Third Person Pov

Third Person Pov

Team 7 and their client, Tazuna, the bridge builder, kept on walking to their destination, the Hidden Village of Mist. They walked through the Country of Fire, bringing them to the sea shore. Tazuna had already gotten a boat ride for the ninjas and himself to go to the Country of the Wave. He had surprisingly been well prepared for the journey.

Suspicion rose in everyone.

The old man seemed to be awaiting something a bit more than a C ranked mission.

Yami's Pov

As we were riding in the boat through the misty water, I noticed the bridge that connected the Country of Water to the Country of Fire was unfinished. Why would Tazuna need someone to escort him to finish building the bridge? Why did he need someone to escort him? This seems all too fishy for me...

The mist is so thick...I can't see what's ahead... thought Sakura.

Sasuke was on the side of the boat keeping his senses sharp and looking unemotional as usual. Naruto was sitting at the very front of the boat, waiting to see any signs of the Village of Mist.

The man who was rowing was on Tazuna's left, while Kakashi was on his right. Sakura and Sasuke were in front of them and I was behind Naruto, keeping the boat slightly balanced.

I heard Kakashi-sensei yawn and the man who was rowing, broke the silence by announcing, "We should be able to see the bridge soon. If we move along the side of the bridge, we'll be at the country of Water."

Naruto strained his eyes, trying to see past the mist, but failed to do so. He strained again and was able to see the other end of the unfinished bridge. I saw people of the village working on it in the mist.

"It's huge!" shouted Naruto completely shocked. I wouldn't blame him. No wonder it took so long to be completed. The man, who was rowing, grew a glare on his face and whispered harshly, "Hey, be quiet! We're using this boat and hiding in the mist. That's why I'm rowing instead of using the engine. In other words, if we get caught we'll be in trouble."

Naruto crouched down covering his lips with his hand, getting the idea, and being frightened by the man's sudden whispered outburst.

Kakashi-sensei looked at Tazuna in a suspicious manner.

"Tazuna-san... before the boat gets to the pier, there's something I need to ask you..."

Tazuna didn't bother looking up, as if he almost knew what Kakashi-sensei was about to ask. I looked at Naruto to see if he gets anything that was going, but he only gave me a shrug.

"The identity of the ones who are after you and the reason they are after you," he continued "Or we can call this mission off when you get ashore, Tazuna-san."

Naruto's Pov

I looked around, not really getting why Kakashi would call this mission off when we got ashore. I stared at the old geezer closely, seeing if he'd flinch or anything, but all he did was look onto the floor. I gazed to my side and gave Yami a questioning look, but she just shook her head.

He took a while to do anything, but then finally said something, "Looks like I gave to tell you the real story."

Real story?!

"I mean, I would like for you to hear my story. As you said, this mission is most likely out of your job description. An extremely terrible man is after my life," he said calmly.

An extremely terrible man! After his life!!

"An extremely terrible man?" asked Kakashi. How terrible was this man?

"Yes."

"Who is it?" asked Kakashi just as calmly.

Man, my sensei is cool...

"You should have all at least heard of the name... Marine Transportation billionaire Gatoh," he said chillingly.

Gatoh? Who the hell is Gatoh?

I felt completely lost on this subject.

"Gatoh? The one from the Gatoh Company? He's one of the richest men in this world," our sensei said with eyes wide opened -for once-.

"Who's that?" I innocently asked.

"Yes, he is the president of a marine transportation company on the outside... but underground, he uses gangs and ninjas to smuggle drugs and goods," he answer Kakashi, completely ignoring me.

A glare grew on his face and he continued, "He also does nasty jobs like takeovers of other companies and countries. A year ago, he set his sights on the Country of Water. He entered this country using violence and wealth as his shield and he quickly took over the island's sea traffic and transportation. On an Island like the Country of Water, controlling the sea means ruling the island. And the one thing that Gatoh is afraid of the completion of the bridge."

Tazuna looked at the bridge that seemed to be almost everything to him.

"So since you're the bridge builder... you're his target," summarized Sakura.

She's so pretty and smart, I thought with a girly sigh.

"So then those ninjas were sent by Gatoh," added Sasuke

What a show off, I angrily thought, glaring at him as usual.

"But I don't understand... He's a dangerous man that uses ninjas. So why didn't you ask for ninjas suitable for a B or A ranked missions?"

