I do not own Naruto.
Kono Yo no Kyūseishu
Book II: Wave
"No one is useless in this world who lightens up the burdens of another." – Charles Dickens
A small toad glanced about at the changed scenery and then it began changing, its mouth widening. Once it's mouth had widened enough, a figure began slipping out of it.
Naruto stood tall and immediately scanned the area. It had been quite a while since he had been on land. His last views had been the south-eastern coast of Hi no Kuni, where he had begun to notice a slight decrease of land and the appearance trenches and streams which came from the sea which he had just crossed.
Glancing down to the toad which had half of its body emerging from the ocean, he nodded down to it.
"Thank you, Gamasensui." Naruto stated in a calm tone with a hint of a smile of appreciation on his face.
"It's always a pleasure working with you, Naruto-sama." The identified diving toad, Gamasensui, croaked in excitement. Naruto sighed at the title it had used.
Ever since he had signed the Toad Contract, some of his summons had become adamant on calling him 'Naruto-sama' due to his apprenticeship to Jiraiya, as well as being Minato's son. His father had been highly respected at Mount Myōboku. Naruto waved his had and the toad croaked once more before diving into the sea – ironically as it's namesake.
Looking around the area he stood in, he admitted that it wasn't what he was expecting. The area seemed lush with flowers of various kinds, as well as some rare trees he had seen quite a few times in during the missions he went on with Jiraiya. Glancing up at the sky, the sun was still out just slightly dipping over the horizon, signalling that dusk was upon the area.
He began walking – slowly – indulging himself in the lush and pure nature that surrounded him. To his left, he spotted a few several bright yellow Hibiscuses and pure white lilies. To his right, some frangipani were blooming. Naruto paused and took in a deep breath.
This was what he enjoyed most – strolling through nature and appreciating it all the same. He had done this many a time during his childhood, before he had begun attending the Academy. He'd crawl over every nook and cranny of the forests around the Village as some form of entertainment – or better yet, adventure. He began walking again but at a faster pace. He had a mission after all.
A few minutes later he broke through the surrounding forest and found himself standing at the edge of a cliff. Below him, he saw numerous buildings in a gridded formation. Looking to his left, he saw a path which led straight down from the hill to the main street of the small town. Thinking mildly to himself, he decided to take on a Henge of a dark haired boy with hazel eyes and simple civilian clothing.
Without the location of where Kakashi and his team might be, he decided to ask around for the whereabouts or home of their charge: Tazuna.
Hatake Kakashi was not amused.
Dinner had been going quite well, if one could ignore the insistent chattering of his pink-haired student. Then within minutes, their charges grandson – a young boy by the name of Inari – had come and interrupted them with his fatalistic views.
Although, in the boy's defence, he could pity him. For one so young to have grown under the tyrannical reign of Gatō, he could understand his views.
'But we have lived more severe lives.' Kakashi thought grimly to himself.
Once they had arrived, they had been informed by Tsunami – Tazuna's daughter and Inari's mother – that there were several missing persons, whom most were females ranging from the ages of thirteen to twenty-five. It wasn't a secret that Gatō associated with the black market and sold slaves. Prostitutes rather.
Shaking himself out of his dark thoughts, he noticed that Inari was screaming in Sakura's face while the girl merely looked to the side. That was when he sensed a presence approaching the house. His flinch was noticed by Sai, who subconsciously moved his right hand to the hilt of the tantō strapped across his back.
There was a knock yet again and silence suddenly invaded the room. Standing up and stalking the door slowly, Sai readied his tantō. Sasuke stood on side of the wall beside the door with a kunai in hand while Sai put his hand on the door handle. When the door clicked open, he slowly pulled it open.
Sai's grip on his tantō loosened as he closed his eyes, imitating his sensei's eye smiles.
"Uzumaki-san." He greeted in a tone that was meant to be jovial. Opposite Sai stood a slightly taller blonde haired boy who was garbed in black. His usually piercing blue eyes exuded a dull grey under the moonlight.
"Sai. Is Kakashi-sensei here?" Naruto inquired in his usual calm and collected tone. From where he stood, he could spot Sakura, a grey-haired old man and a little boy in a green jumpsuit.
"Yes." Sai said simply. Moving out of the way, allowing Naruto entry into the house.
"Dobe, what are you doing here? Can't you see we're on a mission?" Sasuke said in a rough tone. He had yet to put away his kunai.
