Naruto: Akatsuki

"...We can't go on like this." That was my thought as I sat on the wet cave.

I believe that a few months passed by. In this harsh climate where the rain never stops, finding an empty and safe shelter was an impossible feat. Living off of thefts, and the need to feed three mouths alone was a challenge.

This village really is hopeless.

On the side, Yahiko and Nagato sat, with dark circles under their eyes.

If this continues, there only lies the dark future for us.

"Guys, it's dinner time!" Then Konan came in with a bright smile, holding a hand full of... yuck, snails.

"Ahh!!!" Nagato immediately screamed in a panic as Konan placed the snails in front of his face, causing her to laugh in amusement.

It wasn't like we could afford every meal through theft. Sometimes, we had to find other means to fill ourselves, and unfortunately, snail was the best solution that we had.

Konan, who retracted the slimy creatures away from poor Nagato, came to me expectantly.

"Dinner time, I suppose." I said as I lit up my hand in a warm fire.

How, you ask?

During the months, I came across the good number of fights between ninjas. There, I sighted, the way they used the enigmatic blue energy to stand on top of the lake.

'Chakra.' I immediately recognized it, thanks to the education I received from my parents way back in the past.

There, I felt the same blue energy within my body. Though it was weak, it definitely was flowing just like the blood; I quickly realized that if I were to train myself well with such, the lives of the 4 of us will meet a drastic change from now.

After the return to the cave, I tried to stand on the cave wall like those ninjas on trees. Lying down, I placed my feet on the rough wall, and pushed chakra to the sole of my feet—and of course, it was an epic fail.

Boom! I was sent rocketing back to where Yahiko was spectating me with an interest, and knocked him out.

But my training has just begun.

'I got blasted back... too much chakra?'

Considering all possibilities and going through the trial and error process, I didn't hesitate to test many things with chakra. It was very risky, and if something went wrong, I may have become crippled. This attempt to attach myself on impossible surfaces still was an unfinished goal.

And finally, the fire.

It was that particular day during the storm, worse than any other. The four of us cuddled up together, unable to handle the cold wind that whistled within the small cave.

It was a foolish attempt. Believing that we will die at this rate, I pushed forth all my chakra onto my palm. Perhaps I wanted to prove that I accomplished something before dying. Then, with a whoosh, a small flame flickered for a second before the wind quickly extinguished it.

"...Huh?" That was Yahiko's reaction back then.

"...Yuck." And this is Yahiko's reaction now, upon sighting the scene where I roasted the snails with this weak flame.

"If only I was capable of doing more than just this... small fire." I felt like sighing, but focused on the current situation instead. After all, I had to breath through my mouth in order to inhaling the disgusting stench of the snails.

Roasting them to an extent where they were almost burnt, I tried my best to minimize the risk of infection.

Passing few to all members, I stared at my own share in a grimace.

"This better be the last. Just hate this… disgusting lump, man." Yahiko said with teary eyes, before gulping the snails down in one go.

Konan and Nagato too consumed them—though their expressions didn't look good either.

"I'm not eating another damned snail in my life, ever again—"

"We heard you the first time, Yahiko," I rolled my eyes.

__________

Another day passed by. With the rain having become milder than the day before, the four of us sat at the entrance of the cave, staring at the distant Amegakure.

"It was quite dumb for me to think that we'd be able to survive out here." I muttered with my eyes locked on the sight, "We have to get in the village somehow."

"How?" Yahiko asked, "You know that they don't let anyone in except for the Amegakure ninjas. Our best bet is the sole safe zone that the ninjas set up as the base."

"Hah, don't you understand?" I snarled angrily, "That so-called Hanzo-sama doesn't care. With the three villages—Konohagakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure—having the war among themselves in our home turf, Hanzo already decided to give up the outskirts of the village."

Safe zone was 'safe' by name only. We already experienced it before. Upon the enemies' invasions, the Amegakure ninjas immediately ran away without any thought of retaliation.

This entire 'war' was nothing but a showmanship to Hanzo, trying to convince those within the walls that he's doing all he can to save the fellow villagers.

"But my point still stands." Yahiko said grimly, "They won't let us in."

Nagato stared at the ground with a downcast expression.

Konan stared back and forth between Yahiko and me, worried that our conversation may break into a fight.

"...Damn it."

In the end, I could do nothing but curse, knowing that Yahiko was right.

Hanzo was an extremely wary individual—someone who won't allow anyone nearby him in worry of assassination. Any suspicious person won't be given a chance to live within the walls, and may potentially be eliminated—even if he or she was a young child.

For the sake of their peace, ours was sacrificed.

'No point in letting my rage consume me. Calm down, and think.'

I took in a deep breath, calming my thought.

"What about we get out of here? Run away into different land and hope for the better." Konan suggested with a thoughtful look.

"We'll be caught immediately." I shook my head, "The entire area around us is surrounded by the three major forces. They enclosed the border tight to minimize the risk of infiltration; the average kids like us won't stand a chance against."

All of us fell silent. Just as the foggy sky above us, the situation didn't seem so good.

Then,

"...Akashi." Nagato muttered weakly, "D-do we have to eat snails again?"

'...S***.' I found my eyes widening after hearing Nagato's question.

Snail? No way.

With a twitching smile, I placed my hand on top of Nagato's head and rubbed it gently.

"Hell no."

'I suppose that it's pointless to talk about the future right now.' Nagato's words brought me back to the present. That's right. Instead of the future, we should be worried about the present, of what to eat to keep ourselves alive.

I stood up from my spot and stretched,

"I feel like eating meat tonight. What do you say?"

Yahiko stared at me with a pale face, "As long as it isn't something weird like snails."

Subsequently, an abrupt noise of growl was heard.

"A-ah..." Konan held her stomach with a blush, curling her body up in a ball out of embarrassment.

I chuckled, "Alright. Let's get going."