Tazuna let out a deep sigh and continued to explain, "The country of the Waves is a poor country. Not even the feudal lords have much money. We don't have the money for B rank mission. If you quit your mission after I land, I'll be killed for sure..."

I looked at his face carefully and saw his expression change a bit.

"-but don't worry about it... Only my cute eight year old grandson will cry himself to sleep every night."

The teme is using the guilt card. My left eye twitched at the realization.

"And my daughter will just hold a grudge against Konoha ninja and live a lonely life."

I saw Yami's eye twitch and tighten her fist.

"But it's not your fault," said the old geezer.

I saw Kakashi sensei thinking hard about this, while everyone, excluding Sasuke, Yami, and I, actually started feeling guilty.

"I guess it can't be helped. We'll keep on escorting you," our sensei responded with a grin…

He said with a grin…

With a grin.

A grin.

My eye twitched again as I realized that we all fell into the teme's trap.


Yami's Pov

"That's good to hear," Tazuna said before he looked back and gave a peace sign and thought I won.

My eye twitched and a vein popped out on my forehead.
I SAW THAT!

The boat owner then announced, "We're almost there."

I looked ahead and saw that we were about 30 feet away from land.

"Tazuna, it looks like we haven't been noticed yet."

"Thanks," replied Tazuna to the man. For once, he had actually looked grateful.

The boat went under a short bridge/tunnel and we all kept on looking towards the light. When the boat came out from under that bridge, we saw clear water and a clear sky.

I got out of the boat and had a good stretch, while Tazuna gave his farewell to the man and thanked him before going home.

"Alright, take me home safely."

Kakashi nodded his head and led the way. As he walked, he thought in a depressing manner,
If they are to attack, they'll send the Jounin leveled ninja instead of Chuunin leveled ones… I really hate exercising.

Of course, on the walk there, Naruto and Sasuke had to get into some sort of competition.
This time, the competition was about who was leading the walk. Naruto sped up in front of the group and looked around, and threw his kunai on his right, which kinda scared the living crap out of some people.

He shrugged and said nothing but, "It was nothing but a mouse. My bad."

Sakura got mad and started yelling, "STOP SHOWING OFF! There was nothing there!"

I got mad and started yelling at her, "You are the last person to be talking about showing off! So shut up!!"

She kinda backed off since she doesn't know me much and didn't know I could talk.

"Please Naruto, don't use your kunai so abusively," Kakashi-sensei tried reasoning.

Tazuna stood in the back, shaking in anger that he freaked over a false alarm.

"Hey you dwarf! Don't scare us!"

"I swear, I saw someone over there," he looked around again.

All of the sudden, the hairs on my neck rose. My senses sharpened dramatically as I thought,
someone is following us.

"I told you to stop!" said Sakura, punching Naruto on the head. I didn't do anything since I was so busy trying to figure out where the person is, if there's even a person.

Someone really strong...

"But I really did sense someone," he whined. Kakashi-sensei went through the bushes and saw a petrified white rabbit under the kunai that Naruto had thrown on the tree. Sakura and Naruto followed Kakashi as he bent down to pick the rabbit and she scowled him again, "Naruto! Look what you've done!" He looked at the rabbit and ran towards it.

Murderously strong...

"Bunny!" He picked it up and started hugging it, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

I kept on looking around getting the wonderful feeling of paranoia

Kakashi's Pov

That's a snow rabbit, but what's with the color of it's fur? They only have white fur during winter when the days are short.

I looked around, sensing something, but not letting anyone realize it.
That means it's a rabbit that was raised inside a place where the sun isn't a factor for the replacement technique.

I looked back at Naruto to see that he was still hugging the rabbit, with Sakura, Sasuke, and Tazuna looking at him strangely. I looked at Yami and saw that she was distracted. Her position was one of a defense position. She looked... a bit nervous or frightened.

She feels someone too. Her senses are developing fast...

I looked up to the tree and thought, so someone decided to appear immediately.

Yami's Pov

You felt someone hiding in a tree and without any attention being directed towards them, so I slipped away from the group. I saw him jump and saw Kakashi-sensei react quickly, "Everyone, duck!"

A spinning sword came from the tree, passing right above them. It hit a tree and the owner stood on the handle. His light, lifeless eyes looked back to Kakashi and some recognition sparked in them.

