The moment the boat docked the two boys jumped off of the boat and started walking into the small coastal village, Naruto with his hood up and Victor surprisingly with a blank forehead protector tied around his waist like a belt, it was something that hadn't been there the last time Naruto had looked.
Just like Victor though Naruto had actually taken to wearing the similar blank forehead protector he had been given by Itachi like a scarf, though he did leave it loose so that it could be seen even with his hood pulled up and his coat fastened.
The mist was a lot thinner at the moment then it had been on their approach to the Land of Water, but even so it still circled the village they were in on all sides and almost seemed to cut it off from the rest of the world. Naruto also noticed that unlike in the Land of Fire, the buildings seemed to be more rounded here, the architecture no doubt having changed to fit in with the different landscape and climate.
All the buildings looked like half circles lying on top of the ground, with round windows and even round doors, it was for Naruto who had grown up in Konoha quite a surprise just how different the different countries were.
The people in the village were all rather pale too, though Naruto assumed it was because of the lack of direct sunlight that came with constantly living in the mist. He had caught several looking at them as they passed out of the corner of his eye in curiosity, but the moment they saw the blank headbands many of those looks were replaced by either fear or in a few small cases disgust.
Already Naruto was starting to see the attitude people were having towards them, and it made him frown behind his mask and pull his hood down a little further.
After they had been walking for ten minutes seemingly at random Naruto turned to look at Victor from under his hood.
"Where are we meeting these friends of yours?"
Victor seemed to take a moment to think this over before giving a shrug, his eyes still scanning their surroundings as they continued on through the village.
"No idea, never actually, though to be honest I have not really met any of them before."
His words brought Naruto to a complete stop, the older boy himself soon stopping him when he realised that the masked blonde was not following, at which point he turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow in silent question. It took Naruto a moment to calm down, so he didn't just start shouting at his friend in the middle of the street for all and sundry to hear.
"If you never met them before and haven't arranged an actual meeting place, then how in hell are we supposed to find the people taking us to the camp?" Naruto asked his tone somewhat strained as he tried not to give into his irritation, the smile on Victor's face only making that harder.
Instead of getting worried though Victor instead just gave him another of his overly large grins, before turning on his heel and starting to walk off again, turning his head and speaking over his shoulder as he did so. "Don't worry we'll know them when we see them, trust me. Just look for people that stand out and don't belong, they're like us... but you know… older."
Naruto could feel his eye twitching behind his mask, but quickly moved to follow Victor before he got too far ahead. He may be a little pissed off with his eccentric friend, but that didn't mean he was going to go off by himself in a strange land whilst being surrounded by hostile people.
As it turned out Victor wasn't wrong about being able to find the group that was going to take them to the Outcast camp, and within another five minutes they turned a corner and saw three people that definitely didn't belong in the village standing at the end of a road just outside the village's border.
The first person there to catch his eye was a giant of a man that was standing easily over eight feet tall, making him clearly visible above the heads of the other people around him. The man was built like a body builder, with muscles on his muscles, each of which could be seen moving under his skin, with arms and legs looking more like tree trunks than limbs in terms of size.
The man's head was shaved with the exception of a line of black hair that went down the middle of his head, which went all the way from his brow to the back of his neck, before turning into a long braid that fell to his lower back.
As they came closer Naruto also noted the fact that the man was wearing nothing but a brown loincloth, leaving the rest of his body bare for the entire world to see. This also included the blood red tribal tattoos that covered every inch of his body, including his face. The last thing about the man that stood out was his eyes, which were a very dark blue and that seemed to stand out from the rest of his body.
There was a blank forehead protector around his waist for a belt that was holding up his loincloth, the blank plate identifying him as an Outcast like Naruto and Victor.
The second figure that was waiting for them was a woman, only she looked a lot more normal then the giant, at first sight at least. The image of normality however was broken as they came closer, by the single prominent yellow eye that was located the middle of her head, the single eye replacing the two that a person would normally have.
The woman was an average height with shoulder length red hair, she wore light green clothing with leather padding for armour over the top, her outfit looked to be designed so that it gave her some protection, whilst not restricting her movements and showing off her curves at the same time. She was also wearing what looked like goggles that had been specifically made for her one eye, which after seeing them coming she pulled down so as to cover and hide said eyes from view due to the tinted glass of the goggles.
Naruto thought she looked to be the youngest of the group, no older then her late teens at the most. She also had a longbow in her hand that was as long as she was tall, with a leather quiver on her back full of arrows with white feathers on the ends.
Her blank headband was tied to her left arm just below her shoulder, visible for all to see whilst not getting in the way.
By the time Naruto turned his attention to the last man of the group be thought he was done being surprised, until he saw that this man didn't' seem to have any eyes at all. In the place where his eyes would usually be was nothing but unblemished skin.
