Perhaps it was the single magatama bead dangling from his ear that glinted as it caught the fading light of the sun. Maybe it was the occasional hits of bright blonde hair that would appear from underneath his hood when the wind would blow it back. It might have even been the tall Shakujou that jingled with each of his steps, the staff actually reaching higher than he himself was tall. More than likely though it was the fact that as soon as any sand on the wind came within a meter of his form it would bounce back, as if repelled by some invisible force or barrier.
The figure came to a stop, resting slightly on the staff that surprisingly didn't sink into the sand at all, despite supporting his weight. He gazed around for a moment, the shadows his hood provided hiding the direction his eyes were looking. Finally he tugged it back, releasing a shock of bright golden hair, tied up at the back into the beginning of a short, spiky ponytail. He enjoyed the view around him of vast dunes of golden sand stretching off into the distance as far as the eye could see; warm but steely violet eyes narrowed into slits.
His protective cloak continued to billow as he simply stood there, enjoying the moment as the scorching day began to descend into freezing night, leaving a brief twilight hour where everything was still and peaceful. Stars began to peek out of the sky, emboldened by the slow descent of the sun retreating behind the horizon. A fond smile found its way across his whiskered cheeks as he thought back to the events that led him here, the good and the bad.
"Good morning Naruto, you look much better now that you've had time to settle and eat. How are you finding the temple so far?" A young blonde looked up with a smile that held both excitement and unending gratitude toward the much older monk.
"It's great! The monks are really nice and even though Sora can be really annoying sometimes he is friendly and helps me with stuff when Chiriku is busy!" Chukaku smiled contentedly as he ruffled Naruto's hair; the blonde was so happy about his new life that he didn't even care.
"I'm glad, just make sure that if there's anything you need or if you ever have any questions or concerns you come right to me. Okay?" The small whiskered child nodded excitedly making Chukaku's heart warm to see such innocence return to the boy's features.
"Um master Chukaku, there is something Chiriku-sempai wanted me to talk to you about." The wizened monk hummed for the boy to continue with a small nod. "He said that I should be able to turn off my Rinnegan, but I can't pull the chakra out of my eyes." Chukaku raised an eyebrow at that, looking closely at Naruto's eyes and felt around for his chakra. Sure enough there was a small build up behind his eyes, obviously what was keeping the Rinnegan active.
"Hmm, I don't believe there is anything to worry about Naruto. It is true that Sharingan and Byakugan wielders alike have the ability to deactivate their Doujutsu but the Rinnegan is far more mysterious than theirs. For all we know it cannot be deactivated by the will of the user." He smiled fondly as he ushered the blonde closer, planting a warm hand on the boy's shoulder. "Then again maybe you simply lack the control to do so, don't forget you have only recently begun to train in the use and control of your Chakra." The boy scowled at that but still seemed to accept the older man's words.
"Do you feel any more tired than before you received those eyes?" Naruto quickly shook his head in the negative. "Do they cause you any pain at all?" Again he got a quick head shake to say no. "Do you feel at all uncomfortable with people seeing your eyes?" This time Chukaku saw Naruto hesitate for a moment before shaking his head more slowly and uncertainly. Chukaku smiled knowingly as he got to a knee, something that was increasingly difficult as he got older.
"Naruto it is perfectly alright to be afraid of something new but I hope you understand that the eyes you now possess were a gift; one you have earned from your hardships." He chuckled slightly as he pulled himself back to his feet, ruffling the boy's hair as hid did so; this time it did earn him a look of annoyance. "If worst comes to worst and you still feel uncomfortable then do what I do." He smiled childishly even though his eyes stayed narrowed as always. He was glad to see Naruto giggle a little, his usual confidence returning.
"Thanks master Chukaku, you're really smart." The wizened monk grinned again, ushering the young blonde out of his office playfully.
"And don't you forget it."
Naruto smiled fondly at the warm memory, eyes crinkled into slits in a way that had always seemed to annoy Sora; so of course Naruto had begun to do it all the time, copying their aging master. He began to walk again, slowly and carefully descending the dune, the staff in his right hand jingling with every movement. He looked up for a moment, spotting the moon begin to show itself in the last moments of sunlight still streaming in over the horizon.
Naruto sat up on the roof of the living-quarters building, just staring up at the sky, specifically the moon. In his eyes it seemed to radiate a thin silver aura that Naruto always found beautiful since coming to the temple. He wasn't supposed to be up here, in fact the caretaker always got incredibly annoyed when he found the young blonde up on the roof. Even so Naruto couldn't sleep, his dreams once again invaded by scenes of destruction and wreckage. It was like he was in a body not his own, looking through eyes that weren't his down on events he had no control over.
The nightmares didn't come that often but when they did he could never go back to sleep. Instead he would come up here and just think for a while; about his new life, about the future, about the responsibilities his powers and burden placed on his shoulders. He heard soft footsteps on the tiles and looked up, expecting to see Chigasu ready to berate him for 'not-respecting the sacredness of the temple roof'. Instead he was surprised to find Sora there instead, the boy walking over with perfect balance to sit next to the blonde.
"Nightmare again?" Naruto simply nodded, his eyes drifting back to the mysterious white orb hanging in the sky. "The same one?" Again Naruto nodded as his head drooped, pulling his knees up into his chest protectively.
"Always." Sora sighed as he placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder which did relax Naruto slightly. Suddenly he tensed, pulling away from the contact as he turned his eyes away from Sora, instead following a crack along a roof tile. "I'm sorry Sora." The blue-haired Pseudo-Jinchuuriki just looked around in confusion, blinking in surprise at Naruto's cold tone.
.
.
.
🎉You can find the complete story in PDF format on my Tiendup site. Consider supporting me and continue reading.🎉
🎉https://sevenfic.tiendup.com/🎉