*Ding* *Ding*
Bells rang as a lone figure walked down the hall. Doors pass as he inched closer and closer towards the elevator. A tan hand with purple fingernail polish reached out and pressed the down button.
"It's finally time" A deep trembling voice escaped his lips, his whole body shaking in excitement, causing the bells to chime nonstop.
Taking a deep breath, he finally calmed down, and as he did so, the doors to the elevator opened.
"Honey we will be there in a few minutes, just wait ok?"
The door opened, revealing a middle-aged lady wearing a blue business dress. The wrinkles on her face were visible even from this distance, identifying either her stressful life, intense smoking, or old age. Judging by the young girl by her side he assumed the first two.
"Mom, but I'm hungry!" The young girl began to pout.
"Sorry, please ex-" Her eyes went wide as she stared at the man before her, instinctively she grabbed her daughter and hid her behind her body.
The man before her was wearing a large straw hat on his head, with two little bells tied to one side. His entire body was covered by a large black robe with red clouds. The only part of his body that was visible were the bottom parts of his face, his hands, and toes. On his feet, he wore a type of open-toed shoes, revealing his purple painted toenails.
"Fear not civilian. I mean you no harm, as we come from the same village." Nodding his head he stepped onto the elevator, causing the lady to shriek back into a corner. Noticing that the first floor is already pressed he nods his head.
Completely ignoring the awkward atmosphere he waited for the elevator to reach its destination.
"Mom is that guy playing dress up?"
"Shhh!" She quickly covered the girl's mouth while peeking at the man. Too many shootings or strange murders have taken place recently, and she didn't want to be what sets this guy off.
It only took a few seconds to reach the ground floor, and as it did the doors began to open. As they open wide, a luxurious lobby was revealed. The front was made completely of glass with large revolving doors, an antique wooden desk was off to one side, manned by an older gentleman in a suite, the other side was filled with P.O. boxes.
Seeing the door open the mother quickly rushed out, dragging her daughter behind her.
A smile formed on his face as he saw this scene, almost like it was a common occurrence. Shaking his head he began to walk towards the door.
"Mr. Frederick, heading out again?" The old man stepped out and bowed slightly.
"Charles, I'll be gone for about two weeks. If any packages are delivered, hold onto them for me."
"Very well, Sir"
He continued to move through the revolving doors, and as he stepped outside, the noise of the city hit him. Pedestrians walked along the sidewalk, cars honking from miles away, and the yells of people trying to peddle goods. Some turned to look at him, but most just ignored him as they lived their lives.
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Looking around for a bit he sees a black Prius with a man standing outside. The man was constantly looking at his phone and the people walking by. Nodding his head he began to walk towards the vehicle.
Seeing a strangely dressed man approaching, a small frown forms on his face. "Are you James Frederick?" The man asked with a bit of worry.
Without even answering, he bit his thumb in a dramatic fashion. "I, Inu, Tori, Saru, Hitsuji" He began rapidly weaving hand seals before quickly crouching down and slamming his hand on the pavment "Summoning Jutsu!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, causing all the people in the area to stop and stare at him.
Rising to his feet, he wore a proud look on his face. "The chakra is becoming thinner, but the Jutsu still worked." He looked at the car like it was his own child before quickly opening the door and sitting inside. "Quick! To the airport, I have no time to waste!"
The man's hands instantly became clammy and his face contorted. He had never been so embarrassed in his life. In fear that someone might recognize him, he quickly entered the car.
As he started the car and drove, he looked at the strange man through his rearview mirror. His eyes were hidden, but the smug smile on his face was clearly visible. If he wasn't afraid of getting a bad UberX review he'd reach back and punch him.
After a few minutes of driving, the tension in the car rose so much that it became hard to breathe. His skin may have become thick over the years, but being stuck in a car with a stranger was never easy.
"You must think that I'm a fool." The airport was a distance away so he decided to ease the situation.
The driver looked into the rearview mirror and stared at him for a while. "Are you some kind of actor or something?"
"Nothing like that, Just a fan. Have you ever heard of Naruto?" As he mentioned the name his mood visibly improved.
"No" The man answered almost venomously.
"Well, I'm the world's Naruto fan club leader. It may not sound impressive to you, but try learning four different languages just to make a fan club."
As he told this, it caused the man's eyebrows to rise a little, finally looking impressed. No matter who you were, meeting someone who could speak five languages was always impressive.
"Is that why you're dressed up? Going to one of those Comic-Con things?" The man's attitude took a complete change. While he may not know what Naruto was, this passenger was international.
"Right, I'm holding an event in Hawaii. I invited Masashi Kishimoto to convince him to reboot the series. There are a lot of inconsistencies and plot holes he can fix now that the series is over, but I doubt he would be happy to see me. In the latter half of the series, he got away from hand seals for jutsu and did what I call the dragon ball effect. For every jutsu he didn't show the hand signs for I'd write him demanding to know so I could compile them into the fan Jutsu book for the club." He began rambling about the show and manga, pointing out all the inconsistencies and complaining about all the mysteries still left unsolved.
At first, the driver was slightly annoyed by his excessive talking, but as long as you were not a spiteful person, listening to someone talk about something they loved would eventually get you excited.
"So you're telling me the Fourth Hokage was his dad, and they never told him?? Why? It sounded like he had a terrible childhood, and knowing who his parents were wouldn't hurt anyone, especially since everyone knew the fox was inside him anyway. Why keep it a secret?"
"Brother, It looks like we're here, but now you're asking the real questions." Smiling he opened the door and stepped out of the car. "Remember to check out that website I told you about, it can answer a lot of your questions." Walking towards the entrance of the airport he waved behind him.
"Brother have a safe flight!" Tears glisten in the corners of his eyes "Unafraid to live his life with people judging him, what a real man."
As he neared the entrance, he slid his hat backward, allowing it to hang like a backpack. As he does, it revealed his messy dark brown hair and green eyes. With his face now visible, the visage of a twenty-year-old youth was visible to the world.
"Last time they held me up for hours due to my hat, no reason to stir the pot."
Entering the building a sea of people were rushing to and fro, all seemingly in a hurry. Ignoring the crowd he made a beeline towards the security checkpoint.
Reaching into his cloak he pulled out a cellphone and ticket. Removing his hat completely, he placed the items inside before putting them on the conveyor belt. Watching the items go through the machine, he stepped through the metal detector.
Besides some dirty looks from the TSA, they gave him no trouble because he comes here multiple times a month. Grabbing his things he began to walk towards his terminal.
Editor: Scarlet Goddess