Kakashi put down his book as he analysed the boy in front of them. His poise certainly was that of one confident in his skills. Although it may have seemed to border on arrogance, he knew the truth. Folding his book, he glanced up and met the boy's eyes.
"Naruto, it's good to have you here. I suppose you're the back up Hokage-sama sent?" Kakashi's bored voice cut across to the blonde haired boy. Naruto nodded. "Well, I suppose you'll have to do." Kakashi waved languidly. "It's good to see you again."
"Likewise." Naruto responded stoically. He glanced to his left, where the rest of Team Seven had occupied space. "Haruno, Uchiha." He nodded to them then turned to the rest of the room's occupants.
He noticed that there was a teary-eyed woman standing by a doorframe which seemed to lead to the kitchen of the house. He looked directly at the old man who had a bottle of sake in his hand.
"You must be Tazuna-san. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." Naruto coolly said to the man of the house. Kakashi, noticing the slight terse greeting from Naruto, began speaking.
"Mou, Naruto, relax a little. Tazuna here is still our mission." Kakashi said, raising his hands in a short placating manner. "Our mission here is to protect him and his family, Tsunami-san and the kid over there, Inari."
Naruto glanced at Tsunami and Inari, offering slight smiles – one which Tsunami returned while Inari looked away. Naruto frowned slightly but it was gone the next moment.
"I take it the mission didn't go so well." Naruto said, glancing at Sasuke's left arm which seemed to be bandaged from the shoulder down to the wrist. He had noticed the healing cut across Sai's cheek as well.
"No. A day into our travels, we came across the Oni Kyōdai – Gōzu and Meizu – B-ranked duo of nuke-nin from Kirigakure no Sato. We managed to apprehend them." Naruto nodded at that. He had been the one to send them back to the Village with a pair of clones. "The following morning, after crossing the sea, we fought Momochi Zabuza, the Kirigakure no Kijin and former member of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū."
Naruto's eyes widened a fraction. Momochi Zabuza has quite a fearsome reputation in the shinobi world. Nothing short of a high A-rank shinobi of Kakashi's caliber could match that man. He was known as a Demon for a reason.
"He caught me in a Suirō no Jutsu, but with teamwork, Sasuke and Sai managed to trick him and set me free." Kakashi said with pride in his voice. This was what he had been teaching them all this time – to value teamwork. Naruto merely raised an eyebrow when he noticed Sasuke puff his chest slightly. "After that, we had a short battle of Sūiton jutsu – which I won – and managed to defeat him. When I was about to go for the kill, a oi-nin appeared and took his body away." Kakashi frowned at the end of his statement. The fact that the oi-nin had taken the body irked him because that wasn't their usual procedure – well, oi-nin from Konoha that is.
"Zabuza's not dead." Sai stated simply. Sakura and Tazuna gasped loudly while Kakashi held a questioning gleam in his eye. "I've read that oi-nin destroy the bodies of missing-nin on the spot after decapitating their heads as proof." Sai concluded, having said his piece.
"Then that means he has an accomplice." Naruto said to which Sai acknowledged. The both turned to Kakashi who seemed have concluded his internal debate.
"Tomorrow at dawn I'll be expecting everyone of you outside. We'll need every bit of training we can get." Kakashi's face – the only visible part of it – was unreadable. "We will begin working on chakra control." He concluded with a nod.
Naruto's lips slightly parted in surprise. His eyes moved quickly to the rest of Team Seven who seemed to be interested in this piece of training. Closing his mouth, he looked directly at their sensei.
"Kakashi. What have you been teaching them for the past two months? Chakra control is taught during the first weeks of being Genin." Naruto said sternly, his expression one of bemusement.
Kakashi had the audacity to look ashamed at the notion. His students were wide-eyed at what they had just been informed.
"I forgot…?" Kakashi began while scratching the back of his neck. "So I take it that you know the exercise, Naruto." He asked becoming somewhat more serious.
"Of course." Naruto responded as quickly as he could. It had been something he learnt quite sometime before becoming a Genin after all.
"Then you wouldn't mind taking guard duty for the time being?" Kakashi said while glancing at Tazuna. Naruto shook his head in response. "Perfect. Team Seven, I'll begin training you in chakra control."
"If the dobe can do it, then I'll get it down in no time." Sasuke said, an arrogant smirk spreading on his face.
