#littlefishcake

The hyperactive child glared openly at the stranger, sizing them up. They didn’t look that tough. Naruto bet he could definitely beat them up in a millisecond! 

But, at least their gaze was different from the villagers.

For a while, Naruto felt like was floating; like he was surrounded completely by darkness. He didn’t have to think, he didn’t have to talk, he didn’t have to feel the hateful glares that followed him everywhere he went.

It was almost nice, in a way.

But like all good things, it had to come to an end. And, he slowly began to open his eyes.

“Ow… Stop talking so loud…” Naruto mumbled, clenching his hair as he sat up —feeling sticky substance at the back of his skull. “My head… ow, ‘ttebayo…”

“W-who are you? Where am I?

     “You’re outside of your village,” Kakuzu told him, crouching at his side. “I think you may have fallen out of a tree.” It would make sense. Kakuzu had been walking and the boy had literally almost fallen into his arms. If he had a split second more of warning, he might have been able to catch the kid before he hit the ground. Alas, here he was, knelt over the bleeding blond child.