CHAPTER 4 A LOST PAST
"talking"
'thinking'
"demon/inner sakura talking"
'demon thinking/ inner sakura'
The next morning found the team at the breakfast table of Tazuna's home where they all sat around eating some rice and eggs. They all had the same thing on their mind their newest guest.
Flashback
Kakashi looked down and see none other than Naruto the son of his former sensei laying on the ground covered in dirt and bruises
"Kakashi sensei what do we do?" sakura asked looking up at her sensei who was still speechless
"Ah one minute." Kakashi said as he bent down and checked over the boy to make sure he didn't have any major injuries then picked him up and threw him over his shoulder.
"Why are we picking up this weakling? He will only slow us down and be a liability." Sasuke said
"I will explain later but he is wanted by the leaf." Kakashi said which got a shocked look from all three of the genin
"What is he wanted for at our age?" Sasuke asked
"Sorry I can't say right now." Kakashi said as he left it at that and began to walk away
'Could it have to do with that night because?' sakura thought as she watched Kakashi walk away with the blond over his shoulder. 'could he be wanted for murder when he was only trying to protect me?' the pinkette worried as she realized she was falling behind and ran up to catch up.
End Flash Back
The team ate their breakfast silently till Sakura broke the silence
"So uhm how is the guy we found doing?" she asked quietly
"Good, there doesn't seem to be any major injuries just looks like he got into a small tussle and knocked out he should be wake up soon." Kakashi replied looking up from his book
"Would it be alright if I watched over him till he woke up?" Sakura asked as this got her a strange look from both Sasuke and Kenma
"I did want to have the three of you start training today but guess it would be fine if you stayed and watched him and the house while I trained these two." Kakashi said
"What how come she gets to skip out?" Kenma complained
"Cause she has the best chakra control out of the three of you and she should be fine missing a day or so to watch over the house and the injured." Kakashi replied getting Kenma to shut up
Kakashi, Sasuke and Kenma got up and headed out the door while Sakura walked over to the room Naruto was in. as she walked in she saw the blonde laying on a floor mat under a blanket with a bandage on his cheek and forehead. His orange jacket and black shirt lay next to his head. She walked over and sat down next to him and just watched him sleep.
'It really is him.' Sakura thought 'the one who saved me all those years ago.' Just then a flash of his face covered in blood with red eyes flashed before her. 'ah what was that?' she thought as she gasped for air. Just then he started to stir and roll around.
"No please I just want some ramen." Naruto moaned in his sleep
'Hehe, he is having a dream about ramen.' Sakura giggled to herself
"No please just some I'm not a demon, please don't" naruto began to say as he tossed in his sleep
'What? This isn't a dream it's a nightmare.' Sakura thought as he began to thrash around
"No stop it please please." Naruto begged as he shot straight up from his sleep in a cold sweat and scanned the area, and found a strange pink haired girl sitting next to him. He relaxed a bit but still stayed a bit tense looking her up and down sizing her up. "who are you where am I?"
"It's ok we found you unconscious in the forest and brought you here so you could rest and heal." Sakura said
"Wow would you look at that body." Inner sakura said as she then noticed naruto was in pretty good shape for his age, and she got a small blush at the shirtless boy
"Still doesn't answer my question. Who are you and where am I?" naruto repeated
"Oh right." Sakura said snapping her out of her blush "I am Sakura Haruno, and you are in a man named Tazuna's house he is a bridge builder in the land of waves where we are." She explained
"Ok thank you." Naruto said as he calmed down a bit.
"What was the last thing you remember" sakura asked
"I was walking through the woods headed to the village of one of the islands in the land of waves, then some guy wearing a cloak landed in front of me demanded my medical supplies. But I didn't have any so he beat the hell out of me." Naruto explained
"Are you ok?" sakura asked
"Thought that is why you brought me here was to patch me up and what not?" naruto said with a smirk
"Right" Sakura "I mean you are just really lucky that guy you ran into is a very dangerous mercenary and bounty hunter. He could of killed you if he wanted." Sakura said
"Don't worry I've gone through plenty of beatings, so I am used to it." Naruto said with a foxish grin that just couldn't help but make sakura smile as well.
