A/N: Here's the next chapter. By the way, really important question. After what episode in the anime would it be ok to watch "Naruto The Last" without spoilers?
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.
Chapter 8 The Story of a Hero
After picking up Tazuna from his hiding place, Team 8 along with Kakashi Hatake journeyed to the old bridge builder's home. It wasn't long before Naruto felt something brush his leg. He nearly jumped but when he looked down, he saw it was the snow rabbit from earlier.
"Oh, it's you again, Mr. Bunny."
Kakashi looked at Kurenai and raised his eyebrow. "Mr. Bunny?"
Kurenai giggled and replied. "An animal Zabuza used as a substitution. You should have seen the way Naruto acted with him. If it wasn't for the fact that it was obviously not a wild rabbit because of his fur color, I would have taken a picture. Speaking of which, I have one I've just got to show you."
"It looks like he's taken a real liking for you. Ya gonna keep him?" Kiba asked.
"Ummm..." Naruto didn't know what to do. On one hand, it'd be nice to have some company at home. It got kinda lonely in his apartment. However, he was worried the villagers might try to make stew out of his furry friend. "I d-don't think…"
"Come on. Look how cute he is." Hinata picked him up and held him in front of Naruto. "Besides, I don't think he'll leave you alone if he's followed you this far."
"Well, I g-guess maybe I c-could keep him."
"That's the spirit! I'll even come over and help." Naruto warmed up even more to the idea of keeping the rabbit, especially since it meant spending even more time with the girl of his dreams. "Though we'll need a better name than Mr. Bunny."
"And we should make sure he is a 'Mr.'," Kiba added.
Naruto and Hinata realised they never did check the rabbit's gender, and neither were eager to. "Well, uh, h-how about Yuki? It's u-used for both genders," Naruto offered.
"I like it. Yuki. That's what we'll call you little guy. Um, or girl." She then handed little Yuki (which means "snow" and "happiness" by the way) over to Naruto. "You check."
"W-what? W-why me?"
"Your rabbit, your job."
"But, but I don't wanna check. A-and you s-said you'd help, s-so you check."
The two argued for a few minutes before Kiba rolled his eyes. "Bunch of babies. I'll check." The two looked at him. "What? I help my mom and sis whenever we have a new litter." The two shrugged and handed Yuki over to the Inuzuka. After his brief inspection, Kiba handed it over to Naruto. "Congratulations, it's a boy."
"Are you three done? We still have a ways to go before arrive at my village. I have a bridge to build, remember? A madman to foil?" Tazuna was annoyed by all the distractions. The longer it took, the more his people suffered.
"He's right, you know." Kakashi told Kurenai. "Especially if your suspicions prove to be true."
"What suspicions sensei?" Hinata asked.
"Remember that tracker nin from earlier?" Her team nodded. "Well, I suspected he was working with Zabuza."
Everyone's eyes widened except Kakashi. "B-but sensei, that guy k-killed him! We all saw it ourselves. You even c-checked yourself. A-and I'm sure you w-would have seen through it if it was a g-genjutsu," Naruto argued.
"You're right, it wasn't a genjutsu or I would have noticed. However, tracker nin deal with the body on the spot. Instead, he took him away."
"But he struck him in the neck. And like Naruto said, you checked Zabuza's body yourself, he was dead." Hinata said, a little afraid. She did not like the idea of facing Zabuza again.
"Yes, I thought about that. Remember the weapons he used."
"You mean those needle?" Kiba asked.
"Yes." Now it was Kakashi who spoke. "Senbon are able to pierce deeply, but unless you hit a vital point, it wouldn't kill you. In the hands of one with both accuracy and knowledge of the human body, simulating the death of someone would be simple. So, Kurenai, are you absolutely sure Zabuza is still alive?"
"Considering the boy carried the body away despite it being almost too heavy for him, as well as the use of precision weapons with low-fatality rates, well if I'm wrong, I'll buy Anko dangos for a year." Her students looked confused, so she explained. "My friend Anko and dangos are like Naruto and ramen." Their eyes widened when they realised just serious she had to be to bet that.