"Yeah! Sasuke-kun is so much better than you, Naruto-baka!" Sakura screeched out in support of her crush. As she was about to continue but Naruto didn't even spare her a glance.
"Very well." Naruto turned to Tsunami with a small smile on his lips. "Tsunami-san, is there anywhere I can rest for the night? I must I'm quite exhausted from traveling for two days straight." He asked politely. Tsunami beamed at his manners and turned to Inari, then back to him.
"Of course. Inari won't mind sharing his room with you, right Inari?" She said while looking at her son. The boy mumbled some incoherent words which slightly disheartened her. Then the boy stood up and turned to Naruto.
"Come on." He grumbled out to him. Naruto turned to Tsunami and bowed slightly. And turned to Tazuna, repeating the same action.
"Thank you for your hospitality." Naruto said and quickly followed the little boy.
"Quite the formal kid you have there, Sensei." Tazuna mumbled to Kakashi. His words had begun to slur from the consumption of sake he'd been having the entire evening.
"Yes, I suppose that is the case, huh?" Kakashi hummed in agreement.
Naruto followed Inari as he led him up the stairs. The house seemed to have five bedrooms – two on both sides and one down the hallway. The doors were simple crafts – probably hand-made by Tazuna himself. The man seemed to be gifted in carpentry if that bridge he was building was anything to go by. That one truly was a marvellous piece of work.
Inari turned to the second door to the right and pushed it open. Walking in to the room, the boy flipped on the switch and the room was suddenly illuminated in translucent globe from the middle of the room, casting shadows into various crevices of the room. The room was quite small – in comparison to his – but simple. The bed was against the left wall, which had a window that had a pretty scenic view. Moving towards it, Naruto could see the dimming lights of the townhouses and the sea in the horizon.
Naruto turned from the window as he regarded the rest of the room with a critical eye. On the wall beside Inari's bed stood a small cupboard on top of which Naruto could see a picture frame. He recognised Inari, Tsunami and Tazuna, although there was another man in a dark blue kimono top, who seemed to be in his early thirties.
Inari had gone to the wardrobe opposite his bed and pulled out a futon. Turning to Naruto, he gave him the bedroll and pointed to the other side of the room.
"You can sleep over there." Inari said simply. Then he turned and began stripping out of his pyjamas while Naruto set up his futon.
Having finished up the setup, he detached his blade's hilt from the brown belt from which it was clasped on. He put the blade right beside his futon. He then took off his jacket and folded it beside his backpack – right at the corner of the room. He clipped open the straps and unzipped the armor he wore and removed the mesh armor as well. Once he was done, he switched off the lights.
The weather in Nami no Kuni was quite humid in comparison to the autumn winds of Hi no Kuni. He laid on the futon after taking off his sandals and glanced towards Inari, only to find the boy snoring in his sleep. He then laid on his back and stared at the ceiling. The moonlight was just peaking through the window, reflecting off the mirror beside the wardrobe, illuminating the room in light silver. But Naruto didn't notice much of it as he was lost in his thoughts.
'From the information Jiraiya-sensei gave me, Zabuza is followed by a small group of shinobi which includes the Oni Kyōdai. If our assumptions are correct, then the fake oi-nin is part of the group. Although…we don't know how many of them they are in that group.' Naruto thought to himself. Being the apprentice of a spymaster had its perks. Jiraiya was slowly including and teaching him the ropes of this kind of business. Naruto smirked. He already had much information about this mission and certain people within it.
Covering himself up with a light blanket, he turned to the side and dozed of almost immediately.
The following days after Naruto's arrival had been going quite well. Naruto had been right about his assessment; Tazuna really was a master in his line of work.
The first morning after his arrival, he had taken guard and accompanied Tazuna to the bridge. They arrived there and were welcomed by the other workers – it seemed that Tazuna hadn't gone there since he left for Konoha. There were over a dozen or two workers at the bridge whom were handling various tasks at Tazuna's orders.
Naruto had been impressed by the ethic of these men who were fighting for a freedom that seemed forfeit under the tyrannical rule of Gatō. He had then offered to assist by creating a dozen Kage Bunshin, which Tazuna had cheerfully accepted.
The man had then begun regaling him with tales of his youth, the ventures he had taken alongside his father as they traveled the Elemental Nations before finally settling in Nami no Kuni. It was from those people he met during his travels that had assisted him thus far with the necessary materials to build this bridge. These, with his own materials, caused an excess of architectural material that Gatō had sought to destroy.
