The Hidden Village Talons

Section 1: Konoha Festival Begins

Konoha Village seemed the same as any other day, even with the village's festival going on during the week. The villagers were decorating the street ways, windows, shops, and homes for the festivities to celebrate the rise of the Hokages. The red and white streamers, paintings, and paper lanterns lined the road sides accompanied by the echoing of laughter and festive music, created a jovial atmosphere all across Konoha. Every citizen was sure to be involved, since this was one of the most entertaining weeks of the entire year.

Visitors from all of the villages came to pay their respects as well, to maintain the shred of peace they have holding their nations together. Small parties would be sent out from each country to offer gifts to the village, and are honored by joining in the festivities. Nothing of incidence had occurred in the past years or celebrations, and everyone remained confident that it would follow into this years Hokage's Festival, or at least they hoped.

In the center of village was the Konoha Hospital, which was still in the process of being decorated. Dozens of chuunin lined the walls scaling all the way up the building, with streamers in hand. Some stopped their work to wave to the enthusiastic patients inside, who were cheering them on as they healed their wounds and illnesses.

At the base of the building was the hard-working Kakashi, who was meticulously pinning up a large sign that read: "Happy Hokage's Festival! From the Konoha Hospital!" He leaned back from his perch to make sure it was straightened out across the hospital's entrance, before he was interrupted by the beckoning behind him.

"Kakashi-sensei! Did you make that!?" He turned back, and looked down to see Sakura waiving up towards him.

He smiled brightly, and tapped the banner lightly, "You think I could make something like this? I'm just hanging it up for the hospital, the nurses made it!" He looked down again and noticed that she was all alone, "Hey... where's Sasuke and Naruto?"

She looked up a little and smile, "Oh... I don't know where Sasuke-kun is... but Naruto! That lazy idiot is still sleeping..."

Kakashi chuckled as he crouched down on the ledge. "Those two make a weird couple, but I like it. Well you should go and wake him up so he can help me out here in town. Oh and also find Sasuke, we'll need his help here too."

Sakura popped up happily, "Ok! I'm on it!" She broke into a sprint, down the street, weaving herself through the crowd in a hurry.

Kakashi watched her off, with a pleasant smile on his face. "This should be a fun festival this year..."

------

Back at Naruto's room, he was still laying in his bed oversleeping as usual. He lay sprawled across his bed, belly up. His left arm was hanging over the edge of his bed, with one of his sandals oddly strapped to his hand. A tapping on his window began suddenly, which didn't trigger a real reaction for Naruto. He grumbled, and pulled his sheets over his head with his free hand.

Outside, Sakura was standing on the street below, throwing small pebbles she could find on the ground. She was hurling the pebbles up to Naruto's window, trying to gain his attention. She sighed heavily and looked down to the ground in disappointment. "He isn't getting up... We were supposed to go out early together..." She clinched her teeth and hand angrily, "Stupid Naruto!" She lifted a large brick from the street and hurled it up to his window. "Take... THIS!"

Naruto was peaceful, right before the brick busted through his window, sending the wood from the shutters all around his room. He flew up holding his hands up defensively, "AH! What the hell!" He noticed the sandal on his hand while holding his arms up, and looked up at it. His eyes narrowed, and his lower lip jetted out in befuddlement, before her ripped the sandal off and headed towards his shattered window. Naruto looked out the window and down to see Sakura, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I hope that hit you in your big fat lazy dumb face! You stood me up!"

"Eh?" Naruto looked up to the sun for the time, and panicked. His head turned slowly and rickety back to Sakura with an idiotically guilty, "My bad."

Sakura clinched the brick she had in her hand and pumped her fist angrily, "You very bad, idiot!" She hurled the brick up at Naruto in rage.

Naruto saw it and ducked screaming, "Ah-rah! What are you doing!? I'm coming now! I'm sorry!"

------

When he was ready, he came downstairs to see Sakura, with her arms crossed, her eyebrow raised, and her mouth curled in disappointment. Naruto came out rubbing the back of his head nervously, expecting some serious pain.

"Hi Sakura-chan! Heh." She didn't respond, and just stepped forward to him slowly. Naruto looked back at her in fear, "Oh no! She's going to let you have it now!" He closed his eyes in anticipation of the abuse to follow, but nothing happened, so he opened his eyes to see what happened. Naruto saw Sakura smiling happily in front of him. Relaxed, Naruto let his guard down.