Just then the light caught her head band just right bringing Naruto's attention to it just then he jumped straight up in shock.
"Hey calm down lay back down, don't want you hurting yourself." Sakura said
"You're from the leaf village." Naruto said getting into a sloppy defensive fighting position
"What? Why does that matter?" Sakura said as she jumped up
"I ran away from the leaf cause they tried to kill me." Naruto said in a bit of a panicked voice
'What? Why would they want to kill him maybe arrest for killing that guy but why kill he must be mistaken.' Sakura thought as she eyed down the young blonde
Meanwhile in the forest Kakashi had started Sasuke and Kenma on the tree climbing exercise. They were slow at first but they had both progressed pretty far in the past couple hours.
"Good." Said Kakashi as he looked up from his book "now this is basic stuff for an experienced ninja but for new ninja it can be difficult so don't get down just because you don't get it on you first couple tries." He says as Kenma slipped off the tree and landed on his ass
"Damn't." kenma says as he walks back toward Kakashi "hey Kakashi sensei."
"Yes Kenma." Kakashi asked looking over his book
"I wanted to ask you how you know that boy we found I know you said the reason he is being looked for is an S-class secret but you seemed to know him I am just asking how." Kenma asked
"Huh" Kakashi sighed as he lowered his book "you ain't gona give up on this are you?" he asked as Kenma just stared up at him and even Sasuke looked over at him with curiosity. "Alright I can't give you all the details cause it's a long story but short version is he was an orphan in our village that was ostracized by most and was pretty close with the Hokage, I knew him from trying to catch for the various pranks he would pull." Kakashi said giving only part of the story
"Like what would he do?" Kenma asked as Sasuke had become more interested and walked over to listen
"Well he once panted mustaches on the faces of each of the Hokages on the monument." Kakashi said
"That was him I remember that but it was years ago." Kenma replied with astonishment trying to hold back a chuckle from the memory "so why did he run away from the village."
"I can't say I was out on a mission when I heard about it, so I don't know the details how ever the Hokage was in a very bad mood when we got back. But that is all I can say." Replied Kaskashi
"Just one last thing if he ran away and was as close to the Hokage as you said wouldn't he send people to track him down?" Kenma asked
"I will admit this kid did know how to get away from just about anybody. He was dodging ANBU from the time he was four. After a while he became Torra the cat but for the ANBU. He almost gave me the slip a few times after his pranks." Kakashi replied with an eye smile 'however I am sure most people that were sent didn't look to hard for him.' Kakashi thought to himself "what about you Sasuke that answer any questions you have on our new guest?"
"Don't really care about him what I want to know about is this guy named Fox." Sasuke replied
"Oh, right." Kakashi replied
"If we will be going up against him we need to know everything about him like his fighting style abilities and what not. So do you have a bingo book with him in it or if you know anything you should let us know since we are already involved if you like it or not." Sasuke replied
"Guess you're right." Kakashi said as he put his book away and pulled out a bingo book and turned to a marked page "alright to start off nobody knows much about him he likes to keep his secrets" he replies as he pulls out a bingo book and flips to the right page. "I looked him up after our first encounter, and this is what I found. He is a very young mercenary about your age no one knows how old he really is, as for his fighting style he has his duel short swords and is very skilled in close range hand to hand combat as we witnessed. As for jutsu unknown he may or may not have it no one has seen him use any. However that could just be because they haven't lived to tell it. He has a very strict rule of finishing a job. Lastly he has no problem with killing whoever gets in his way man or woman if they engage him he treats them as an enemy with no remorse however he is extremely skilled in stealth. Says here he was hired to kill a noblemen before he did it he played a prank on the nobles house with a warning of his death. The noble doubled security and the next morning he was found dead with head on his mantel and no one had even known he had been there." Kakashi said "and on the foot note he likes to mess with his opponents heads that is how he got his name of fox he will either joke around while fighting to get you off guard or play pranks on you to get on your nerves and have you make yourself open."
