. Not far along in the distance were the Norigami mines, and high above them were Ame's walls blocking what Sora believed was probably the moon.

The boy spent some time in his room dressing himself in lavish Norigami armor that barely fit him. It was laced with white and gold colors embodying the Kusakyu clan, and on the chest plate was the symbol of the Norigami family - a fading cloud of smoke

He didn't know for sure what the smoke represented; his father had told him it was the aftermath of a great explosion. At the time that made sense to Sora, after all his family was loyal to the great Kusakyu clan, and the Kusakyu wielded the powerful 'Explosion Release' kekegenkai. Smoke was the aftermath of any explosion so he accepted that for an answer.

His sword was just as decorative with the hilt being clad in gold and silver, and a violet streak chiseled into the rings of the blade. Despite its lavishness however Sora was not fond of the blade, and often wondered why it had been so clean. In fact when he was first given the blade he was hoping to see blood, viscera or some indication that it was heavily used, some indication that his brother had died fighting.

But that was not the case at all, it looked the same as when his brother had left the household all those years ago.

Sora tried not to get bogged down in his thoughts and quietly slipped out of his room, and through the family home down to the shrine dedicated to his brother in the courtyard.

The shrine itself was well-kept, and decorated with Ken's belongings. Sora knelt before it and began to pray, speaking to his brother hoping that he could somehow hear him.

"A long time ago I swore I'd follow in your footsteps. I hope you can understand why my mind has changed, why I can't go through with it. I-I'd hate to embarrass you or disgrace oto-san. This will surely be the last time I see you. Goodbye, Ken."

Sora stood up, and after one final bow to his begotten brother, the boy swiftly made his way out of the house and toward the mines.

There weren't many guards out tonight, and even if there were they wouldn't stop him. After all, he was the heir to the family and had command over the guards just like his father did. However, the Norigami family was not the only family that served the Kusakyu - they were only one of 12 families, and if they caught Sora out and about he'd have a harder time avoiding questions.

Sora finally arrived at the mine. He grabbed a lantern from its place outside, striking a match to ignite its flame and casting a warm glow along his path ahead. As he made his way through the mine he noticed large X's on slabs of rock at various points along the way.

'Looks like I won't be coming back this way even if I wanted to.'

After about 10 minutes of walking Sora finally found what he was looking for. It was a lever disguised as a jagged rock, and upon pulling it a passage opened allowing Sora to exit Amegakure all together through a secret passage embedded in Ame's walls. As soon as Sora found himself outside Ame the passage had closed.

After getting his bearings he took in his surroundings. Just behind him up above was the enormous wall safeguarding Amegakure. It was 100 feet tall, which was an incredible size; however, the capital of the Land of Water 'The Hidden Mist' was said to be twice as tall comparatively.

Due to the darkness outside Sora couldn't admire the sheer size of the wall as much as he normally would. Directly in front of the wall was the Rain Road, a large path that extends from Amegakure in all general directions. If Sora continued his journey north, he'd eventually reach Ryoto.

The road also circled Amegakure, and Sora planned to follow it to the village's entrance, a feat that would take him most of the night. Beyond the road were large swamps, and dense forests which were widely considered enemy territory.

Sora considered putting the lantern away to avoid being seen, but it was pitch black outside. He didn't consider that when prepping for his escape. He kept the lantern on his person and traveled the Rain Road for several hours hoping to be left alone. As he ventured, he occasionally looked upward at the giant wall; he wondered whether or not the guards could see him. His brother had once told him that Ame's guards would occasionally piss over the edge since there were only three latrines situated on the wall itself; far too little for how much ground the wall covers.

'It is the Village Hidden in the Rain after all.' Is what his brother said.

Considering this Sora lowered his head, and anxiously adjusted his helmet. Just as the thought finally escaped his mind, he saw something in the distance. From where he stood it appeared as though a wagon had been flipped on its side.

'Some kind of accident?' He wondered.

Sora drew closer, and as he did a putrid stench filled his nostrils. He put his left arm to his face, and his right arm shivered under the weight of the lantern in his hand. For some reason he couldn't look away from the wagon; his senses remained fixated on it as he turned to its front.

In the snow on the other side of the wagon were heaps of red meat, and gnawed bone. Skulls sat on spines, and empty rib cages. The smell was horrendous as the rotting flesh, and piercingly frozen sting of the winter air filled Sora's nostrils. He collapsed to his knees, and retched vomit all over the ground; the hot fluids from his stomach melting the snow and causing hot smoke to echo into the air.

'I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go home.' Were the only thoughts plaguing his mind.

He needed to leave, and he needed to leave now. He tried to push himself up to his knees, but as he looked up three figures stood before him. Sora still felt nauseous, and his head was pounding, and his heart was racing.

"It looks like we found ourselves a skulking rat!" The older man said. He had a gruff black beard, and wore a thick gray cloak made of wool.

"Aye Aoi, can I take his boots?!" Another voice said. Behind the man was a boy slightly taller than Sora himself. His face was dirty and rigid, but his features were innocent-looking.

There was no time to think. Sora forced himself up and drew his steel. He did not feel any stronger with it in his hands. His arms shook, and his voice was caught in his throat. For some reason, his eyes drifted to the red hump of meat on the ground before him.

"They say it's best not to draw your steel unless you mean to use it boy," the one called Aoi said.

A second later the gruff man began to approach Sora, his feet crunching in the snow behind him. Sora was so scared he couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He couldn't do anything at all. All the hours spent training with his dad; is this what it all amounted to? To this moment? It wasn't until the man sidestepped Sora's blade and grabbed his sword arm that he realized what was happening. As Sora tried to pull away the man reeled him in, yanking him with what seemed like all his strength.

"Stop!" A voice yelled. But Sora's mind was elsewhere. He felt a tingling sensation in his stomach. It tickled. He looked down and saw silver, and red, and the red began to gush like a waterfall. Sora's vision grew blurry, and he grew tired, and finally, Sora closed his eyes.