Tazuna still didn't get it, but decided to take the looks on the others' faces that she had no doubts. "S-so what now?" he stuttered and turned to Kurenai. "I mean, you almost lost against him."
"Don't worry." Kakashi said with smile that was barely visible under his mask. "With two jonin on the job, I doubt you have much to worry about."
"Besides, my student have proven themselves to be quite good, even if they fail to follow orders." Kiba and Hinata ignored that last part, but it seemed to bother Naruto.
"Well, I guess you're right. My house is not far from here. Let's go." The trio continued to walk forward but Naruto seemed down and hung back. Kakashi noticed this and slowed down.
Speaking quietly, Kakashi asked, "You alright?"
Naruto kept his head down, but replied, "I, I think Kurenai-sensei is u-upset with us for disobeying h-her."
"Understandable. She is the ranking officer of your team. And you three did disobey a direct order."
"But, but we couldn't l-leave her. She's our sensei and f-friend."
Kakashi sighed. "Naruto, let me tell something very important. In this Shinobi World, those that break the rules are scum."
Naruto hung his head lower.
"However," he turned to hear this. "those that abandon their friends and comrades are worse than scum." And with that, Kakashi rejoined Kurenai up front, leaving Naruto to dwell on those words.
"So what was that about?" Kurenai questioned.
"He was feeling a little guilty from that comment about them disobeying orders. You might want to talk with him more about that."
"That was mostly aimed at my other students. So what did you say to him?"
"Oh, I just spread the wisdom of an old friend."
Kurenai smiled, as she knew exactly what he meant.
"By the way, you can't be serious."
"About what?" Kurenai asked, confused.
"There's just no way Naruto's ramen addiction can compare to Anko dango problem."
Kurenai laughed at that. "Oh really. Then why don't you invite your team to our team lunch at Ichiraku's and you pay for his meal."
"I'll pass, but still, I know he likes ramen a lot, but it can't be that bad."
"Ask Iruka, he's bought Naruto ramen before, and I still remember the first team lunch where I let Naruto eat his usual amount. But that's a story for another time." (And another chapter)
-
"Sasuke!" Ino shouted as she ran toward the boy of her dreams.
'Ah, shit.' Sasuke thought.
Ino was about to hug Sasuke when Sakura ran interference and the two once again fought over who would be the Uchiha's girlfriend. Sasuke sighed and continued to practice the tree climbing. To his disdain, Sakura managed to master it first in a matter of minutes, even though she was the weakest of the three. And even though Shino had yet to complete the exercises, he was closer to succeeding than the Uchiha.
As he fell on his bum for the umpteenth time, he remembered something about the blond kunoichi that would help him with his plans for Hinata. She was a gossiper as well as a friend of Naruto. Taking an opportunity while Sakura freaked out when one of Shino's bugs landed on her, he snuck away from his team and approached Ino. "Hey, Ino. I want to talk to you, privately."
Ino froze and her cheeks turned pink. 'Sasuke wants to talk to ME! PRIVATELY! What could he want? Maybe he wants to ask me out, or kiss me! Take that, Sakura! Ok, ok. Be cool, Ino! Don't blow it!
Shikamaru and Choji were suspicious and about to protest, but one death glare from Ino shut them up. "Of course, Sasuke. Lead on."
As Sasuke lead Ino away, Choji turned to his lazy friend. "What do you think he wants?"
"I don't know, but whatever it is will definitely be troublesome." Choji nodded in agreement.
Once the two were away from any eavesdroppers, Sasuke turned toward Ino and spoke. "Ino, I need your help with something."
"What do you need help with Sasuke?"
"Your friends with Naruto, right?"
"Um, yes. Why?" Ino couldn't tell where this was going, but it was obvious it wasn't going to end like she hoped, to her disappointment.