Due to the first attempt being a failure, Tazuna and the rest of the workers had decided to his some of the material in various places across the island just in case Gatō managed to destroy more of their material. Tazuna had also told him of Gatō's side jobs of smuggling contraband, trafficking of drugs, sending his mercenaries and ronin to kidnap women and children in order to make or sell as workers or sex slaves off of them. There had been several cases of people going missing or being killed since Gatō arrived, a few being close to Tazuna and his family.
Kaiza – the name of the man he had seen on the photograph in Inari's room – had been on of those killed for standing up against Gatō.
He had been beheaded in front of the entire country.
Naruto had darkly stated his intentions to bring an end to this tyrannical reign, to which – surprisingly – Tazuna had accepted with equal vigour. It seems the people of Nami no Kuni wanted Gatō's reign to end with his death – a public one if possible.
Other than that day, things had gone quite smoothly. There had been no threats or appearances of Gatō's minions – possibly having been notified of the shinobi protecting Tazuna.
Kakashi had informed Naruto and his team about Zabuza. It seems that the oi-nin had used senbon to incapacitate Zabuza and put him in a deathlike state which lowered his heartbeat and breathing to unnoticeable rates. The time it took to recover from such an attack – including the wounds he had acquired during the battle – would be at the least a week. Considering that Naruto had arrived two days after the encounter – which was three days ago – they had at least two more days before Zabuza and his accomplice attacked.
Naruto had asked about the physical description of the fake oi-nin. The oi-nin has been garbed in a standard Kirigakure pinstriped outfit which reached his knees, a green haori and a brown sash with a fringed tail around the waist. The oi-nin seemed to be around Naruto's height – considering that Naruto was taller than most of his peers, slightly over Sasuke too – and had a slim figure. The oi-nin also had long black hair with two locks – bound by metal cuffs – framing their masked face. It was still unclear whether the fake oi-nin was male or female.
Naruto nodded at the information. It seemed the only known about this accomplice was that they were very skilled in the usage of senbon. This one would be an ideal opponent for him or Sasuke – assuming that he had acquired his Sharingan. Kakashi then made precautionary plans; Sai and Sakura would protect Tazuna, while Naruto and Sasuke battled the accomplice and he dealt with Zabuza.
Turning back to the table he was seated at, he was knocked out of his thoughts when Tsunami began dishing out dinner. They were having rice balls, miso soup and sliced fish – again. Although Naruto couldn't blame her. The Village was really low of various types of foods due to their lack of trades with other countries. Even the stores had the barest minimum of foods, if one could afford their outrageous prices that is. Once everyone had settled at the table, they all said a short prayer.
"Itadakimasu!" They all chorused before they began eating. Although the food stocks were quite low, Naruto could attest that Tsunami was an amazing cook. Tazuna and Inari were really blessed to have a woman like her in their lives. Talking about the boy, Naruto glanced around and eventually turned to Tsunami.
"Tsunami-san, where is Inari?" Naruto asked looking questioningly at the woman. He hadn't seen Inari since the previous night when the boy had left the room at midnight to go up and sit at the roof.
Tsunami looked down sadly and turned to the stairs that led to the rooms, as well at the attic.
"Inari has been on the roof since late in the afternoon." She responded dolefully. Her son really worried her with the behaviour he had been conveying as of late. It seems that the Konoha shinobi's arrival had sparked some hope in him but the past memories of the last hero squashed them almost immediately.
Naruto nodded solemnly. The boy really had suffered quite a bit in his life and he could understand it. Naruto continued eating his meal, ignoring the chattering Haruno and groans of irritation coming from the Uchiha. The amicable atmosphere was ruined by Inari when he walked in and shouted.
"Why do you even bother? You're all gonna die anyway!" Inari started, his perpetual scowl deepening by the minute. He stood on the last stair, a position where everyone could see him. "No matter how hard you train, you're still no match for Gatō's men! No matter what glorious claims you make, the weak will only end up getting killed!" He screamed the last part, his face turning a fair shade of pink.
"So you're weak? Sorry for you then." Naruto said while calmly putting down the chopsticks he had been using to eat. "I know you don't believe in heroes, which is quite sad to me, but don't you dare call me weak." Naruto concluded with a firm gaze.