I heard Kakashi say with no worries in his voice, "Oh my, my, you are Zabuza, the exiled ninja of the Hidden Village of Mist."

Exiled?

I saw Kakashi raise his forehead protector out of his eye's way.
"If he's our enemy, I can't win like this."

"I'm guessing you are Kakashi the Sharingan user."

I saw Sasuke flinch, while he stared at Kakashi's eye.

"I'm sorry but... I'll need you to hand over the geezer."

Kakashi glared at Zabuza and told the team to protect Tazuna.
"Do not join the battle. To not interfere with the battle is teamwork," he said firmly.

Naruto being clueless asked "What the hell is a sharingan?" Sasuke, being from the Uchiha clan, which is where the sharingan originated from, answered his question, not letting his eyes fall from Zabuza.

"Sharingan...The eye creates it and it is the power that the pupil generates. Ones who use doujutsu are said to have eye powers that can see through all genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu, and cancel their effects."
(Doujutsu; Eye technique)

"Sharingan is one of the various types of eyes that those doujutsu users possess, but that's not the only ability the Sharingan possesses."

Zabuza smirked and continued for Sasuke, "You're right. That isn't it. The scary part is that Sharingan can understand how an opponent's technique works and copy it."

A mist came from nowhere and soon the forest became unclear.

"When I was in the Hidden Village of Mist's assassination squad... your information was listed in the bingo book I carried for your capture. It also noted this... the man who copied more than 1000 techniques, Kakashi the copy ninja."

Sakura was in shock from the new information, was Kakashi really that great?

Sasuke kept gazing at Kakashi...I thought the Sharingan was a Uchiha doujutsu and only a few got it. Could it be...?

"Enough with this. I gotta end that geezer's life right away."

Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto stood in front of Tazuna, defending him. He moved at an incredible speed and... stood on the water.

"Mist concealment."

I strained my eyes to see him, but he just disappeared in the mist.

Kakashi stood in front of the team, "He'll try to eliminate me first."

"Who is he?" asked Sakura, shocked at this man's...power.

"Momochi, Zabuza. He was in the Hidden Village of Mist's ANBU and was known for his 'silent killing' techniques."
(ANBU Assassination and Tactics Special Squad)

"Silent?" hesitated Naruto.

"Just as the name implies, it's a killing technique that's executed in a flash and carried in absolute silence," explained Kakashi. "It's possible that you'll be dead before you realize it. And I cannot use my Sharingan to its fullest potential. So don't let your guard down."

"But if you fail, you're only going to die," he finished chillingly.

"The mist is getting thicker!" cried out Naruto.

I strained my eyes again and soon saw Kakashi-sensei disappearing in the mist.
I switched my vision into my wolf ones and guarded the team without realizing it.

Circling around them. Watching Zabuza.

"Eight points," a creepy voice said and it belonged to Zabuza. I saw Sakura tense up.

"The larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney, and heart. Now which vital organ do you want to get struck at?" I could hear the seriousness and sadism in his voice and it sent shivers down my spine. I saw Kakashi use a large amount of chakra and dispel most of the mist away.

I could see Sasuke freeze in fear

What an intense thirst for blood. I can't handle this! The feeling of death right next to you, your life in someone else's hands, I'd rather kill myself then keep on going through this. Two hours of this and I'll go crazy!

I saw Sasuke hold his kunai as if he was going to stab himself and shifted back to my human form. I stood in front of him, holding his kunai with a hard grip, and looked him in the eye.

"Sasuke, you can do this. Don't let the pressure get to you."

I let go of his kunai then went back into the mist, seemingly disappearing.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you four with my life. I won't let anyone on my team die," reassured Kakashi, slightly grateful I stopped Sasuke. He gave the team a smile and slightly broke some of the tension.

"I don't know about that," said Zabuza suddenly appearing right in the middle of the team.

I ran towards him swiftly in my wolf form and bit him on the neck, lashing on to him, as Kakashi stabbed him in the gut, but instead of blood falling off, it was water. I jumped back and hid in the mist again. Zabuza was really behind sensei and I knew I couldn't stand a chance against him.

I knew that Kakashi sensed that Zabuza was behind him.
"Sensei! Behind you!" yelled Naruto.

The water clone melted and the real Zabuza came to slice Kakashi in half. It would have scared me half to death, but I had an enormous amount of trust in my sensei, and shockingly what was thought to be Kakashi, was a water clone.

