NARUTO – CONFINEMENT

**Note This fan-fiction takes place in Naruto Shippuden, however it has nothing to do with the plot of the anime/manga**

Chapter 1

Naruto's eyes scanned the area instinctively as he jumped through  the trees, leading him closer and closer to the Grass Country. His mission was simple. Find the suspected ninja group and then return to the village with a report of their plans. A simple recon mission; he had done many with his team, but this was his first reconnaissance mission alone. Truth be told, he was slightly nervous but he wasn't going to return to Lady Tsunade without any information. That was scarier than the mission itself. A chill ran down his spine as he thought of how angry she would be if he actually had the nerve to return empty-handed. He shook his head to clear away the unpleasant image.

Suddenly, something caught his eye. He stopped on a tree branch ahead of him and glanced down. There was something sticking out of the ground in a small clearing, just below him. He gently hopped down from the tree branch and examined the strange object. The top of it was protruding about three inches above the dirt and he had no idea how long it was or how deep it was buried. He recognized the piece above the ground as a hilt of a sword. He could tell just by the metal engravings on the hilt that it was of Konoha origins.  He grabbed it and yanked but it did not budge. 

Now, with his interests perked, Naruto took a deep breath and pulled with all his might. This time the sword came straight out of the ground. Naruto stumbled and fell on his backside with the unexpected ease of the task. He held the sword out at arm's length and examined it thoroughly. 

"This is definitely something of ours, but what is it doing all the way out here?" He held it closer and looked over the blade. "It’s an ANBU sword…” He glanced up and the sky and sighed. The sun was beginning to set and he still had quite distance to travel before reaching the Grass Country. He placed the sword against a tree's trunk and made a small camp that would last the night. He curled up by a dim fire and fell into a fitful sleep. 

Halfway through his slumber, something woke him. He had heard a small crack in the woods. It was faint, but loud enough to alert him. He could tell that it was not a small rodent that had made the sound. No, it was something bigger, and  much heavier.

He held a kunai tightly in his right hand and surveyed his surroundings. He could sense another person's chakara, but he could not make out from which direction it was coming from. Finally he heard a thump come from behind him. Before he could turn to defend himself, a cloth had covered his mouth and nose. He swore to himself as he could feel his muscles failing him. He grunted and fell limply into unconsciousness, never to see his attacker.

***

Far away, back in Konoha, Sakura sat on her bed and stared out at the starry night sky. "Naruto, how are you doing on your first solo mission," she asked no one in particular. The young kunoichi was worried for her old friend, but at the same time she knew that he had trained under Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin and that he was capable of taking care of himself. 

But old habits always crept up on her whenever Naruto was concerned. Memories of the young, loud, and obnoxious brat that had been hated by everyone in the village flowed through her mind as she gazed at the twinkling stars. She smiled as she thought of how much he had changed. Finally, reassured that her friend was all right, she climbed into her bed and fell asleep.