"You act so high and mighty, thinking that you're better than the rest of us! You've probably been sheltered all your life and you've never suffered a day in it!" Inari screamed out, his anger bleeding into his words. His body was shaking in fury and his vision was beginning to blur – tears, he thought to himself.
"Shut up." Came a voice colder than he had ever heard.
Wiping his eyes he glanced at the person and froze. Those brilliant blue eyes he had grown accustomed to seeing for the past few days were gone. In those eye sockets, those blue eyes had become a dull stormy grey. A tempest stronger than the ones from his grandfather's tales.
The atmosphere in the room had become so tense that the silence could be cut through with a knife. Everyone was staring, in shock – and slight fear – at Naruto who seemed to exude an oppressive presence.
"You don't know what real suffering is." Naruto began, his voice never losing its edge. "At least you still have people left. You're not the only one who lost someone when Kaiza was killed." Inari looked in fear at the increase of tone from Naruto.
"Look at me." Naruto stated harshly and Inari, in his shock, jerked up and met Naruto's stormy greys. "Everyone of us in this room has suffered one way or another, so don't you ever dare act like some main character of a tragedy." Naruto concluded sternly and immediately stood up and turned to Tazuna and Tsunami and bowed to them while Inari ran out of the room crying.
"I apologise if I came off as rude but I believe that Inari has to understand that he isn't the only one suffering under Gatō's tyranny." Naruto said, standing tall with his head dipped slightly. He noticed that a few tears were flowing down Tsunami's face while Tazuna looked on solemnly. He glanced up at Naruto and nodded to him.
Naruto then turned to Kakashi and fixed a gaze with the one-eyed shinobi. Kakashi stares back for a few moments before he nodded.
"Be careful." Kakashi said stolidly. Naruto stoically nodded at him and walked out of the house.
The remaining occupants felt the tense atmosphere disperse slowly after Kakashi sighed and rubbed his temple. The members of Team Seven – specifically Sasuke and Sai – seemed to have withdrawn into themselves if the despondent look on Sasuke and stolid expression Sai gave off was anything to go by.
"Kakashi-san, it seems to me that Naruto seems to have a troubled past." Tazuna began, tilting his head aside as he chucked a bottle sake to his lips. Letting the acidic liquid flow into his body, he let out a sigh. Kakashi glanced around at the remaining occupants, as if to test their trustworthiness.
"Naruto had a troubled childhood." Kakashi began, his left hand shifting his hitai-ate – a habit he hadn't let go even after all his years in ANBU. "He grew up alone – no family and no relatives. The only one who seemed to care for him all his life was the Hokage and even he could do only so much with the weight his duty gives him." Kakashi spoke in a soft and solemn tone. Tazuna and Tsunami gasped audibly at what they had been told.
Sai shifted in his seat causing Sasuke to glance at him. He ignored the look as he delved into his thoughts. He was aware that Naruto never had anyone to care for him, they had been in the same Orphanage for a few years until Naruto had disappeared. They were only four years old then.
"So you mean Naruto has had no one besides the Hokage his entire life?!" The shock in Tsunami's voice was clear. Even Sakura seemed to be stumped at the notion.
"Up until recently? No. It's only been the Hokage and a few others, including the Hokage's son and grandson." Kakashi concluded dejectedly. Naruto wouldn't be pleased if he revealed the names of these people. It was a matter of a risk of security.
The room once again became deathly quiet as everyone was lost in their own thoughts and anguish. Kakashi glanced out the window towards where he could sense Naruto's chakra signature was.
'I hope you forgive me, Naruto.' He thought bleakly to himself.
Naruto had been out for the past three hours. He stood in the middle – the only part untouched – of the destructed area. Trees had fallen, cut or blasted into shards. The earth had been torn through creating gorges and troughs all over a hundred meter radius.
Naruto stood surveying the area as if in search of something and brought up his sword horizontally in time to block the overhead slash which had come from his opponent. The moment he had blocked the slash, his opponent gave a double footed kick to his chest which caused him to stumble back.
Sensing another presence, he balanced himself and performed an acrobatic backflip from the leg sweep which could have left him flat on the ground – open. With a show of dexterity, he spun on his arms and landed a high kick on his second opponent's chin. The figure shot through the air while Naruto crouched and sped through hand signs.
"Raitōn: Gian!" Naruto intoned as a lightning chakra directed to his mouth and a small sparks started to appear. With swift movement, he leaned back – coalescing the lightning chakra in his mouth – then shot out the spear to the descending opponent. There was a puff of smoke and Naruto dodged to the left. Glancing up, he noticed shattered wood falling to the ground in clatters.