"Well, I admit I've kinda been a bit of a jerk to him, but that's in the past. I noticed other people don't look at him favorably, but for some reason, no one will say why."
"Yeah, I don't get it. They way they act, you'd think he killed somebody." Ino agreed sadly. She herself had seen the glares and saw him get kick out of her favorite clothing store just after entering.
"Yeah, it made me realise my mistake in treating him badly. I was hoping you would help me change their minds about him. I just need to know why they act that way. Can you find out?"
'I knew it! Sasuke does have a soft spot! And he's sharing it with me of all people!' Ino though. "Of course I can!"
"Good, and remember," he leaned in closer, causing Ino to blush. "This is our little secret. And so is this." He kissed Ino on the cheek and returned to his team.
Ino stood there for a few seconds, her brain processing what just happened. 'He kissed me. HE KISSED ME! SASUKE JUST KISSED ME! Sure it was on the cheek, but still!' She reveled in her victory over the other Sasuke fangirls.
Meanwhile as Sasuke approached his team. 'Deception and manipulation, two of the most important tools of a ninja. And while Ino does the work, I can focus on getting stronger.'
"Sasuke, where did you go?" Sakura asked.
"Nowhere important." Shino raises his brow in suspicion, but Sasuke ignores him and goes back to tree climbing.
-
"Dad, you're home!" Tazuna's daughter shouts and gives him a hug. She has long, blue hair, a pink short-sleeved shirt with a red collar, and a long, blue skirt. "Oh, who are they?" She points toward Team 8 and Kakashi.
"Tsunami, these are the ninja from the Hidden Leaf I've hired to protect me."
"Yes, I'm Kurenai Yūhi and these are my student."
"Name's Kiba Inuzuka. This little guy's my partner Akamaru." Akamaru barked.
"And I'm Hinata Hyūga."
"N-Naruto Uzumaki, ma'am. T-this is Yuki." He said, barely audible.
"Oh and what about him? The one with one eye." Tsunami asked.
"Kakashi Hatake." He answered.
"Well, come in all of you. I'm sure we can find room for you somewhere."
Everyone enters the house and sat down in the living room. Kiba, Hinata, and Naruto sat on the couch with Yuki on Naruto's lap and Akamaru still on Kiba's head while Kurenai and Kakashi stood behind them and Tazuna and Tsunami sat in chairs in front of them. "Thank you for bringing my father back safely and helping us take back our home, though I must say, you three seem a little young to be ninja." Tsunami point to the three genin.
"Well uh…" Kurenai looked for a way to explain, knowing that telling her they were genin one month out of the academy with no prior experience would not instil confidence. Luckily, Tazuna bailed her out.
"These kids proved themselves on the way here. And those two are high ranking ninja. Trust me, they'll keep me safe."
"Yeah, we'll keep the old drunk safe and beat anyone who tries anything!" Hinata shout.
"Yeah, right. You're just going to die." Everyone turns to see a boy with spiky, black hair in green jumpsuit, yellow shirt, and a white hat with two blue lines. "No one can stand up to Gato, so just go back to your own village."
"Inari! That was very rude! These ninja kept your grandpa safe! Apologize!" Tsunami scolded. Meanwhile, Kurenai kept Hinata restrained with her hand covering the Hyūga girl's mouth, knowing she'd do and say something reckless in retaliation. Kiba and Akamaru growled but otherwise kept quiet and Naruto just sat there.
"Hmph!" Inari just headed upstairs.
"And where are you going?" the boy's mother asked.
"To look out over the ocean. I wanna be alone!" Shortly afterwards they heard a door slam.
"Sorry about that." Tazuna said. "He's been like that since Gato took over."
Kurenai released Hinata, who crossed her arms and mumbled, "Should be happy someone wants to help. Ungrateful twerp."
-
"Alright, let's start training." Kurenai said to her team. Kakashi leaned against a nearby tree while reading his book. Yuki was eating some nearby fireweed (looked up rabbit's diet). "We'll be doing the water walking exercise now."