"Is that it?" Sasuke asked
"Yeah he doesn't let much out." Kakashi replied
"Wow he sounds like he is a ninja if he is that good at stealth." Kenma said in awe
"He could very well be one that was trained in secret in one of the nations then went rogue. It isn't unheard of for children to show potential to be taken into secret projects like that." Kakashi said
"That doesn't sound good at all." Kenma replied and sasuke just stared off thinking
"One last thing." Sasuke chimed in getting Kakashi's attention again "what is this demon islands he mentioned to Zabuza?"
"It is a chain of islands off the coast of the land of demons more like a salt water marsh. But it is most well-known as a gathering place of the criminals, smugglers, and underworld dealings. Even ninja from every nation avoid going there due to its reputation. It got its name cause the rumor said only a demon can enter the islands and leave unharmed so only way to go there and come back is to either be a demon or be labeled one." Kakashi explained Sasuke didn't say anything just stayed silent in thought.
"Well it seems to be getting late we'll head back to the house for launch and check on our guest and come back." Kakashi said as he put the bingo book away and started walking back toward the house
In the house Naruto was still in his messy fighting position. "ssstay away ninja." He stuttered
"Calm down I don't want to hurt you." Sakura replied try to calm him down
"How do I know that you ain't trying totrick me like the others did." Naruto replied getting more tense
"If I wanted to hurt you don't you think I would of done it while you were sleeping instead of patch you up?" Sakura replied
"True but I don't trust the leaf especially after that day." Naruto said as he lowered his as he remembered the day he was run out of the village.
"Cccan I ask…" sakura began but was cut off as the door opened and a silver haired Cyclops popped his head into the room
"Sakura.. oh your up" said Kakashi as he looked at naruto.
"And who are you?" said the blonde tensing even more and looking for a way to run
"Calm down we aren't here to hurt you we just found you in the road." Kakashi said
"I already explained it to him but he got jumpy when he saw my head band." Sakura said
"Well lunch is ready if you want to join us." Kakashi said as he closed the door
"How do I know its…" naruto started but was cut off as his stomach growled "ok maybe I could eat something." He replied just to get a giggle out of the pinkette
Naruto threw his shirt and jacket on then followed the silver haired Cyclops down the stairs where Sasuke and Kenma were eating lunch.
"Ah the street rat has woken up." Sasuke said
"Ah leave him alone Sasuke." Kenma said as he got up and walked over to Naruto and shook his hand. "hey I'm Kenma and the emo over there is Sasuke he is alright once you get to know him." He said in a friendly tone
"Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki" replied naruto as he took the hand cautiously as he sat down at the table and took the bowl of food an began to eat slowly eyes darting between everyone at the table as everyone sat down.
"So how was the training?" sakura asked
"You would know if you hadn't skipped out." Kenma replied
"Sorry I wanted to be sure our guest didn't start freaking out when he came too." Sakura said getting Kenma to recoil a bit at her remark
"Alright alright calm down." Kenma said
"We just went over the tree climbing technique." Kakashi said
"Oh right that is where you walk up a tree using your chakra in your feet to hold yourself to the tree right?" Sakura asked
"Right." Kakashi replied
"Well any way I want to know about our guest here." kenma said looking at naruto who just froze up a bit "so Kakashi-sensei said you used to be part of the village but left why is that?"
