Escape [Sasuke Uchiha]

Chapter 43: The Looming Danger

What was it that he wanted to ask me? It sounds very important – something that sounds unbelievable for someone like Sasuke to say it. He was so shy and he nearly became a blushing mess before my eyes! Ugh, I should've just forced him to tell me before I walked away. Now I have to spend hours of dealing with this unbearable curiosity! I have to withstand this until we get back to-

"...da-chan. Yuda-chan? Hey, Ayuda!"

My sister's stentorian voice boomed through my ear making my eyes widen in a flash as my entire form jolted like a startled rabbit. I shot my attention to Reina who was judging me quietly. She then warily asked me, "I can tell that something is troubling you, Yuda-chan. You have been unusually inattentive since we walked past the gate. Can you give me a penny for your thoughts?"

I shook my head, pulling my mouth wider to bring forth a fake smile, "I'm perfectly fine, Reina-oneesan. I was just thinking about what food we will eat when we reach the town."

A sigh came out of her mouth afterward, "Yuda-chan, it's pretty useless to come up with a petty excuse like that when I know you're lying."

I cast my eyes downward in shame and guilt, "I'm sorry, oneesan. It's just... I feel like I can handle the problem all by myself... and it is not a big problem after all."

Reina began, "But I'm worried, Yuda-chan. It is really rare to see you looking so distracted. I hope you can tell me what it is right now or-"

"Oh? Hey, it's you two!"

The two of us turned our heads to the side, staring in confusion at the two incoming figures over our shoulders. One of them was nearly the same height as I was while the other one was considerably taller than Reina. I would be lying if I said I was not surprised to see Naruto Uzumaki there. I blinked my eyes once, "Naruto?"

"What are you doing here, Ayuda?" the blond boy asked, tilting his head to the side in pure bewilderment.

I was about to ask him the same question when Reina's voice shattered the brief silence, "Ah... Jiraiya-sama...?"

Tearing my gaze off of Naruto, I began scanning his other tall friend who stood beside him quietly. He had waist-length, spiky white hair that was tied back into a pony-tail, two red lines under his eyes that extended further down his face, and a wart on the left side of his nose. He donned a green short shirt kimono and matching pants, hand guards, a black belt, traditional wooden sandals, and a red haori. There was a giant scroll attached on his back and he wore a horned forehead protector with the kanji for "oil".

Who is this guy...? He looks scary.

The next second after that thought crossed my mind, the giant man suddenly beamed at me and Reina and greeted us rather loudly, "Hello there, girls! It's a fine day today, isn't it?!"

"Aaaaah!" Naruto exclaimed, "Stop! Stop fooling around already, Ero-sennin! If you keep doing this, we won't reach-!"

The white-haired man snapped, "Shh! Stop calling me that!"

I ended up sweating and giving them a deadpan look as I witnessed them bickering for a short while. Well, that man doesn't look scary to me now. I should have known that looks can be pretty deceiving.

It turned out that Naruto and the white-haired guy – whom I learned his name as Jiraiya, one of the three legendary Sannin – were searching for the other Sannin lady named Tsunade, for she was well-suited to be the next Hokage of the Leaf Village.

Their amusing presences had definitely helped me in taking my mind off of Sasuke's incomplete question. I was no longer inattentive and Reina seemed to have forgotten the serious talk we had, too, which was a good thing.