Still smiling, she pulled right her arm back, and clocked Naruto right across his left cheek, sending him back through the door he came out. She violently started pointing at him with flames in her eyes, "Idiot! Don't be late again!"

Naruto lay sprawled out in the wreck of his door, with a bruised and puffy cheek, "And I thought she was going to let it slide, oy..." He got up, carefully stepping through the pile of broken door, rubbing his cheek, "I'm still sorry Sakura-chan, can I make it up to you?"

Sakura turned away smiling, and rolled her eyes while blushing. She looked at the ground shyly, and turned back to him, "Just spend the whole day with me, please?"

He looked at her and grinned cheerfully, nodding in affirmation. His eyes shut, and his grin slowly molded into a large smile, "Sweet, a whole day with Sakura-chan! I just hope she'll be in a good mood." She walked up next to him, and grabbed his hand with a cute smile and a small giggle.

------

The pair headed through the forest in search for Sasuke, who Kakashi needed to help with decorations at the hospital. They checked at the creek-side, all across town, in the forest, at the gravestone, and even at the training area. He was nowhere to be found, so the two collapsed in fatigue. Naruto lay across a nearby wooden stump, while Sakura just leaned up against it.

"Where the hell is he anyways..." Naruto whined, as his back arched across the tree stump.

Sakura had her head leaned against her palm, with her eyes closed unenthusiastically. "We need to find him though; Kakashi-sensei said he needed him."

Sasuke came out from the forest side suddenly, "...Needed who?"

Naruto lashed out, "SASUKE?! Where were you, we looked everywhere for you!"

"Humph... I was busy training more, what do you want from me anyways?"

Sakura stood up, "Kakashi-sensei said he needed your help with the festival decorations at the hospital."

"I see. Well, I should go now then." He noticed Sakura grabbing Naruto's hand again when she walked up next to him, and cringed, "Looks like they're doing fine by themselves anyways." He walked off through the woods in the direction of the hospital in town.

Naruto watched him off, "I know we have a date Sakura-chan, but I think I should go help out too..."

Sakura looked down a little disappointed at first, but then lifted her head happily, "Yea, I'll come too then, and we can have our date there!"

Naruto nodded to her with a pleased grin across his face. He looked back out to the forest where Sasuke had left through, "Sasuke's mad at me, I can tell. I wish he wasn't, it's not like I wanted to hurt him or anything."

------

When Naruto and Sakura arrived at the hospital, they looked up at the building to see that most of it was decorated already. High up was Kakashi, who was yelling down to them while waving his hand high above him.

"Kakashi-sensei, you better have left some stuff for me and Sakura-chan to do!"

"Naturally!" Kakashi hollered from above, releasing a large scroll down towards Naruto.

Naruto panicked when he saw the huge scroll descending towards him, and quickly performed a seal underneath, building some chakra in his palms. He held his palms up and caught the scroll using the chakra build-up in his palms to soften the blow. When it stopped, he lowered it to the ground, and flung back up yelling at Kakashi, "HEY! What the hell! I could have been crushed! Blah, blah..."

Sakura watched Naruto as he continued to go off about the scroll, being very humored by it all. "That was great... and he doesn't even notice what he just did." She smiles while watching him still, "...he's amazing."

Naruto bent down, and wedged his fingers underneath the side of the scroll. Yanking and tugging at it, he wasn't able to move the scroll much. "Eh?! Why is this scroll so damn heavy?!"

Sakura's expression melted, as she turned pale in disappointment, "Eh... maybe not that amazing..."

------

When Naruto finally got the scroll to lift, he had hung it up over the entrance that Kakashi told him to put it. It was perfectly straight, as Naruto pinned up the last corner against the building side. He stood up tall in a super-man pose, "Oh! If you want something done, leave it to Uzumaki Narutooo!!!" He flung his fist up in victory as he began to laugh confidently.

Sasuke looked up at the scroll Naruto hung, and smugly looked away with a grin, "Humph, that's great and all... if it were right side up you moron."

"Eh?!" Naruto turned his head quickly and saw the scroll, which indeed was the wrong side up. "...Ah-reh..." A large drop of sweat rolled down the backside of his head as he stood slumped forward towards the scroll.

Sakura slapped her face in frustration, "What a bonehead..." Kakashi was standing next to her, cheerfully laughing at Naruto's error and her reaction to it. Sakura looked up again and saw Naruto's expression, which seemed to be more upset then his usual after making a dumb mistake. She looked up with concern, and then climbed up to the ledge with Naruto. "Naruto...?"

