Chapter 028

What followed was another epic pursuit across the neighborhood, which was filled with screaming, cursing, chirping, and a lot of dangerous maneuvers. Villagers were startled when they saw an orange blur just dash in and out of sight at ground level, as well as see the same person sail through the air above their heads after lapping the suburbs. Though sort of like a repeat of a similar chase of last week, it was certainly a different experience for those directly involved.

Ducking a clothesline, Naruto crisscrossed an alleyway before leaping straight up at the retreating swallow. He made a swipe, missed, and spun towards a nearby rooftop, where he landed in a crouched position and arms stretched out to balance his fall. The jinchuriki grinned and glared up towards the bird, performing loops not too far from him.

"Show off!" Naruto shouted, dashing after it and making a dive. The bird darted out of reach, but had its tail-feathers grazed when the blonde's hand changed directions in mid-flight. Though it was a near miss, it was still a miss, which the Uzumaki was determined to correct. Landing on his hands against a bar, he pushed off of it and flung himself towards the bird again, kicking at it to make it change course, which it did. "The first move's a feint, Swift-chan!"

He made another grab for the bird, but she caught wind of his maneuver and flipped out of reach. The jinchuriki tumbled across a lower roof of a storehouse on landing. Crouching once again, he pursued the critter for the hundredth time, building up speed and jabbing for her again. Naruto's grin widened.

"I got you!"

However, he misinterpreted a dark spot ahead on the solid roof for a groove in the surface of the building, and inadvertently had his toes caught in the step. Just as his fingers were curling around the bird, Naruto was suddenly thrown off balance while running at full speed. The jinchuriki let out a startled yelp before he was slammed head first into the tiled floor. The plates shattered on impact as he bounced down the slope before literally cart-wheeling across the road…

What ended up breaking his fall was the tarp inside of a horse-drawn wagon parked just across from the storehouse. The boy careened into the carriage two stories below and disappeared in amongst the crates and barrels stacked inside of it, right behind the backs of the driver and his client who were in the process of finishing up their deal.

Hearing a loud clatter behind them, the driver; a middle-aged man dressed in brown overalls, white shirt and apron, had his hair covered in a bandana and a bushy mustache hiding his mouth, looked over his shoulder in surprise. Glancing around the street momentarily, he didn't see any signs of a collapse or anything out of the ordinary, and thus dismissed the disturbance as a mere trick of the wind and quickly looked back at the man selling him the goods.

Counting out the last of the ryo the transporter handed the remaining funds over to the larger gentleman in the workman's gear, who had obviously been one of the crew responsible for loading up the material. After double checking, the store owner smiled and pocketed the cash.

"I sure hope business for your area picks up soon. I've been seeing you less and less around the village these days, friend," the man exclaimed, nodding to the driver who scratched his head exhaustedly, "Trouble at home?"

"You could say that. Boy," the courier breathed out while shaking his head. "That man Gato is a tyrant. I swear. He's bullying everyone in the town and sucking every last dime out of those who can still afford to pay. The people who can't meet his obscene taxes are either beaten or chased out of the village. It's awful."

"Damn. Why doesn't the village leader or the authorities do something about him?" the workman asked curiously, earning a dismissive wave from the wagon driver.

"They're all gone. It's basically survival of the fittest now… or in this case survival of the richest," the traveler replied. "Times are tough, but those who remain have to push on. It's the only way we'll be able to continue living in this world. Everything's changing, even industry."

"Well, I still hope things work out for you guys," the other man replied with a smile, shaking hands with his regular. "If you need any help just drop by and ask. We're a shinobi village after all, so it's perfectly alright if you want to hire out some assistance if things get desperate."

"Ah I appreciate it… but…" the driver backed away with a nervous smile, "I can't really afford much at the moment. I've got a lot bills to pay and stuff, but I'll keep that in mind. Thank you." With a tip of his hat to the tradesman, the traveler hopped back up onto his carriage and brought the reigns around. Snapping them sharply the horse began to move as directed by its master, who waved back toward his client as he left the district for his next stop off.

While he was pulling out of the village following a quick check-in with the shinobi at the front gates, the driver failed to notice a small swallow land on the canvas roof of his wagon. Chirping frantically, the bird with the red kunai mark on its back hopped along the carriage's frame a couple of times before flying around and into the back of the cart.

There, nestled between some barrels and draped over a stack of flour bags, Naruto lay in an unconscious, crumpled heap with a swirl pattern in each eye. The ten-year-old had his mouth hung open in a stupid grin and was babbling all sorts of nonsense.

"Oooh… stars… rainbows… ramen…"

The swallow perched on the barrels next to him shook her head in dismay…

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