Hero

"What? Yami, you're leaving?" Naruto panted from his incredibly awkward position as he clung to the tree trunk for dear life.

"Yeah, I think I've got the hang of it now," she answered. The truth was that she got the hang of it a long time ago, and lately she'd just been practicing regular combat and shuriken-aiming. "Don't work your asses off, you two."

"Come back later and watch me finish this!" Naruto shouted after her. "Or, you'll probably not even make it, 'cause I swear I'll finish this in like ten minutes!"

"Pipe down, will you?" Sasuke grunted. "Less talk, more training."

Naruto stuck out his tongue at his rival before he settled down to focus.

Ok, focus… focus…. Focus… Alright, let's do this—

"By the way…"

"WHAT THE HECK IS YOUR PROBLEM, IDIOT?!" Naruto roared. "I was concentrating, ya know!"

"Kh, I was just gonna ask…!" Sasuke retorted but calmed himself down and then avoided Naruto's gaze.

"What?" Naruto asked irritably.

"Well… you asked Yami and Sakura for advice, didn't you?" Sasuke began, and a faint blush crept onto his cheeks.

"What about it?"

"What… what did they say..?"

Silence. Naruto processed that Sasuke had actually asked him for help, and he could've been nice and ignored the grudges that he had against his rival and decide to actually help him, but Naruto happened to be a bad boy right now, so his lips shaped into an evil grin and he said in mock: "I won't tell you, baaaka~"

Sasuke's mental note: Kick Naruto's ass later.

Meanwhile Yami reached Tazuna's house and found him and Sakura at the door. Sakura looked really depressed.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" Yami asked with a concerned look on her face.

Sakura spun around and looked at her with sadness in her eyes. "Oh, Yami, you wouldn't believe it! The poor, starving people of this town… And the orphans…" her voice broke.

Yami put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but Tazuna spoke before she got the chance. "Let's go inside, you two. Dinnertime soon," he said and gave them a reassuring smile before he opened the door for them.

Inside Tsunami started cooking the groceries that Sakura and Tazuna had bought, and soon Naruto and Sasuke joined the party as well, and they could all sit down and eat.

Tazuna's grandson Inari was there as well, although he just sat quietly by the table.

"Umm, excuse me for asking…" Sakura suddenly said, "but why is a part of the photograph on the wall over there torn off?" She pointed at a portrait of Tazuna, Tsunami and Inari.

"Oh, that…" Tazuna said and his voice trailed off somewhat. "That was… the man known as the hero of this town…"

Suddenly Inari rose from his chair and exited the room.

"Inari!" Tsunami exclaimed and rose as well. She glared angrily at Tazuna. "I've told you not to speak of him when Inari is nearby!" and she chased after her son.

Silence followed.

"What happened to that man, Tazuna-san?" Kakashi asked when the boy and his mother were out of earshot.

Tazuna closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "He died. Executed by Gato."

Sakura gasped in horror.

"And the hope of the people in this town died along with him…" Tazuna continued, and then he told them the story of Kaiza, and how their what-used-to-be peaceful hometown turned into what it was today. (Again, the awful author skips the storytelling.)

It was Naruto who broke the silence that followed, as he rose from his chair and strode towards the exit in silence.

"N-Naruto, where are you going?" Sakura exclaimed.

Naruto stopped just by the door, and without turning to face his friends, he spoke: "I'm gonna prove to Inari that there are still heroes in this world!"

And he shut the door behind him.

"Naruto…" Sakura murmured. "… That idiot."

Yami didn't take her eyes off the closed door. "Why…" she mumbled after a while, "why does he…"

"Yami?" Sakura asked.

Yami realized that she'd been thinking loud and blushed. After a while she left the table as well, and went outside to stare at the great bridge in silence. The night was quiet and calm, and Yami stood there for quite a while.

"You really are a reclusive person."

Sasuke's voice broke the silence. Yami didn't bother to turn around.

"You haven't told us anything about you," Sasuke said. "Where are you from, really?"

The answer lingered on Yami's lips. "No where," she finally answered.

"That's not much of an answer," Sasuke said.

"But it's still an answer." Yami replied, still not facing him, but only staring out across the giant, dark lake. The moon was reflecting its pale shine in the water.

"Sasuke…" she suddenly said and turned her head slightly to meet his gaze. "You don't have to believe me, but… I want you to know that I absolutely don't intend to turn against you or your friends."

"I didn't think you would."

Silence. Yami fixed her gaze on the water again.

"That makes me glad."

No respond came from Sasuke, and Yami wasn't expecting one either. She wasn't even sure if he'd heard her last sentence.

Her thoughts wandered automatically to Naruto, and she hoped that he wouldn't get himself into trouble as he ran around in the woods in the middle of the night.

She kept watch for him to return for a few hours, but when he didn't, she went back inside, where she sat and talked to Sakura for a while.

Naruto didn't return during the night, and he didn't show up during breakfast the following day either.

"Sasuke-kun, you haven't touched your food, is something the matter?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke ignored her question. "I'm done."

"What? Where are you going?" Sakura asked as he headed for the door.

"I'm gonna go train, and might as well try to find our lost moron." He answered before leaving.

"Jeez, why does he always have to be in such a rush…" Sakura moaned.

"He's obviously worried about Naruto," Yami said.

Sakura frowned and shook her head. "Nah, that doesn't sound like Sasuke-kun…" she said, and a smirk crept onto Yami's face.

"I'll go too. Thanks for the food," she said politely and grabbed the turkey lying on her plate before she exited the room.

"Aww, Yami too?!" Sakura sighed.

Yami launched herself from branch to branch and scanned the forest for her missing companion. Has he seriously been training all night? She thought for herself.

A movement caught her attention and she landed on the ground without a sound, and she took a quiet leap into a shrubbery to hide her appearance.

A boy with long, dark hair and an – almost – cute face, making him look rather feminine, was walking towards her. Yami got to her feet and was about to ask if the boy had seen Naruto, but something about the stranger made her cautious.

The boy stopped just as he was passing her, and their shoulders were only a few centimetres apart. "If you're looking for the blonde boy, he's up ahead," he said.

Yami didn't reply. The boy kept walking without another word, and Yami watched him disappear out of sight before she continued.

At least the boy had told her the truth, because hardly five minutes later she found a torn up and exhausted Naruto, going on his practice-tree as if it was his deadliest enemy.

"Yo, Naruto!" Yami called, making Naruto spin around and fall to the ground with a shriek. Somewhat embarrassed, she helped him up. "Sorry about that…"

"Nah, it's… hahh.. okay.. hahh.." Naruto panted and leaned against the tree.

Yami searched her pocket and pulled out the turkey that she brought along. "Here," she said and gave it to Naruto.

"Oh, my god, thanks!" he exclaimed, licking his lips hungrily and started attacking the dry meat. "Awwa wywy wungqy, wawo! Wanwy womma~! (I was really hungry, ya know! Thank you so much~!"

After he'd eaten the turkey – which didn't take that long – he told her about his encounter with the boy whom they'd both met before. And after that, Yami joined him in training, and then actually Sasuke showed up just to join them as well.

The three of them practically worked their asses off, and by nightfall, to Naruto's joy and Sasuke's pride, they two boys reached the top of their trees.

"You did it," Yami said when they returned to the ground after enjoying the view up in the crowns.

"Told ya I would," Naruto grinned.

"Let's go back now," Sasuke said and supported Naruto along with Yami. And the three of them headed back to Kakashi and the others, unaware of what was lying ahead of them.