I smiled a bit, knowing now how keen Kakashi was as he stood behind Zabuza holding a kunai to his throat.
"Don't move. This is the end."

All of the sudden, Zabuza did the last thing expected. He laughed then said, "Is this the end?" Kakashi hardened his gaze.

"You don't understand. You can't defeat me with just your imitations or your surprise attacks. I can assure you that, but you're pretty good... both of you, even though that girl is nothing but a Genin."

My body froze. I had made myself a target for him, but I wasn't going to let him hurt Naruto. My best friend... My only friend.

"I see that you've copied my water clone technique. Smart, how you made your clone talk so I wouldn't realize that it wasn't the real one, while you used the mist concealment technique to hide and observe my movements... However..." Another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi.

"I am not easy to defeat."

The clone Kakashi had suddenly dropped into a puddle.

"That one's a fake too!" yelled Naruto completely bewildered.

Zabuza swung the sword at Kakashi-sensei, but he duck right on time. I came in running, jumping over the swing, aiming for his neck, but he ducked also, making me miss him and slide behind him. He stuck his sword onto the floor and used his sword handle for support as he kicked Kakashi hard. Kakashi landed in the water. He swum up and wondered, What's with this water? It's heavy for some reason.

Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi. "You fool," he stated. He did several hand seals and imprisoned Kakashi in a chamber of water.

Zabuza chuckled, "You fell for it. This is a special prison that you can't escape from. You give me a hard time when you're moving," he said, glaring at Kakashi. "Now then Kakashi..." he continued,"I'm going to finish you off later."

He looked at my team and used the mist concealment technique again. He was about to kick Naruto but then I jumped in front of him, taking most of the blow for Naruto. Zabuza looked at our sliding forms murderously. I slid and rolled on the grass for about 30 feet, while Naruto slid for 15 feet.

"You're not ninjas, you're just kids."

"Naruto! Yami!" yelled Sakura in concern.

"Everyone! Get Tazuna-san and run! You can't win against him! He can't move as long as he has me trapped in this hydro-prison. He also won't be able to use his water clone once you get away from him! Run for now!" yelled Kakashi.

Run? You gotta be kidding me, thought Sasuke getting into an attack position. His fear of death had completely flown out of the window. When you got caught, that was no longer an option.

I saw Sasuke running towards Zabuza and I struggled to get up and shifted into a wolf again.
Giving up in a fight was not an option for a wolf. Never.

Sasuke ran full speed and threw his shurikens at Zabuza, jumped up and was about to attack Zabuza from above, but Zabuza reached up and nearly grabbed Sasuke by his neck to choke the brunet, but I pounced on Sasuke making Zabuza choke me instead.

I had no idea why I didn't stay in my spot, but my inner wolf... was a born fighter and would never allow someone in the pack get hurt.

As much as Sasuke was a pain, he was still in my pack. Everyone on team 7 was.

Zabuza brought me close to his face and whispered in my ear, "You're pretty tough, but still not good enough."

He threw me hard on the floor where I slid onto the glass and hit a tree.
"Yami!" yelled Naruto, who was frozen in shock.

Sasuke, who was from a distance, got up and looked at me in shock and anger.
You idiot! Why did you do that?!

Naruto's Pov

"Yami!" I yelled as I looked at her motionless form. Zabuza stood right in front of us about to attack. I started trembling with fear.
This is a jounin... A real ninja. I have to run. At this rate...she'll... we'll get killed for sure!

I turned around, putting pressure on my wounded hand...then it all came back to me as I stared at my slightly bleeding hand on the grass...

Flashback #1

Why am I so different…? Why am I always...Damn it! I should be stronger... I've accomplished lots of missions and I've practiced techniques every day...

"I'm never going to do something that will require someone to help me. I'm never going to be frightened and try to back out of things. I'm not going to lose to Sasuke. I vow that to this pain in my left hand. I'm going to protect the old man with this kunai! The mission is still on"

Flashback#2

"You always lecture like me that, pops, but I'm not the kid who used to pull pranks anymore!" I huffed in anger.

The Hokage and Iruka loosened up and smiled a bit at the boy's speech.

End of Flashbacks

I looked at my forehead protector that Zabuza was stepping on, since it flew off my head and remembered...

Flashback #3

Iruka and I were having some ramen, since he was trying to cheer me up. I hadn't passed the exams and didn't become a ninja.