He turned his head slightly, still hanging it in shame, "Did you come up to make fun of me...?"

Sakura pulled back with a sting of guilt, "Why would I do that to you..." She stood silently, thinking of what she should do to cheer him up. So, she stepped past him and pulled down one of the corners of the scroll, "I just came up to help you fix it!" She turned and looked at him smiling reassuringly.

Naruto looked up from his head hang, and smiled, "Thanks Sakura-chan." He slowly sauntered past her to the other end of the scroll.

Sakura watched him move to the other end with the concerned expression still on, "...Since when did Naruto become so sensitive...? He usually brushes things like that off."

Down below, Sasuke looked up with a seemingly irritated appearance, "Humph... of course she goes up to help that idiot feel better about being stupid. Who the hell is Naruto anyways...?" He clinched his fist tightly, trying to hold his emotions in tightly.

Kakashi looked down from the corner of his eye, at the actions of Sasuke, "Hmm... has Naruto and Sakura's relationship together finally triggered something in Sasuke?" When he looked back up to Naruto and Sakura, the scroll hand be fixed right side up. The chuunin watching below, all began to cheer since the decorating was now complete with the scroll's rearrangement.

Sakura turned her head to Naruto, who seemed to feel a lot better, and smiled. "I'm glad he feels better, now..." She walked over to him, and fell forward to him happily, latching herself onto hit outfit. She looked up towards him, and gave him a small kiss on his cheek. The crowd showed their soft spot for love with a loud and choral "Awww..."

Everyone kept clapping; the mood of celebration and happiness was officially in the air. Among the happy faces and cheers though, was the young boy who didn't feel there was much to be excited about. Sasuke stood among the crowd looking up to them, with an infuriated look full of malice and hatred... "Why does seeing them together make me so... mad...?"

------

The next morning, Sakura still lay in bed in her nightgown, and that had not yet risen over the horizon. An incisive, but familiar tapping began against her balcony window. She sat up gradually, and looked at the clock against her wall, which read "4:00 AM."

Sakura smoothed out her morning-messy hair, and groaned, "What the hell...?" She forced herself out of bed, and headed towards her window in an exhausted drag. She opened her balcony doors, and peered over the edge with a weary expression. Down below, she saw Naruto waving idiotically with a pile of pebbles in his hand.

"Sakura-chan! You finally answered!"

Sakura sat there, blinking her eyes in amazement, "He's... awake... and early...? Yeah, four hours early... What the hell are you doing here so early damn it!"

Naruto nervously rubbed the back of his head, "Well I was thinking about getting up on time for out date today, and couldn't sleep... So... I thought I'd ask if I could stay with you the rest of the night...?" He smiled up nervously at his own question, a little embarrassed about asking.

Sakura looked down, and cracked a wide grin. She looked left and right cautiously, then directed Naruto up with her arm gestures.

Naruto found his way up along gutter pipes, ledges, and rooftops to get up to her balcony. When he reached the top, he climbed over the rail and fell face first into the base of the balcony as usual. Sakura leaned back and giggled, helping him up from the ground. "What an idiot..."

Naruto got up rubbing his face where he fell, "Oww... Damn it..."

Sakura left him behind and turned back, running over to her bed. Then, she jumped onto her bed resignedly, "C'mon Naruto! I want to go back to sleep."

He smiled, nodded, and headed over to her bed. He sat down at the edge, only to be grabbed from behind by Sakura by the neck, and dragged down next to her. She cuddled up close to him, as he was lying down, "Night, Naruto... I love you..." He held her hand that was draped across his chest, as she dozed off, clutching onto Naruto's arm.

He looked over to her, as she slept, "How'd all of this happen suddenly, I've got all these friends, and one of the prettiest girls... after having no one..." He sighed heavily and happily, and dozed off himself.

------

The festival had started, and everyone was out to celebrate the first day of events. More importantly though, was the arrival of the other countries' representatives. The citizens anxiously waited their arrival, due to their fascination of meeting outsiders. One of those excited citizens happened to by Naruto, who was severely enthusiastic about seeing new people.

Naruto ran down the side road, dragging the reluctant Sakura along, "C'mon Sakura-chan! All those genin are going to be there!"

Sakura struggled to keep up as she stumbled along while being pulled, "...Slow...Slow down Naruto!"