'Can't tell if he is just stupid or is being mean going straight for that.' Kakashi says to himself with a sigh 'I'm gona go with stupid'
At hearing this naruto put down his chopsticks and lowered his head while sakura did as well but it went unnoticed by everyone but Kakashi "I was run out of the village." He finally said as his gaze went off into nothing "its really a blur all I remember is looking down at a body covered in blood and seeing my hands covered in it, when I looked up I saw a mob of people with that same hate and fear in their eyes as always but the thing that got me most was a girl my age looking at me with absolute fear. I don't remember why but all I could think about her was 'traitor' I don't know why I had never seen her before. After that it's more of a blur but I managed to get away and I knew I could never return especially after that look she gave me." Naruto explained as everyone in the room went silent at his story. Sakura was holding back the tears as the story was a gut check to her remembering the story but from her side.
"Do you know why the villagers hated you?" kenma asked
'Jesus what is it with this kid he has gotta be stupid' Kakashi thought to himself
"No not really only thing I can gather is I was born on the day the Kyuubi attacked so I guess they saw me as the monster incarnate so they called me a demon and treated me like that." He said still zoned out
"I I'm sorry." Sakura stuttered out getting everyone's attention
"Sakura?" Kenma asked
"It's just so horrible the way they treated you, I know saying that won't change anything but." She couldn't finish as she broke down into tears
"Don't worry yourself it's not like you were the reason they despised me or ran me out of the village." Naruto said trying to comfort her but having the opposite effect
"Well the hokage does want to speak with you he has had teams looking for you so he can hear you side of the story." Kakashi said breaking the tension
"And if I run again?" naruto said
"I will be forced to take you back by force it's a standing order to bring you back alive." Kakashi said "but you have my word as a ninja you will not be harmed while you are back in the village."
"Alright not like I have much choice do I?" naruto said with a weak smile
"Very well now let's get back to training" Kakashi said as he got up and the three ninja got up as well "you are welcome to join us Naruto." Kakashi said getting Sasuke to stop in his tracks
"You mean you are going to train this run away." Sasuke said
"Only in basic chakra control, and if he had stayed he would have graduated with you guys so I am just giving him and education he missed out on." Kakashi explained
"Whatever" Sasuke mumbled as he walked out the door
Once they made it to where the team had been training earlier Kakashi told sakura the basics of the technique and showed her and she began to do it with the boys, while Kakashi started to explain chakra basics to him and helped him focus it with the leaf on the forehead technique that he just wasn't getting but slowly making progress.
After an hour Sakura had made it to the top without a problem and was getting bored, while naruto was getting frustrated and not getting anywhere.
"Hey Sakura come on down and take Naruto with you to the town to pick up some stuff for dinner." Kakashi called to the pinkett who was giggling at Kenma and Sasuke who had just made it half way up the tree.
"Oh alright" she called as she jumped out of the tree and landed next to naruto Kakashi. "ready" she said with a smile
"Alright I guess." Naruto says as he starts walking toward town with Sakura.
After a short walk they made it to the village and started going through what little food was at the market. Sakura looked on in sadness at the state of things, when she felt something grab he ass. "Naruto you little perv!" she yelled as she turned to hit the blonde for grabbing her ass but was met with the eyes of a little boy who had a hungry look in his eye. "oh" she said feeling sorry for the little guy and gave him some of her bread she had bought.
After she looked up she saw naruto wasn't around. 'oh shit Kakashi is gona kill me for losing him.' Sakura thought "Naruto!" she called out
"What." Came an annoyed voice from behind her and she looked to see his sky blue eyes looking back at her
"Oh god we could just go on forever in those eyes" inner sakura said dreamily
'No Sasuke kun is the only one for us.' She said to herself as she shook her head
"Where did you go?" she said in a demanding tone.
"Oh just getting a little payday." He said with a fox smile and held up a decent sized sack of coins
"Ah how dare you steal from these poor people they barely have enough as it is." Sakura said ashamed of him
"Hold it right there little lady I have seen far worse then this run down little town." Naruto said as he looked around but sakura didn't stop giving him the death glare "plus I didn't steal it form any of the villagers."
"Then who did you steal it from?" she asked still with the death glare.