I had taken off my goggles and asked Iruka-sensei, "Sensei, can I put on that Konoha forehead protector?"

"Oh, this?" he held on to it with pride. "No. This is proof that you graduated school and that you're a real ninja," he gave you a grin.

Later on…

Iruka sensei was sitting by a tree, looking beat up and tired.

"Naruto, come here for a second. I want to give you something."

I went over to him and he gave me his... forehead protector? My eyes widened in shock
"Congratulations. You graduated…"

Flashback #4

"Why do you think they put a team of four rather than just working individually!?" he half shouted and explained.

"Teamwork. That's the most important thing in a team," he glared at us all in left.

Flashback #5

"You all passed!" he grinned

Flashback #6

"But I'm not the kid who used to pull pranks anymore!" I shouted

Flashback #7

"Hey don't underestimate me, old geezer! I'm going to be the next Hokage. The name is Uzumaki, Naruto! Remember it!"

End of flashbacks

That's right... I became a ninja. And I'm not giving up! I will protect Yami! I thought with a newly sparked determination.

I stood up, slightly swinging to my sides, and ran towards Zabuza.

"Idiot! Stop!" yelled Kakashi.

"Naruto! What are you doing?!" screamed Sakura in panic.

I ignored them and kept on running towards him.

I saw Zabuza glare at me, and heard him whisper "baka" before kicking me to the floor.
(Baka: Idiot)

I rolled onto the grassy floor and struggled to get back up.

"What are you thinking, charging in like that on your own?! Even Sasuke-kun is no match against him. Genins like ourselves have no way of defeating him no matter what we try," screamed Sakura completely hopeless.

A slap was soon heard after her outburst.

I strained and looked behind me to see that Yami had slapped Sakura. She was glaring at Sakura angrily while Sakura just looked at her, too shocked to do anything.

"Stop comparing Naruto to Sasuke, and never give up in this team," she growled through her teeth.

That alone gave me a whole new determination and a rush of confidence. She believed in me.
I struggled to get up with my forehead protector that I had grabbed from Zabuza before he had kicked me.

Yami's Pov

Everyone but Zabuza and I looked at Naruto with a sense of amazement. I didn't expect anything less from him. I hated how people thought so little of him.

He struggled to get up, but eventually did.

"Never underestimate me, you teme. I'm the Konoha ninja, future Hokage, Uzumaki, Naruto."
He looked back to Sasuke and said something that shocked Sakura, "I have a plan."

"Hn. I can't believe you want to work as a team," said Sasuke with a slight smirk.

I noticed how Sakura blushed as she thought, what... What is this feeling? Was Naruto this...?

I couldn't help but glare at her, but feel a little content that she was now realizing how strong Naruto really was.

"Let's give it our all," confidently said Naruto after going through his plan with his rival.

Zabuza gave a sinister chuckle and said to himself, "You seem pretty confident. Let's see how confident you are when I beat your friend senseless."

"What are you doing?! Run! The outcome of this battle was decided when I got caught!" yelled Kakashi. "Our mission is to protect Tazuna-san."

"I don't mind. Fight all you want," said Tazuna, not being selfish at all, but wanting the sensei to be safe.

"When I was your age, my hands were already soaked in blood," he smirked evilly. "Seems like your friend can relate," he cruelly laughed.

My heart started beating louder and louder and louder. It was getting hard to breathe. Why was it getting harder to breathe? I gasped for a breath as a quick blurry thought came in my mind.

--

"She doesn't have to remember anything. It'll be as if she was pure," a manly voice said.

Silence was heard in the darkness. Nothing was clear and I was in pain.

"She is pure. It's your fault that she ever became like...this," said a motherly voice.

--

Kakashi looked at him, not ignoring his comment, the demon Zabuza.

"You know what? She almost looks familiar," he grinned under his mask, but then continued. "Seems you know of me Copy ninja," he said, changing the topic.

"A long time ago, the Hidden Village of the Mist was known as the Village of the Bloody Mist. In that village, there was an obstacle that existed to become a ninja."

Kakashi said ignoring Zabuza's comment. Zabuza looked at Kakashi sternly, "So you know about the final test there."

"Final test? What's the final test?" asked Naruto

The cruel ninja chuckled, "Students killing each other. Friends who ate from the same bowl are separated into groups of two, and forced to fight each other. Killing your best friend…" the tension rose as he mentioned death.