He was dressed in simple traditional grey robe like clothes that hung loosely on his slim form. He had very long white hair that fell loosely to his chest and covered most of his face from view. He also had a scraggly unshaved beard, which whilst not particularly long or well groomed, still seemed to fit him.
The eyeless man was without a doubt the oldest member of the small group, and from what Naruto could see of his face it was worn and covered in deep wrinkles that reminded him of Sarutobi Hiruzen back in the Hidden Leaf village. The man also had a long bo-staff clasped in both of his hands, which was currently being used as a walking, on the top of his bo-staff there was what looked like a small bell.
Like the other people with him the man also wore a blank forehead protector, but unlike the others his headband was actually tied to his forehead. To finish off his ensemble he also wore a pair of old fashioned wooden sandals that made an audible 'click' with every step he took.
The three Shinobi were being sent more odd looks and glares than both Naruto and Victor had as they had walked through the village, but none of the three seemed to really be paying them the slightest bit of attention. As Naruto and Victor approached, the blonde could see the one eyed woman pointing to Victor before leaning over to whisper something to the other two.
Victor unlike Naruto showed absolutely no hesitation as he walked over to the three adults, his usual grin on his face and hands in his pockets as if to show just how relaxed he was with the situation. Naruto on the other hand found himself slowing slightly and standing a little further back, unsure if he was as welcome as Victor, especially seeing as he was new to the Outcast life. So instead of going straight up to the trio like Victor did he hung back slightly, listening as Victor spoke to their guides and introduced himself, making sure to remember the names they had in turn.
The giant man with the tattoos was apparently called Okorimashita Kyojin, though he told them to just call him Kyojin. His voice was very deep and Naruto could almost feel the vibrations in his chest as he spoke. The woman was named Katame Shapu, and seemed to be very soft spoken unlike her much bigger and more muscled companion.
As for the old man he was named Buraindo Furui, though he told them to just call him old man. His voice sounded as old as he looked, but there was a small smile on his lips as he talked, and the genuineness of it was evident as it did put Naruto more at ease.
It seemed that Victor had all but forgotten him by this point, and Naruto was about to speak up when Furui the old man turned in his direction with his eyeless face as if he were looking right at him.
"Who is your friend Victor, I can hear his heartbeat behind you but he has yet to introduce himself?" The old man said in a strong voice, which belayed his thin and aged appearance.
This statement got the attention of the other two, both of whom now turned around to look at him before turning back to Victor. Said boy blinking in confusion for a moment, before a look of realisation crossed his face as he remembered that Naruto was with him, as that realisation struck he started grinning again, before lunging forward and grabbing Naruto's arm to pull him forward.
"Ah I almost forgot this is…well we don't have a name for him yet, I tried giving him a few but he didn't seem to like any of the names I came up with for him. But anyway he is kind of new to the Outcast life so I offered to let him tag along with me, hope you don't mind." Victor said enthusiastically, his tone and expression telling all those in the vicinity that he didn't really give a damn whether or not they minded.
Naruto tilted his head up slightly at his 'sort of' introduction so that the other three…or rather two adults could see his masked face, and after doing so he was a little surprised to see them giving him an understanding look. Furui was the one to actually step forward, somehow laying his hand on Naruto's shoulder even though he could not see it.
"I do understand, as while it is rare, it's not unheard of for new faces to join the Outcasts. If I may ask, what was it that caused you to run? The fact you do not want to give a name says that there may be people looking for you…" The old man asked, his voice gentle and kind as he spoke to Naruto, though not patronizing, which Naruto was grateful for.
Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat as his eyes moved to each of the adults and teenagers in front of him, still very much aware that Furui's hands were still on his shoulder.
"I unlocked a new bloodline that forces me to…eat Souls for sustenance." Naruto managed to get out, his voice somewhat strained as he gave out information that he was not totally comfortable sharing.
He didn't miss the surprised looks that crossed Kyojin and Shapu's faces when he said this, though both were quick to hide it. However it was Furui's reaction to his words that got the most of his attention, as a small frown crossed his lips as his head tilted slightly to the side, as if he was listening to something only he could hear. But it was replaced with another smile as he pulled his hand away, giving a small understanding nod as he did so.
"I see, yes that would defiantly put you in with us Outcasts. Few people would be understanding to your situation, but you have nothing to fear of those among us. You are not the first that has special needs, and I doubt you will be the last. But enough talk for now, we must be leaving. It is a two day walk to the camp, and these old bones need to get moving before they seize up."
Furui gave a light chuckle as he said the last part, before make exaggerated groans and slow movements as he turned to start walking off into the mist.
The others were quick to follow the older man's lead.
...
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