"Y-you mean like d-during your fight?" Naruto asked as he remembered how Kurenai and Zabuza easily fought atop the water.
"Yes, and I warn you, it won't be as easy as the tree climbing exercise." Hinata didn't look worried while Kiba and Naruto subconsciously rubbed their bums at the memory of how 'easy' that training was. "Unlike tree climbing, which requires a fixed amount of chakra at the soles of your feet, water walking requires you to change the chakra discharge in order to stay atop the water's shifting surface. If you don't, you'll fall in. Luckily, Tsunami was nice enough to lend us some towel."
Since none of the genin brought their swimsuits, Kiba and Naruto had to stick with removing their jackets, shirts, and sandals. Hinata removed her jacket and sandals as well, but obviously kept her shirt.
"Now let me show you how it's done." Kurenai turned and walked onto the water. Hinata activated her byakugan to look at her sensei's chakra to get a better idea of what to do. "As you can see, or rather as Hinata can see, I'm constantly changing the flow of chakra to my feet in order to maintain my balance."
"How's this supposed to help us fight Zabuza? Should we be learning some kick ass jutsu." Hinata asked.
Kurenai sighed. "Listen, like I said when we did tree climbing, these kind of exercises will improve your chakra control, which in turn will help improve any and all jutsu you know or will learn. For example, hasn't the tree climbing exercise improved the use of your eyes, Hinata? After all, since then you've managed to keep your bloodline on longer by adjusting the amount of chakra flowing in your eyes."
Hinata nodded in defeat. She couldn't deny that training produced more results than simply walking up a tree, something she figured wouldn't come in handy.
"Now then, let's begin." The three genin approached the water. Kiba and Naruto fell in the moment they stepped on the water. Hinata, on the other hand, managed to stay on top of the water a few minutes before losing her balance and falling in.
Kurenai barely managed to contain her laughter at her students' failed attempts to walk on water. Hinata managed to completely maintain her balance on her third try, though Kurenai told her to continue practicing. A few tries later, Akamaru got the hang of it as well.
"Looks like Akamaru has better chakra control then the two of you." Hinata commented.
Whenever she managed to suppress her laughter, Kurenai gave her two male students advice and help them. By the end of the day, Naruto and Kiba could stand on top of the water without falling in, though it acquired their full concentration. Meanwhile, Hinata and Akamaru could jump around. "Alright, that's enough for today. Hinata, Akamaru, good work today. Hinata, you and I will do some light sparring tomorrow atop the water. Kiba, Naruto, you'll keep practicing with Kakashi."
"Huh?" Kakashi's gaze left his book upon hearing his name.
"That's right, Kakashi. Don't think I'm gonna let you just stand there reading that trash. So tomorrow, your lazy ass is helping train them. If you don't, you can kiss that book of yours good-bye. Do I make myself clear?"
Kakashi nodded frantically while hugging his book. Kurenai smiled and walked back to the house with Hinata behind her. Naruto picked up Yuki and stood by Kakashi with Kiba and Akamaru. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, why doesn't Kurenai-sensei like your book?" Kiba asked, unaware of its contents.
"Simple, that woman has no appreciation for fine literature." he answered as he walked toward the house as well.
Dinner was uneventful. Once finished, Kurenai announced the sleeping arrangements. "Me and Hinata will sleep in the guest room. Kakashi, you can take the couch. Kiba, Naruto, you two will sleep in the attic." Kiba mumbled how unfair it was since those two got to sleep in a bed, but went up for some shut-eye. Naruto was about to follow when Kurenai added, "And no sneaking out for some private time you two," pointing at the blond and lavender-eyed girl while Kakashi looked with some curiosity.
Both blushed before Hinata got defensive. "It wasn't was like that. We didn't plan to both be awake. And it's not like anything happened." 'No, something almost happened.' She thought as she thought about how they almost kissed.
"Whatever you say." Kurenai said, clearly enjoying herself.