Kakashi continued for the man, fully knowing the story. "Ten years ago, the Hidden Village of Mist had to go through a reformation...because in the previous year, a monster appeared that finally decided it."

"A monster... A reformation...? What did that monster do?" asked Naruto still lost.

"A small boy who hadn't even gained the right to become a ninja killed more than 100 of the candidates that year, and killed them all without hesitation," finished Kakashi, who never took his gaze away from Zabuza.

Zabuza looked up, his eyes almost rolling in the back of his head in pleasure. "That was fun," he groaned.

A soft maniacal laugh could be heard through the mist.

A water clone came at Sasuke at full speed knocking him off the floor, then elbowing him hard, making Sasuke spit out blood. He then came up at me at full speed, not giving me the time to blink, and pushed me hard against a tree breaking one of my ribs. He kept on applying pressure in it, making me bite my lip hard, so hard that blood was flowing down my chin.

I looked ahead to Naruto, dazing in and out, seeing different colored dots everywhere, then felt something warm going down my neck.

"Die," his clone whispered.

"No! Shadow replication jutsu!" Naruto yelled.

I wished I had seen more, but I passed out when he put more pressure on me.

I woke up to the sounds of...seagulls... It was quite relaxing, but my body was so sore, it almost hurt to breathe.
I looked up at the wooden ceiling, wondering where I was, and tried not to panic at the possible scenarios that could have happened.

Maybe I'm kidnapped? No… why would they bandage up a kidnappee…

I tried sitting up, but the pain in my body intensified so much that it paralyzed me.

"You shouldn't move," a man said.

I was startled by the deep voice and looked to my right to see my sensei, lying on a bed next to mine, with his hands behind head. I looked at him with tired eyes and asked, "What happened?"

"Five of your ribs broke, but luckily none of them punctured your lungs," he answered.

All of the sudden, a headache came and made me grip my head.

"Your head was bleeding a bit also," continued the sensei. "Just be thankful that none of your wounds are too deadly."

I let out a sigh and asked once more, "What happened after I passed out?"

"Naruto and Sasuke actually decided to work together, and managed to trick Zabuza, defeating him," he answered, still not sure of how they beat an assassin.

"Wow," I said amazed. "Where's the body?" I asked the sensei, who finally decided to open his eyes.

"Apparently, a hunter-nin came by and took him," he said with a disbelieving tone.

I heard a door slide open and tensed a bit. "Yami!" I heard a familiar voice say. "You're awake!" I looked at the grinning boy.

Apparently, I thought as I pondered over my sensei's words.

"That's great," smiled what looked like Tazuna-san's daughter. I didn't know how I knew it, but she had his scent.

I lay on my back, which was next to your sensei, for a second and felt his uneasiness.

"What's wrong sensei?"

He slightly jumped, being startled, then asked, "It...feel as if he didn't die..."

"What are you talking about, Sensei? That hunter-nin took Zabuza away," said Naruto with that kawaii puzzled look of his...

Did I just use... Ka..wa..ii...,I thought with my eyes a little wide.
(Kawaii: cute)

"It's just that... hunter-nins are supposed to eliminate the corpse on the spot," he said, thinking back to the situation.

"But he didn't..." added Sasuke, catching on.

"And the needles he used on Zabuza are questionable too," continued Kakashi.

"Could it be that..." Sakura thought out loud, joining in the conversation.

"What are you guys talking about?" questioned Tazuna feeling lost.

"Zabuza is still alive," I answered with a monotone.

"WHAT!? But sensei, I thought you checked for his pulse!?"

"I did...but it's very easy to put someone in a near death state..." he sighed. "So, more training."

"More training!? Come on, sensei. Even you had a hard time with him. Are you trying to kill us!?" shouted out Sakura. Wow. Sakura shouted like Naruto.

"Training doesn't stop for you four... well three. You all are growing rapidly. Especially you Naruto," smiled Kakashi-sensei.

"Awesome! Now things are getting interesting," said Naruto with a grin.

"You're all going to die anyways... you can't defeat Gatoh," said a little boy, who seemed to be Tazuna's grandson. The one he bribed us with.

I stared at him with no emotion in my eyes. When the little boy went to hug his grandpa, he looked at me, and it was easy to sense that he had no faith in us at all, which just pissed Naruto off. He, who was named Inari, left to go somewhere else, leaving us all to gaze after him.

