Oh, the Irony

Curry of Life (Chapter Two)

So, did any of you watch the Curry of Life arc in the pre-Shippuden series?

In my opinion, those were close to the only fillers I actually enjoyed. It was mostly because of Lee and how hilarious he is when he's drunk (and if you ask me, he's way too underrated nowadays). But the point is, I decided to include Karashi and Sansho and Ranmaru in this chapter!

Call it a tribute, if you will.

But if you didn't watch that arc (I understand, fillers are just so ugh), the following people will probably just be random characters to you. But unlike those fillers, they're actually important to this story! Yay!

Anyway, enjoy!

P.S. I adore reviews.

Disclaimer: I'm posting this because I don't own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden. If I did, writing a fanfiction about my own show would be a little strange.

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Chapter Two

I instinctively snapped my eyelids shut as the force from the explosion sent me flying into the wall. Pain from the impact rocketed through my skull, but I forced myself to ignore it and struggle to my feet. Bleary and disoriented, I coughed and attempted to rub the smoke out of my eyes.

Suddenly, a light so strikingly bright enveloped me from head to toe, followed by a feeling of mild warmth on my skin. My confusion only peaked, but after a few seconds, my eyes adjusted to my surroundings.

If I wasn't so exhausted and injured, the sight before me would have made me jump for joy.

Where the paper bomb had exploded, a huge chunk of the wall had been blown out, allowing sunlight from the outside world to spill into the corridor. Happiness immediately overwhelmed me, and one word flashed through my mind- freedom.

While I was still concentrating on regaining my balance, I finally looked at Ruga for the first time in what felt like ages... but I could barely make out the shape of his body because of the large amount of smoke hanging in the air.

Providing me with a window of opportunity, Ruga whirled on the blond rogue who taunted me earlier. I presumed from the leader's furious tone that the blond was most likely the one who had thrown the paper bomb.

"Why the hell did you do that, you idiot?!" Ruga bellowed. "You gave her a chance to escape!"

At that, the blond visibly flinched, holding out his hands in a defensive gesture. "Forgive me, leader," he meekly apologized. "I just thought-"

"Thought what?!"

Ruga's subordinate shrunk further his boss's sharp gaze. "I just thought that the paper bomb could've... you know... knocked her unconscious. And what if she really is knocked out?"

His words reminded me of the very little time I had before the rogues would start investigating the gaping hole. The resulting smoke from the explosion gave me enough cover for the moment, but it was rapidly dissipating into the outside air. It turned out that catching my breath did nothing to relieve me of the dizziness and my pounding head, so I cast that aside as much as I could and leaped through the hole.

Instead of stone, my feet collided with firm soil and luscious grass. Trees whizzed past me as I continued to run, and nostalgia hit me like a bucket of cold water. The air felt so pure and clean in my burning lungs, unlike the musty air within the rogues' hideout.

But the sunlight... The sunlight left the biggest impression.

To me, everything it illuminated glistened with beauty. Everything bathed in sunlight was so... vibrant. And it wasn't only the appearance that grabbed at me, but also the warmth. The heat on my body made me feel like I was alive again- it filled me with hope.