'Kawarimi?' He thought to himself as he reached for his blade which had been lying on the ground. Just in time to push away the stabbing sword coming for him. The sword managed to cut yet another tear in his jacket but he paid it no mind as he took advantage of his opponent's imbalance.
He added wind chakra to his blade and slashed diagonally at his opponent, who disappeared in a puff of smoke.
'One more to go.' He thought to himself. Activating his Sharingan, he glanced around in search of the last of his Kage Bunshin – the one who had escaped his Gian with a Kawarimi. He was forced to leap away whilst covering his face from the jutsu being used on him.
"Fūton: Reppushō!" He faintly heard the Kage Bunshin shout out its technique. More tears wear beginning to appear on his protective clothing. If this carried on, the rest of his body would resemble his hands – with numerous small cuts. In retrospect, he should have followed his initial plans of gloves being part of his shinobi attire. Forming a hand seal, Naruto replaces himself with a log.
The Kage Bunshin scanned the area in search of Naruto but leapt away moments before the bark it was previously standing on burnt to ash. Adding another seal to the original technique, Naruto fired several more head-sized fireballs.
"Katōn: Hōsenka!" Naruto commanded in thought. This jutsu was one of the most versatile of the fire element. One skilled user could send out various sized fireballs – from the size of a fist to the size of a normal Gōkakyū.
Naruto continued firing several more fireballs until his Kage Bunshin snapped the branch it stood on and began free falling to a small fireball, puffing it out of existence.
Naruto released the tiger seal he had been holding. Breathing in and out, he managed to calm the adrenaline flowing through his body. He began walking forward but he stumbled in his steps. His breathing was laboured and his body was aching from the three hour battle with two Kyōka Kage Bunshin.
Naruto powered through the exhaustion. He was tired both physically and mentally. Inari's outburst had brought back quite some unpleasant memories. Naruto slowly waddled out of the perimeter of the destroyed field. As he stepped onto the clearer area, he made a half tiger hand seal.
"Fuinjutsu: Heimen Kaikaku." He mumbled out. The once destructed clearing returned to its former pristine form within minutes. Naruto had sat down to watch the clearing reform. This specific fuinjutsu never ceases to amaze him – a testament of his father's skill. The jutsu reverse the physical state of a specified area through a four-cornered seal. Naruto himself still couldn't understand the technicalities of the jutsu but he was getting there.
Naruto eased his mind of all his thoughts and lied on his back. Staring up at the night sky, he could spot the infinite stars that spread across the cosmos. As he was closing his eyes, his mind trailed back to one of his strongest memories.
A young Naruto was seating around a campfire, with a stick of grilled fish in his hand. He was looking up at the twinkling stars with the old man he had come across that evening.
Glancing to his right, he saw the old man with a serene smile on his wrinkled face, gazing up at the countless stars as he had been doing a moment ago.
"Each one of those stars is like our world's sun." He began, his serene smile never fading. "Yes. This world is boundless."
Naruto turned to the old man once again, a small grin spreading on his lips, his white teeth glistening under the moonlight.
"Yeah? You sure know a lot, gramps!" His chipper voice spreading around the small clearing. The old man turned and moved his towards Naruto's own while squinting the entire time. Noticing Naruto back away shyly, he jumped backwards, spreading his arms for emphasis.
"Compared to the vastness of the world, man's existence is very insignificant." The old man exclaimed but paused for a moment.
A loud rumble resounded in the area and both man and child blinked at each other. Then suddenly, the boy smiled and started giggling. Next thing he was fully and wholly laughing as the old man joined him.
Kakashi walked down the stairs leading to the dining room. At the table he saw that everyone was present except for Naruto.
"Good morning." Kakashi said as he took a seat beside Tazuna.
"Good morning Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed in a lively tone. It seemed that last night's somber mood had been all but forgotten. Sasuke had just acknowledged his presence with his signature groan while Sai had smiled at him with one of his strange smiles – which never reflected in his eyes.
"Good morning Kakashi-san." Tsunami responded to Kakashi. He responded by giving her one of his customary eye smiles.
"Has Naruto returned since he left last night?" Kakashi inquired. Everyone glanced at each other before finally turning to Naruto's sole roommate. The boy squirmed in his seat in discomfort of all the attention being on him. He eventually lost a losing battle and spoke.
