Chapter Text
That was it, Naruko had finally had enough. She wasn't going to sit by and have just about the entire village blame her for Sasuke's disappearance and especially not two years after it happened. But that alone wouldn't be enough for her to leave and in the beginning, she didn't even mind the villagers' attitudes that much. Until Tsunade resigned and Danzo became hokage. That was the absolute last straw. Or at least his actions were. At least now she understood why Sasuke left.
She finished packing her bags, just as her doorbell rang. Deciding not to answer it, she snuck out through her backdoor, or well, the plank leaning on the hole in the wall. But it did its job. Leaving behind a note, she ran through the dark streets, lit only by red lights sparsely placed throughout her neighbourhood. Running further, she arrived in the outer forest surrounding her village.
Naruko took a deep breath, looking back one more time before leaving the confines of Konoha once and for all. Well aware she would never be able to go back to her old life, now that she was a rouge ninja.
Still, her goals wouldn't change. She was going to change the world for the better, prove her worth and become hokage. While she didn't know how she would pull that off in the end, she knew where to start. Her plan was to join a criminal organization and change them for the better.
The Akatsuki were perfect for this. Naruko thought that she could join them by promising to give them the kyuubi once they have all the other tailed beasts. Sure, that wouldn't mean they weren't going to try and kill her, but she would be a valuable asset to them. So, in her mind, she could try to find out their grand plan and convince them of a much more peaceful option.
But as she kept on walking, she got nervous, unsure if her plan would work. Not that she was doubting her abilities, but she doubted if all the members of Akatsuki could truly change for the better. Staring up into the night sky, Naruko took another deep breath, before speeding up. There was no time to wallow on the what-ifs before she even began phase one of her plan.
For now, Naruko had to get as far away from the village as possible. She tried her best to focus her chakra on her hands and feet, to be able to jump through the trees like she used to do on her trip with Jiraiya. It made her feel like a kid again, temporarily taking her mind off of things. The jinjuriki was able to get much further by propelling herself forwards while watching the ground move beneath her.
It felt just as when she was on her first C-rank mission, everything felt new and exciting, with a hint of fear and she realized once again how small she was compared to the world around her. But as she continued to think, she remembered her training, with Sakura and Sasuke. Ugh, Sasuke. Why did he have to become such an ass? Naruko never understood why he changed, why he chose a life of failure, at least until now. While she never liked living in the village, she never wanted to betray it. Even now that she was running away, all that she wanted was to be accepted by her people. But they were only cruel and uncaring in return. She knew it was because they didn't understand it, understand her. Never in a million years could she hold it against them, but she also didn't want to endure it any longer. It was clear to her that she would only accomplish anything as a rouge ninja. However, unlike Sasuke, she wasn't an idiot and wouldn't throw everything away just for revenge and power. She would improve the world and earn her spot as Hokage, even in this situation.
Or at least that's what she hoped. Continuing to hop from branch to branch, she looked up once more, now noticing the first rays of sunlight starting to appear. Deciding that this was her cue for a break, Naruko jumped down and walked to the nearest pathway. Following the dirt path, she soon arrived at a village, one that she recognized.
It was small and welcoming, the land of waves. She didn't know if anyone would recognize her, now that she grew out her hair. At least that's what she secretly hoped for. Walking down the streets, she noticed how little had changed. It was still the peaceful little place that she remembered. Except that the bridge looked heavily used. Good, just as she hoped it would look.
While it took a while, she found the house of her old friends. She hoped that the bridgebuilder and his family would let her stay the day, before she would continue her way to Ame. Raising her hand, she decided to wait instead. It was still early in the morning and she didn't want to wake them up. Pending her options for a few minutes, she was ripped out of her thoughts by the door opening.
Shocked, she and Tazuna stared at each other.