He jerked to a halt, "I'm sorry!" He started jumping up and down waving his fists around wildly, "...I'm just so pumped up to meet all these new ninjas who probably have coooooool jitsus!"

Sakura looked at him with her eyes narrowed, "...Chill out Naruto... You'll get to see them."

Naruto turned to her rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, "Heh, I guess you're right. Sorry Sakura-chan." Naruto stopped, and looked over Sakura's shoulder, "Huh? What's that?!" He headed toward the large crowd behind Sakura in a breakout sprint.

When he reached the crowd, his small stature came into play. He began jumping up and down trying to get a viewpoint of what the commotion was all about. Sakura watched him frantically try to find a hole among the crowd, "He's so excited about these genin from the other countries... I should help him out!" She headed over to where Naruto was trying to squeeze between these two large men.

He fell back in defeat, and sat on the ground, "Eh... they're too heavy! Oh? Hi Sakura-chan, I can't see anything..." He hung his head in disappointment.

Sakura smiled back at him, "What this, Naruto!" She looked up and tapped the man's shoulder, while putting on a puppy dog face, "Sir... I can't see anything... could me and my friend please go to the front...pleassssseee?"

The guy looked down, with a torn expression on his face, "Awww, anything for you little lady," he said stepping to his side, and clearing out a path for them.

Sakura turned back to Naruto with a modest grin, and Naruto's jaw hung down in amazement. "Ah-rah?"

She gave him a thumbs-up, "Learn from the pros, Naruto!"

He smiled widely, and flung up to his feet, "You're the best, Sakura-chan!" He grabbed her hand and began to drag her again, "C'mon lets go!"

The two made their way to the front of the crowd, and in the middle of the crowd was a small semi-circle enclosed around all of the visiting jounin and genin coming from the other villages and countries.

Naruto flung his arm up and joined into the crowd's cheers, "Wah-hoo! Welcome to Konoha you bastards!" Sakura looked over to Naruto with her eyes narrowed, blushing with embarrassment when people glared at Naruto for his big mouth.

Sakura looked forward, and saw all of the new faces coming for their visit, and clapped her hands together in anticipation, "...Now that I'm here, I can see why Naruto was so excited, this is fun!"

"Eh?!?!" Naruto lashed his arm, pointing obnoxiously at someone, "...look Sakura-chan!"

She peered over questionably, and saw three figures walk up through the arriving genin and jounin. It was Kankoru stepped forward with a grin on his face, and then lashed back when he saw Naruto pointing towards him. Temari walked up next to him, laughing and waving towards the stunned pair in the crowd. Gaara lagged behind them, with his arms crossed and the gourd nestled on his back as always.

"Sandies?!" Naruto leaned back smiling, "They're back after helping us with those uglies from before!" He ran up to the three, and without putting much thought into it, jumped on Gaara, giving him a huge hug.

Gaara leaned back, slightly stunned as Naruto hugged him, with the sand nestled protectively between the two. "What... are you doing?"

Naruto flew back giving a thumbs up, "Hugging my good friend, that's what friends do anyways right?!" Gaara looked back with surprise, and then closed his eyes and gave a relieved smirk.

Temari looked over with a touched expression, "...Gaara's changed so much since that fight with the bigmouth kid over there..."

Kankoru looked over from behind Temari as well, "...That idiot did wonders for him, thanks Naruto."

Sakura walked up happily next to Naruto, grabbing his hand lovingly. Kankoru and Temari noticed the gesture and gasped in disbelief.

"Wha-... what's this?" Kankoru asked, holding his arm up pointing questionably.

Sakura stood up glowing, "Me and Naruto are together now!"

Kanaoru's pupils dilated, and he dropped his head in disappointment, "...Well there goes my chance..."

Temari launched forward in excitement, "Awww! The little ones are in love! Hehe!" She reached forward and pinched their cheeks like a grandmother would.

The two looked back unenthusiastically, "...We're not that little..."

Gaara silently looked over at Naruto and Sakura as thoughts swam through his head, "...So that's why he fought so hard for her life before... is this, what love could be?" He smiled confidently, "...I hope that's how it is." He turned his head to Kankoru and Temari, "I'm sorry, but we should be going..." He turned and began to leave.

Temari and Kankoru suddenly remembered that Gaara was right, and turned to Naruto and Sakura, "Sorry, we've got to head out to mean our Jounin, we'll see you around!" Temari said gleefully with Kankoru nodding happily in affirmation, over her shoulder.