"Him." He said pointing at a mountain of a man made of solid muscle sitting at an outside bar
"What why?" she said with some fear in her voice
"Cause I can afford to lose some coin." Naruto said as he watched the man "and he wont notice till he buys the next round of drinks." He said with a smile
"Oh who stole my money." The henchmen yelled
"Good drinker that one." Naruto said as he looked at Sakura "alright now I am just gona need you to play along with this one."
"Was it you." The man said as he picked up an old man
"What do you mean play…" she asked looking back at naruto to see he had her money pouch in her hand "what do you think you're doing you little thief." She yelled as she got pissed and was about to clobber him
At hearing the words thief the drunk looked over and say the blonde in front of a girl with pink hear hold not only her money pouch but his as well "hey you little thief that is mine." The drunk yelled as he lumbered over toward naruto.
"Alright thanks just meet me back at the house while I lose this guy." Naruto said as he took off down an alley way
Sakura just stood there for a second wondering what the hell just happened. After she shook her self out of the shock she started to head back to Tazuna's house. once she got there she opened the door to find naruto already sitting against the wall with his hands behind his head with a sense of accomplishment on his face.
"Why you little shit you…" sakura began but was cut off as a bag almost hit her face but she caught it before it impacted it.
"I put your cut in the bag for ya." Naruto said with a smile as Kakashi walked into the house
"Whose cut?" he asked having walked in right as naruto had told her about her cut.
"Oh sakura helped me rob this guy so I gave her, her cut of what I got. Only fair right?" naruto said with a smile
"really now sakura I thought you were above petty theft." Kakashi said with fake disappointment in his voice
"What I… but he… I had no idea he was going to do it and I was an unknowing participant." She tried explaining while flustered.
"But you helped none the less so you got your cut." Naruto said
"But I…" she began to dispute it
"I don't care what you do with it I gave you your share everyone who participated gets their share that is just how it goes." Naruto said not looking for an argument
"Alright. But why did you steal my pouch making me call you a thief and getting that guys attention?" she asked
"Well if he didn't know who stole it he would start beating on random people till he got his money back even if it wasn't his. So with him seeing me and knowingi was the one he took it he would follow me and I get away and he would just be pissed I got away." Naruto explained
"And he is kind thinking of others this guy has it all." Inner sakura cried
'No Sasuke kun is the only one for us how many times do I have to say it. But you do have a point on him having a good heart' She said arguing with her self
"That and the fact I got to dump a bucket of paint on him and get it stuck on his head was well worth the chase." Naruto with a laugh
"Ok never mind he is just an immature idiot. So yeah let's focus back on Sasuke" inner Sakura said face palming making her outer self smile in victory.
"So where is Sasuke kun and Kenma?" Sakura asked
"They are still trying to get the tree climbing technique down they are making progress the should be done later tonight." Kakashi explained
Later that night after Kenma and Sasuke returned from their training they all sat down and began to eat dinner with Tazuna and his family.
"Now is there anything more you can tell us about what gato has been doing here?" Kakashi asked Tazuna
"He has put a monopoly on all the trading on and off the islands forcing prices way up and that is even if we are able to get food across. He also has a prostitution ring that he has taken some of the local girls and put them in it as well." Tazuna at this sakura gasps and everyone clenches their fists especially naruto "they say the good looking ones stay in his personal harem until he gets tired of them and he puts them on the street if they are lucky." Tazuna said
"And if they're not?" sakura was scared to ask but got no reply just a shake of the head
"He probably kills them." naruto said in a low voice as everyone looked at him "probably after he rapes them a few times."