--

Naruto and I walked up the stairs, just randomly talking.

"Man, that kid with the hat has no faith at all. Freaking brat, I didn't practice all day just to hear him put us down like that again," he mumbled, letting his anger get the best of him

I laughed at his grumbling, and rubbed the back of my neck.

"Chill, Naruto. He probably doesn't like ninjas or something. Can't be anything personal… I mean, he doesn't even know us," I tried reasoning.

"I guess you're right... hey! What's wrong with ninj-" he started but stopped mid-sentence when we heard crying. I shifted into my wolf form, and walked towards the sound with Naruto right behind you. Naruto opened up a door, and we saw Inari crying while holding a picture. I heard him whimper "dad". Behind me, Naruto didn't even bother moving, but stood still while gazing at the boy with a bit more sympathy…

I walked towards the boy carefully and nudged his lap. He jumped, startled and he stopped crying for a moment, and looked at me with sad eyes and hugged me.

I had expected him to yell at me for being there, but I guess since he was so sad, he was just looking for comfort.

It really startled me still, but I stayed by his side until he cried himself to sleep. But before he could drift off into a dream land, I heard him mumble, "I miss him so much..."

--

When it was dinner time, everyone sat down at the table.

"Hey, did anyone see that dog?"

I looked down onto my plate, and said nothing. I looked to my side, and looked at Naruto.

"Do you know anything about a dog?"

He gave me a shrug.

"I sure don't," he played along with me.

Sasuke glared suspiciously at Inari and asked, "Are you sure you weren't seeing things kid?"

Inari said nothing, but glared at him, looking a bit insulted and angry. He looked down onto his plate, and said nothing again, with the feeling of depression radiating off of him.
Sakura looked at Tazuna in worry and asked, "Is Inari alright? He's so sad for a little kid..."

Tazuna explained to team seven why Inari was as sad as he was now. He had mentioned a man, but before he could continue, Inari stormed out of the room with his mom following close behind him, but before she left, she scolded Tazuna-san for speaking of the man in front of Inari.

Tazuna sighed sadly, and a tear slid down his cheek when he continued.

"Inari had a father figure, who had saved him from drowning, when three boys pushed him onto the ocean. The man's name was Kaiza, he and Inari had grown close, like father and son. Eventually, he was part of the family. He was looked at as a hero in the village. He would sacrifice his life for the safety of the town."

Protect what you love with your life

"But Gatoh captured him for he saw Kaiza as a threat and tortured him. One day, he brought the village to a meeting of some sort, and executed him in front of the village. Inari cried and cried as he saw his dad get killed in front of him. Inari was never the same ever since. He had stopped believing in heroes ever since his hero died."

Naruto suddenly shot up, surprising everyone.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" asked Sakura.

"If you're thinking about training, you used too much chakra. You'll kill yourself if you use anymore," reasoned Kakashi.

He took a struggled deep breath and said, "I'm going to prove... to Inari that there are still heroes out there."

I gave him smile, admiring his determination and will power.

"Show off," scoffed Sakura, and once again, she felt my cold glare.

--

Naruto had decided to go training by himself in the woods. I insisted on coming, but he refused and told me to rest and get better. Since we were by the beach, I was going to relax a bit. I stretched a bit, enjoying the quiet and relaxing times of the mission.

"Hey sensei, I'm going to go for a run, alright?"

He looked up from his book with a grin and said, "Alright, but don't overdo it. You're still recovering after all."

"Sure," I said with a sarcastic tone. He rolled his eyes at me, knowing that I wasn't going to listen, but still let me go.

I walked towards the beach, inhaling the salty, fresh air. I looked around, not seeing or sensing anyone around, so I shifted into my wolf form, and felt my paws getting buried into the cold sand.

A shiver crawled down my spine as a soft breeze brushed against my fluffy fur. I felt an adrenaline rush sparked into my body, and had the greatest rush to run until I was breathless.

I started walking, looking up at the night sky, and slowly started speeding up until I was running as fast as I could without using any chakra. I felt my paws hitting the wet sand, slightly scratching them, and the lack of air in my lungs, making them burn. Yet, they didn't burn painfully, but it was the kind of burn that made me want more until I couldn't handle it at all.

After a while, I started using my chakra to run faster, since without it, it took me two hours to run halfway around the island. Even though my ribs were healing, I had to be free, even if it was for just a moment.