Naruto waved frantically as the two walked off, "Bye! Seeya!" He whipped back around towards Sakura in an energetic manner, "Ohhh! This is sooo cool! Isn't it Sakura-chan?!"

She grinned back at Naruto, "Yup! He's so stupid its cute... heh." She blushed suddenly, and leaned forward giving Naruto a small kiss.

He flung his arm back behind his head, and began to rub his head nervously, "Heh... Thanks Sakura-chan!" Naruto stopped, and glanced over Sakura's shoulder. She noticed and turned around to see what he was looking at. Off in the distance were Shino and Romi approaching slowly. "Ahh, it's the Shinos!"

Sakura turned her head slightly looking back to Naruto, "...Her name's Romi you know..."

Both Romi and Shino reached the two in time and made their way to the front of the crowd. When Shino reached then, he took his hand out of his pocket holding it up in a greeting, "Hey."

Romi waved happily to Sakura, "Hi Sakura!" She then turned her head to Naruto, and started blushing slightly, "Hi Naruto..."

Shino looked at Romi, then turned to Naruto, and grunted with irritation as his glasses shined over in an intimidating way.

Sakura looked over to Romi with her eyes narrowed and her mouth stretched out suspiciously, "She better know what's good for her..."

Naruto just chuckled obliviously to all the vibes being tossed around. Shino crossed his arms and broke up the silence, "...So what are you two doing? What's going on here?"

Naruto pumped his fist up actively, "All the Jounin and Genin from afar are arriving, and they're all so cool!"

Shino's eyebrows arched up with interest, "Oh really? Sound's interesting." He glanced over to Romi, "You want to stay here and watch for a while?"

She popped up smiling, "Sure! It should be interesting!"

The four crowded around the front of the crowd, watching the new Jounin and Genin arrive one band at a time.

------

First to arrive were the villagers from the Hidden Mist Village, from the water country. Naruto crossed his arms in disappointment, "Nothing fun about water genin..."

The jounin who stepped forward looked as if he were a pirate. He stood tall with a black eye patch on his left eye, and was clearly bald. His blue jacket had lame looking buttons on them, and his pants were tight and black, making the jounin look awfully foolish.

Naruto flung his arms up wildly, "He looks stupid! The genin is probably going to be even worse!"

Sakura looked forward, "You're probably right, Naruto..."

The four waited for the genin to step forward, and she did. She was a gorgeous girl, with long black hair, long eye lashes, and crystal blue eyes. Shino and Naruto flew forward with hearts in their eyes and said at the same exact moment, "Ahh! She's so beautiful!"

Sakura and Romi stood behind them with their expressions showing anger. "...Men..."

The female jounin looked up, and noticed Naruto ogling her, and waved to him flirtatiously. Naruto looked back with his mouth open happy, and blood running slightly from his nose, then got followed with a bash over the skull from Sakura.

"Don't look at her like that you bastard! I thought you loved me!?!" she said pumping her arm, and twitching in fury.

"Eh?! I was just looking! Jeeze, Sakura-chan..."

Sakura huffed and turned away from him, "...That jerk... How could he look at her like that! ... or am I just over reacting, because I'm jealous...?"

Next to arrive were the Nin of the Grass country. The Jounin representing was nothing special. The woman stood up tall with a light green robe, something you would expect from Nins that use flora jutsus. Behind here though was the genin, who caught Naruto's eye. He was about the same height as Rock Lee, and had noticeably unique brown dread locks. Naruto had never seen he hairstyle before, and was very impressed. Also the genin had dark brown tracks all across his body, which looked like roots underneath his skin, which all flowed together into his eyes, which were colored green with white in the center.

Naruto bounced up laughing, "Oooo! So cool looking! I want to see him fight!" Naruto jumps into the open and starts doing charades, "...He probably makes his roots all come out of his arms or some crazy crap like that!"

Sakura pleads with him, "Come back in here and stop grabbing so much attention!"

The genin glared over with the corner of his eye, towards Sakura who was pulling and tugging Naruto back into the crowd desperately. The two didn't notice the looks that were being given, and the dark manner that they were given in.

Following behind the Grass country were those from the Hidden Stone Village of the Earth Country. The Jounin who lead the group, stood very tall, and had a unique look. His hair was colored red, and ran back smoothly between his shoulder blades, wore his protector around his left arm over his blue colored outfit. The genin behind him had wildly spiked hair, seemingly long. The brown spikes looped out and up, then curved down in front of his head protector. Around his shoulders were two large sacks, one over each shoulder. He had a small muscled shirt and black shorts that dropped down just below his knees.

