"Wha...what?" Naruto gaped, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"This is my brother!" Raiku said, pointing to the man who had recently tried to beat the pulp out of him.

"Brother?" Naruto asked skeptically.

"Everyone, go!" said the man, waving his hand at his henchmen to scatter.

"But, Boss!" objected one of them.

"Go!"

They left, and the three were left alone in the middle of the forest.

The Totari man shed his mask, and amazingly, he did look like Raiku.

"I thought you'd been killed!" cried he, smiling broadly, hugging Raiku awkwardly.

"I went to Aunt Yoshina!"

"Yeah? How is she?"

Naruto felt like his head would explode.

Raiku shuffled his feet, unable to meet Totari's gaze. "She...died."

Totari's smile weakened but didn't fade. He put a hand on Raiku's shoulder. "But you're here now! You can stay with me!"

"Wow! Really?" Raiku gasped in excitement. Then he looked down. "But...I was hoping...I could go...home..."

Totari spit, looking away in disgust. "I did. I did go back, Raiku. And it's all gone. Burned to the ground."

Raiku started to tremble.

"What's going on?" Naruto whined, frowning with frustration and confusion.

"Did you ever...find out who did it?" Raiku asked with feeling.

"No. No trace of them." He looked away. "But hey! Brother! You're alive! And you look mighty strong, as well!"

Raiku brightened. "Huh? Yeah? You think so?"

Totari laughed. He was a big man, perhaps mid-twenties, but he didn't seem exceptionally brutal. Perhaps it was only his job as Yoshiako gang leader that made him seem that way.

"Who's this little squirt, anyway?" asked Totari, scruffing up Naruto's hair, much to his dismay.

"Oh! I forgot. This is Naruto." He seemed about to say something more, but sighed. "It's a long story."

Totari shrugged. "You can tell me some other time." he smiled. "So, you gonna come stay with me, or what?"

Raiku was about to agree when he saw Naruto's face. He would let Naruto down. And he'd said he would bring him to Ukigakure, and he would. It was his word, as a man. Besides, he had a bone to pick with those scoundrels they were after...

"Actually, I was gonna go to Ukigakure," Raiku said.

"Really?" Totari said, stretching and looking to the sky to check the time. "It's not that far away. I could take you there. Show you around, if you want."

Raiku knew every inch of Ukigakure as if it were the back of his hand. But this was his brother, and he wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

"Sure!" he agreed.