"I haven't seen him since last night too…" Inari finally folded to the tension. He looked up and noticed the slight look of worry on his mother's face as she vocalised her worries.
"Will be okay, Kakashi-san?" She asked, her left hand covering her right fist as she had propped up her arms towards her chin.
"Mou, don't worry about him. If he runs into trouble, I'm sure he can take care of himself." Kakashi responded coyly. He even eye-smiled at Tsunami – for good measure.
"Do you really think so?" Inari said in a soft voice, one the team had never heard come from him. Naruto's words had struck a few chords and he was willing to give someone else a chance – a chance to validate the existence of heroes.
"I know so." Kakashi responded while nonchalantly pulling out his novel and flicking through the pages to the last one he had read. "Besides, Naruto does have something to prove." He concluded evasively.
Inari stared at the door for a few moments, hoping that the one he had deemed worthy to take the chance to be a hero, walks in.
Early the next morning, Naruto sensed the presence of two people within his vicinity. Opting to pretend as though he was still sleeping, he listened to them converse.
"Must we wake him up?" Said a soft voice that – without the deeper edge to it – would have sounded more feminine. There was a bit of shuffling as, crouching next to the one who had spoken before.
"I don't know. He seems to be a shinobi so he might retaliate." Said a calmer but deep voice. There was more shuffling as the owner of the second voice stood up. "Let's leave him be. He must have already heard us by now if he's competent enough." The deeper voice carried on with a slight uncaring edge.
"I'm going to wake him up." Said the softer voice and a shuffling of clothing signalled more movement. The next moment, Naruto felt a soft hand grasp his shoulder and shake him awake.
Under his intended pretence, he blinked his eyes open – also attempting to adjust to the vision around him. Looking up at the person who had shaken him up, he acted surprised. The person who was moving to stand before him fitted quite perfectly the profile of the fake oi-nin who had escaped with Zabuza.
The person was garbed in a pink, sleeveless kimono, with pale red edges and decorated in plum-coloured swirls. Around his waist, Naruto noticed a white obi tied around it. The boy also wore light brown sandals with straps.
"Uhm, hello?" Naruto began in slight surprise. The boy – as he had noticed the lack of chest bindings – in front of him was quite beautiful, prettier than most girls he knew. The boy's brown eyes regarded him for a few moments before glowing slightly.
"Oh, sorry about that. My friend and I were just walking through this flowerbed when we came across you. I believed that should you stay out any longer, you might catch some illness." Said the boy in his soft voice. He had turned to the side, his long black hair swaying in the wind.
Naruto took this short opportunity to stand up straight and dust himself before – if possible – having to escape from these shinobi. After he had finished dusting himself, he looked to the figure which was still leaning against a tree a little ways away from them.
The dark haired boy beckoned him to come forth, to which the other boy sighed. He walked forward and in a few moments, he stood tall – taller than both him and the dark haired boy. The boy had pale skin – a tad lighter than Sasuke's. His vivid green eyes were calmly analysing Naruto while his shoulder length silvery-white hair swayed slightly in the morning breeze.
He was garbed in a light lavender loose-fitting, long-sleeved, zip-up shirt and blank pants cut off around his mid-calf and traditional sandals. His left hand was on his hip, slowly fingering the purple obi tied around his waist as he glanced between the dark haired boy and Naruto himself. Blinking away his surprise – yet again – Naruto began speaking.
"I apologise for worrying you during your morning stroll." Naruto said furtively. He glanced at the dark haired boy. He had noticed the inscrutable look in the silver haired boy's eyes.
"Don't worry, it's of no consequence." The dark haired boy responded with slight cheer. "What had you been out so early, if you don't mind me asking?" The boy said, inquiring for more.
"I've actually been out here since last night. I must have fallen asleep somewhere in-between." Naruto said blithely, rubbing the back of his neck – he certainly hadn't felt abashed in the presence of strangers in quite some time now. "But I'm fine. Are you two from here, in Nami no Kuni?" Naruto inquired, although he suspected otherwise.
"Not exactly but we've been here for a while visiting a sick friend. So this morning we decided to search for some medicinal herbs which are located in this area." The dark haired responded informatively. That seemed to be a convincing story.
"Not to be rude or anything, but I believe you both have names. It would be quite wrong for my mind to carry on referring to either of you by the colours of your hair." Naruto said, a small smirk laying on his lips.