--

I collapsed in front of Tazuna's house, completely out of breath and shocked that I didn't do any further damage to my ribs. I laid there for a couple minutes, slowly catching my breath, but after a while, I just stayed sprawled on the sandy floor, listening to the ocean waves. I stayed there completely relaxed on the sand, until I heard someone walking towards my direction. I made an effort to open my eyes to see Sakura looking down at me.

I did nothing but closed my eyes again and heard her sit down next to me, which I found very un-expecting, but still didn't do anything else.

Nothing but the waves crashing with the sand could be heard, until I heard her say something even more un-expecting.

"You like Naruto, don't you?"

That question made my heart jump and my eyes open in shock, but the calmness in her voice eased me a bit.

"What brought that up...?" I dully asked her back.

"You do, don't you?" she said, feeling the excitement of knowing something secretive. I glared at the sky and got up, leaving her in silence.

Kakashi's Pov

It had been three hours since Yami had left. I couldn't help but be worried about her. I wanted to take care of her like a daughter, just as Iruka took care of Naruto like a son.

I sighed as I couldn't get back to my novel. I'm getting way too worried about this kid, I thought, getting irritate at my concern. I heard the door open and looked up to see Yami.

"Hello, Yami," I said as I raised my eyebrow in wonder. She had a frown and a frustrated glare on her face. She sat on the bed next to mine in silence. It was a wonder why we were sharing rooms, but then I remembered that we were paired off because we were the 'injured' ones, so it'd be easier to check up on us. I looked at her as she brought her knees up, hugging them, and put her head down. I looked at her worriedly, and put my book away.

"Are you ok Yami?" I asked. Afterwards, I saw her look up at me with glossy-looking eyes, and turned her head away from me.

"What's wrong?" I asked, genuinely concerned.

"I'm just...so confused," she managed to get out.

"About what," I egged on. It sounded more of an order then a question.

She got up, not looking in my direction, and left the room without a word. I sighed sadly, not understanding the situation at all. I heard a knock at the door, and saw Sakura.

"Sakura-chan, do you need anything?" I asked, trying to brush off my confusion.

"What's wrong with Yami?" she asked, not sounding obsessed about Sasuke for once.

I ran my hand through my hair, and told her, "I really don't know." She looked at me, thinking about something and assumed, "You should go after her." I raised an eyebrow and pointed at myself to make sure.

"Me?" I said emphasizing the word.

"Well, you are her sensei, and Naruto isn't here anyways. She'll never listen to me," she said nothing after that and walked away, giving me a shrug.

Women, I thought as I swore to never try understanding them again.

I used my speed to appear above the roof in less than a second, and looked around the house and onto the beach to try to find her. I looked down near the ocean water, and saw Yami walking away from the house. She kept on walking and then sat on the sandy floor, gazing at the water.

I hopped off the roof then walked towards her and awkwardly sat by her in silence. Never have I ever felt so out of place.

We both sat next to each other, waiting for something to happen, but when I was getting used to the silence, I heard her ask, "What's love?"

The question wasn't something anyone would expect her to ask.

"Why do you ask?" I countered.

She paused then finally uneasily answered, "I don't know..."

Yami's Pov

The awkward silence was painful after a while. I didn't even know why I told my sensei anything anyways.

When I decided it was time to get up, Kakashi broke the awkward silence by answering my question.

"Love is an emotion you feel for someone when you care for them greatly, but there are different levels of love... and only you can figure which level it is..." He paused. "The different levels are something like...when you like someone... it's a lower level of love... when you're in love...it's the highest level of love." He sighed and petted my head. "It's a confusing thing that you'll eventually get, but right now... you are way too young to understand it."

We sat in silence and watched the waves move into their unique dance, bringing serenity to the mind.

"What brought that up anyways?" Kakashi pondered.

I looked at the waves dancing back and forth. Eventually answering, "Curiosity."

"Curiosity killed the cat," he countered with a laugh.

"I'm a wolf, not a cat," I corrected him.

He laughed at the smart remark and sat up. "Well then, we have to go back in. Who knows? Naruto might be back," he said with a yawn.

He smiled under his mask, walking away. I stood up and looked at the horizon. Kakashi stopped, and told me, "If you ever need to talk, I'll always listen." He gave me one last smile and thought to himself, you're like the daughter I'll never have...