The genin jogged up to the front of the crowd, and raised his fist obnoxiously, "I am Murata Benjiro! Great ninja from Hidden Stone Village! You will all get to see my strength soon enough! I promise!"

Sakura looked at him all worn-out, "...Another Naruto? The Naruto of the Earth Country..." She sighed despondently, and then grinned at the thought of Naruto's attitude.

His jounin looked back at him, "Don't go running your mouth too much Benjiro, we want to do things right here, understand?"

Benjiro turned around nervously running his head, "Yea, yea Hideo-sensei... My bad..." He hung his head shamefully and continued on back Naruto and the gang. When the two moved on with their village council lagging behind them, another band followed closely, as Naruto grinned in anticipation.

Shino looked at the departing Benjiro, "...He's very powerful... I could sense his strength..." Before he noticed though, he was startled and jerked his head towards the new group coming forward. "...What is this... this obscene strength...!?"

The travelers from the final village participating in the visits this year approached. The members of The Hidden Cloud Village approached all together.

Naruto launched forward in excitement, "Oooo! The Lighting Country Sakura-chan! They use electricity in their jutsus! SO COOL!" He leaned forward impatiently, waiting for the figures to come into view.

Stepping forward was the Jounin, a blonde hair man, who happened to be very large and intimidating. His hair was short and held back with a bandana, and his fists had there peculiar metal gauntlets on them, which had blue stones protruding from the surface. Naruto smiled at the bad-ass appearance of the Jounin, but then widened his eyes as the genin moved forward.

"...What... is that...?" Naruto, Sakura, Shino, and Romi all leaned forward in shock when the genin moved forward.

The genin was sitting in a peculiar and frightening chair. It had a series of wires jetting out of its body, which had an eerie glow bellowing below it. There were large wheels on its sides, and they seemed to be advanced with added steel points in them. The wires out its sides seemed to trail underneath the Genin... who sat silently in this monstrosity. He had a large pair of goggles covering his eyes, which were colored black. His hair was black, and mostly covered by a red bandana. The most peculiar aspect of the genin in this chair was the position of his protector, which was tightly tied around his face, covering his mouth. The rest of his body was covered with one large black jumpsuit, which had a lifted collar similar to Shino's jacket.

Naruto leaned back slightly perturbed by the look of the chair in front of him, and so was the rest of the crowd. The genin did not react to the astonishment of the people regarding his appearance, nor the comments they made about him. Naruto nudged Sakura, "...What is that anyways... why is he sitting down?"

An old man next to him placed his arm on Naruto's shoulder upon overhearing his question to Sakura, "It's a wheelchair my boy."

Naruto looked up to the man in wonder, "...Wheelchair...? Why?"

The old man looked forward towards the genin, "...He cannot walk most likely..."

Naruto dropped his jaw, "EH?!"

Sakura popped up behind him with concern on her face, "What do you mean he can't walk?"

The old man crossed his arms sternly, "Well... some children are born with problems they have no control of... you should know of this well young one." He placed his hand onto Naruto's head, and Naruto looked towards the genin compassionately. He looked around at how everyone was behaving when they saw the genin, and it reminded him of how he was long ago.

"...and he's... a genin?" Romi tilted her head questionably, "...how can he be a genin if he can't even walk...?"

Naruto looked over quickly, and felt a flame inside of him ignite, as he exploded towards Romi, "What?! You think that just because he was born with a problem at birth, that he can't overcome it and become a great ninja anyways?! Anyone can be anything if they just try hard enough! And they don't need people like you doubting them!"

Romi looked back at Naruto feeling crushed, and retreated from his angry being. Shino stepped forward pushing Naruto back slightly, but Romi pleaded with him, "No... its ok Shino, he's right. I'm sorry Naruto."

Naruto looked back, and nodded towards Romi. Sakura looked towards Naruto with unease, "...Naruto took that so hard... I've never seen him blow up like that."

Naruto turned back towards where the old man was standing,"...But old man, there's a way he can walk ri..." He turned to see the man had left, "Ah-reh...?"

Shino's eyebrow rose up, "I didn't sense him leave... that was strange..."

Naruto crossed his arms in disappointment, but then slowly turned to the rolling genin, who turned his head back towards Naruto. Naruto looked directly at the genin's goggles, "...I really want to see what this guys got... I really do..."