"Names are powerful." Came the calm and stern voice of the white haired boy. "Besides, isn't it common courtesy to offer yours before asking for one's name?" The boy concluded with a slight raise of an eyebrow – amusement then, Naruto realised. The two red dots on between his eyebrows moving along as well.
"My apologies. Naruto." He said as he watched the two boys glance at each other for a few moments before slightly nodding to each other.
"Haku." Said the dark haired, feminine looking boy. A small smile gracing his lips.
"Kimimaro." Said the pale silver haired boy in a firm and proud tone.
Immediately, a breeze rustled the leaves around them and the birds tweeted and sung their melodious songs. The faint sound of the ocean waves crashing onto man-made creations as well as the land Kami had graced humanity.
Indeed, names are powerful enough to cause a change in nature and of fates of certain individuals.
Kuchiyōse no Jutsu – Summoning Technique: C-rank, Offensive-Defensive-Supplementary; The Summoning Technique is a a high-level technique, which utilises space–time ninjutsu to transport animals or people across long distances instantly and uses blood as a sacrifice. Before an animal summoning can be performed, a prospective summoner must first sign a contract with a given species. The contract comes in the form of a scroll, on which the contractor uses their own blood to sign their name and place their fingerprints and once signed it is valid even after the contractors death as long as the contract itself remains intact. After this, they need only offer an additional donation of blood on the hand they signed the contract with, mould their chakra with hand seals and then plant the hand they signed the contract with at the location they wish to summon the creature. The amount of chakra used during the summoning determines how powerful the summoned creature can be. It is possible for a summoner to summon a group of the same contracted animal, as opposed to a single individual.
Henge – Transformation Technique: E-rank, Supplementary; Given all the missions ninja are assigned to - battle, intelligence gathering, diversions - this is a priceless ninjutsu. It is typically used to change into people other than oneself, but one also has the ability to change into animals, plants, and even inanimate objects like weapons. This gives this technique an abundance of uses. The transformation of a skilled shinobi will be exactly like the genuine article, so it will be impossible to tell the two apart. On the other hand, a transformation performed by an inexperienced person will have obvious discrepancies. It will be impossible to deceive anyone with it. This is one of the most basic ninjutsu, as such most shinobi know how to perform it.
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique: B-rank, Supplementary; Similar to the basic Clone Technique, this technique creates copies of the user, however, these clones are corporeal instead of illusions. The user's chakra is evenly distributed among every clone, giving each clone an equal fraction of the user's overall power. The clones are capable of performing techniques on their own, including the Shadow Clone Technique itself, and can even bleed, but will usually disperse after hit by a strong enough force. The clones can also disperse on their own, or be dispelled by the user of the technique.
Raitōn: Gian – Lightning Release: False Darkness: B-rank, Offensive; The user emits lightning in the shape of a spear from its mouth, which then pierces the enemy. Its destructive power is great enough to even pierce through rock; meaning it has am high killing potential. The user can increase the number of spears to attack multiple enemies. This, coupled with the sheer speed of the lightning, makes it a difficult technique to evade. This technique is capable of being focused into a straight beam, similar to a laser.
Kawarimi no Jutsu – Body Replacement Technique: E-rank, Supplementary; With this technique, users replace their own body with some other object, generally with a block of wood, the moment an attack lands. This creates an optical illusion, making the enemy think the attack was successful. From this, the user can use the lapse in the enemy's attention to attack or flee from the battlefield. Explosive tags can be attached to the replacement for an added surprise. Despite it being a basic ninjutsu taught at the Academy, it is seen as a useful art that can be applied in variety of situations as it allows for a swift getaway from danger. The technique even allows a restrained shinobi to escape capture.
Fūton: Reppūshō – Wind Release: Gale Palm: C-rank, Offensive-Supplementary; A Wind Release technique where the user either increases their velocity, or by the user clasping their hands together, wind is compressed and transformed into a powerful gale, which has enough force to knock over a person. When used in conjunction with shuriken or kunai, the tools become more lethal as their speed is increased.
Katōn: Hōsenka – Fire Release: Phoenix Flower: C-rank, Offensive; This technique creates a volley of small fireballs, which are sent flying in an unpredictable manner to assault the enemy. The flames are controlled individually with chakra, so avoiding them all is very difficult. Shuriken can also be concealed within the flames, creating an unexpected secondary surprise attack.