"And what makes you say that?" Sasuke says trying to sound authoritative
"I've seen it." Naruto said at this Sakura puts her hand up to her mouth in shock
"A friend I made shortly after I left the village was picked up similar to what you say, I found her working the streets one day I went to ask her what she was doing that was when he pimp came by and smacked her for talking to me a week later I found her body in an ally and I overheard her pimp joking about how she was making any money on her so he 'disposed' of her." he says in an angry tone
"We need to stop this." Sakura said listening to Naruto's story and looking at Kakashi
"I have sent word about what is going on and the Hokage knows but we are to do nothing he said he will work on getting an ANBU squad to take him out, but this is an international case so it will take some time to get it through. All we can do now is get the bridge down so that is one less thing Gato has his hands on." Kakashi said
"Its all pointless." The kid at the end of the table said
"What was that." Naruto growled at the boy
"I said it is useless he will win he always wins. You can't make a difference anyone who stands up to him gets killed." The boy said
"Inari that is enough." Tsunami scolded him
"Its true no one can stop him it's all pointless" he repeated
"Listen here you little shit." Naruto said in a tone none had heard before "let me guess you lost someone close to you because of Gato?" he said with only getting a death glare from the kid "I'll take that as a yes. So what"
"Naruto" Sakura cut in but was silenced by his own death glare
"I have seen what men like him do and what happens to the people that live under them." Naruto said "it isn't pretty so who ever this person was I am guessing he fought and we was made in example of, and he was close to you but you gotta put the past to the past and look at what you have infront of you. You have a mother and grandfather who love you and a village that supports you as well. So I don't want to hear you're kicked puppy dog story. You have something to fight for a family a village that should make you want to protect it. You know what I had in my village?" naruto began at this Kakashi lowered his head as he heard this "daily beatings and only got worse on my birthday during the celebration of the defeat of the nine tailed fox. All because I was born on that day the village saw me as the demon even gave me a birthday present to remind me of that fact." Naruto said as he took off his shirt which started to make sakura blush at first with a perverted grin but it changed to a look of horror as she saw the word 'DEMON' carved into his back from shoulder to shoulder "you have a family and village that cares so you must treasure and protect that." Naruto finished as he walked to the door. "I am gona go blow off some steam and think for a bit I'll come back so just let me have some time to myself."
"Understood take all the time you need you'll have your privacy." Kakashi replied as naruto walked out the door. And into the woods
Meanwhile out in the woods in a hidden tree house Zabuza lay in bed resting from his wounds after receiving a visit from his employer saying he was fired from the job for failing
"What are we going to do now Zabuza sama?" Haku asked behind his hunter nin mask
"First I will heal up and then find that bastard fox and make him pay for what he did to me." Zabuza said in a vengeful tone
"Well you won't have to look far." A voice coming from the shadows replied
They looked over to see fox leaning on the door frame. In an instant Haku was at his throat with senbon needles ready to slam into his throught but fox hadn't flinched
"Stop" Zabuza said as Haku stopped millimeters from the fox's neck "what do you want fox? It's not like you to take down an opponent like me while he I am in this state."
"Your right I like taking down ninja like yourself in battle, but I am not here to kill you I am here to deliver a message." Fox said as he withdrew a slip of paper and handed it to Haku who took it and read it as his eyes widened
"Is this true?" he asked
"Yep." Fox said as Haku walked over to Zabuza and showed him the message
"Really" zabuza said with a grin
"Yep my job was to deliver that message to you. Just show it to them when you get there alright." Fox said
"If you job was merely to deliver this message why did you fight me and put me in this state?" Zabuza said
"Now where is the fun in just giving you a message?" fox said with a chuckle "plus had to get you back for the demon islands fiasco, and I wasn't the one who shut down your nerves system that was him." Fox said gesturing toward Haku.
"But you did put your sword in my gut." Zabuza said
"And you gave me a pretty good gash across the chest we'll call it even." Fox said
"But what about the old man?" Zabuza asked
"Oh I am working another angle on that one a bounty is a bounty." Fox said as he turned around to leave but stopped "oh and if you don't tell them I was the one who delivered the message to you and I don't get paid we will no longer be even and I will come for you." He said as he walked into the dark hall way and vanished
END CHAPTER 4