Jonin were dashing about everywhere.
'Gaara, where are you?!' you thought desperately, emerging from the shadows for what had to have been the hundredth time. You were just inside the village gates, anxiously watching the moon climb higher in the sky. It was near it's zenith. Time was almost up.
"Hey, I thought I saw something over there!"
You dove back into the shadows as three Jonin ran by. You sighed as you re-emerged.
'I wish I had enough chakra to stay hidden.' you thought, suddenly wishing you were older. Once the moon had definitely passed its peak, you finally decided that you had to leave Gaara behind. You slid through the malevolent gate's shadows, and took off towards the east. As soon as you'd cleared the gates, you heard a distant explosion, but you couldn't afford to return to the sand.
You were alone throughout your whole journey. Not a single ninja passed you as you traveled off the beaten path through the desert. Before the end of the second dry, hot, and sweaty day, you made it safely to River Country.
The landscape had changed drastically, as you were now surrounded by mountains, forests, and rejoiced in the plentiful rivers. Partaking in a chilly bath was quite the luxury after crossing that horrid desert.
It took you a couple days to find a port. Stowing away on an old fishing boat, you safely made it to the Land of Waves in two more days. Upon arrival, you were greeted by an old woman on the pier.
"Oh, you poor dear! You look so tired and worn! And your clothes! What kind of parents would let you run around in those dirty, smelly, thread-bare rags?!"
Taken aback, you stuttered to the short, wrinkled stranger, "Oh, well, uh...um, I-I'm really sorry, ma'am-"
"Now you're apologizing to me?! This is an outrage! Where are your parents?" she suddenly raged. You weren't sure how to answer her. Lying wasn't one of your strong points, so you told her the truth.
"They're not here."
"Who did you arrive with?"
"Nobody. I'm alone."
You were just about to excuse yourself when the woman took your hand and dragged you off towards the village.
"No, wait! P-please, don't!" you cried, panicking.
"Calm down, child. I'm only taking you to my home."
You were frightened, but you knew that if something were to happen, you could easily escape. Besides, where else were you going to go?
Her home was somewhat shabby, and quite a bit smaller than what you were used to. There were two tiny bedrooms, a bathroom, and a large, dusty room used as kitchen, dining, and living rooms. She started making some tea.
"Please, sit down." she said, motioning towards her table. You sat on a cushion, opposite from her.
"Your name?" she asked gently, a familiar elderly crackle in her voice. You answered her quietly, unsure of her intentions, "Ueda Ai, ma'am."
"Ueda, huh? Why does that sound familiar?"
"Ma'am, what's yours?" you asked politely, trying to dodge a proverbial bullet.
"Just call me Granny. So, tell me, what happened to your parents?"
Feeling like you just might be able to trust her, you recounted your tale, leaving out the people Yami made you murder, and other various things that would scare normal people.
"I was told that if I came to the Land of Waves, I might be able to avoid the people who destroyed my village."
Part-truths were a lot easier to tell than lies. The tea kettle began to whistle. Silently, Granny began to pour the tea. You sipped at it's hot contents for an hour. Once both cups were drained, Granny stood and hovered by the door.
"Please feel free to take a bath. It's over there," she pointed towards the door to your right, "I'm going to buy you some clothes." She walked out the door before you could argue. You pulled a stool over to the sink and washed the teacups, then wandered off to the bath. You had to scrub and scrub to get all the sand out of your hair. When you were done, you washed your dirty hat and wiped the dirt off your plush backpack. The creak of the front door told you that Granny was home.
"Here, I set your clothes by the door." she called from the living room. You opened the door a crack and took them. After dressing, you walked out, thanked her, and started to walk out the door when she put a wrinkled hand on your shoulder.
"Ai, where in the world are you going?"
Bemused, you said, "To find some shelter. Why?" The elderly woman smiled, then led you to a small bedroom and said, "There you go."
Tears began welling up in your eyes. You turned to her.
"Why?"
"You have no where else to go. I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight knowing that I let you go live on the streets!"
Earnestly crying now, you hugged her and thanked her. Within the next few days, Granny enrolled you in the local elementary school. You kept your hat on everywhere you went, even when you slept. Granny never questioned you, and for a time, your life wasn't bad. All good things must eventually come to an end, though...
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