Kakashi took pity on the poor duo, so he stepped in. "Speaking of private moments, I saw Asuma at your apartment a few nights ago. Care to explain?"
Now it was Kurenai turn to blush. Hinata smiled deviously as she saw her moment and took it. "You and Asuma-sensei, huh? Now that's interesting," she said, ready for payback, as she dragged Kurenai to their room for more teasing. Kurenai gave the white-haired jonin a look that said, 'I'll get you for this.'
Kakashi just shrugged as he laid on the couch and went to sleep.
-
The secret of Naruto Uzumaki proved to be a difficult challenge. But Ino loved challenges, especially when it came to information gathering. She is a Yamanaka after all. It's in her blood. Her father was captain of the Intelligence Division. And her natural determination to learn what's what was further fueled by her desire not to let Sasuke down.
Ino first asked her father, who acted weird at first before refusing to answer. The same went for every adult she asked, including the ones who actually like Naruto, which sadly wasn't much. She then tried eavesdropping on random civilians, but that didn't bear any fruit either. They all just called him 'monster' or 'demon brat', names she already knew were thrown at the poor boy.
She finally learned the truth when she used a transformation to sneak into a bar. Secrets are often spilled when one is intoxicated enough. And one shinobi definitely was.
"I still ca'nt believe thmey lxet that monster live, especially after whbat he did." the man said.
"Shhh! We're not suppose to talk about that. Hokage's orders, remember?" his companion reminded.
"Ahhhh, phooey! Everyqone ni here alreaydy knows."
"I guess." he relented. "And I do agree. He's a danger to us all. We should finish what the Fourth started."
'The Fourth?' Ino thought nearby, still in disguise. 'What does the Fourth Hokage have to do with Naruto?'
"Yevah! he mmay walk like he's human, fhe may guo by Naruto, but everxyone knouws eh's really da damn 9-Tails!"
Ino had to cover her mouth to hide her gasp. 'Naruto, the 9-Tails? No, that can't be true! The Fourth Hokage killed that monster!' Ino ran home, unsure what to believe. She wanted to think he misheard him, or that he was wrong, but something in her wouldn't let it go. She needed this clear up, so when her father came home from work, she confronted him.
"Ino, my lovely daughter, what can I do for you?" Inoichi noticed the look of distraught on Ino face and grew worried. "What's the matter? Did something happen?"
Ino looked up at her father and managed to choke out the words. "I… I heard something about Naruto being connected to the 9-Tails. Is that truth?" The look on her father's face was all the answer she needed. "OH GOD IT'S TRUE!"
"Ino! Ino, listen to me!" Inoichi said as he tried to calm his daughter down. "Before you jump to any conclusions, let me explain just what happened that night almost 13 years ago. Ok?"
Ino calmed down, just a bit as she was still freaked out, but enough and nodded. "Ok, here's the real story of what happened that night. Despite his strength, Lord Fourth could not kill the demon fox. It was much too powerful. So instead, he had to seal it inside a newborn child. That child…
"Was Naruto." Ino finished.
"Believe me, the Fourth didn't like it, but it was the only way. His dying wish was that the village see him as a hero, because Naruto keeps the demon imprisoned inside him."
"But the villagers are fools stuck in grief over the ones they lost. And they use Naruto as an outlet. Lord Third tried his best. He made it illegal for us to tell the younger generation so that Naruto would have friends, and those that hurt him physically would be punished."
"But that didn't stop them," he continued. "Parents told their children to stay away from him and even encouraged any ill-will towards him. And I'm sure from hanging out with him that you've seen the villagers contempt for him." Ino nodded. "I once tried to adopt him, so did Shikaku, Chōza, Tsume, and even Shibi, but the council stopped us."
Ino was stuck in shock, not only from learning the truth of her fellow blond, but also hearing a bit about his past and the fact that he was almost her adopted brother. And as she listened to her father's tale, even though he assured her Naruto was no threat to her, to her shame, she still felt some fear toward the jinchūriki.
"Listen to me. You can't tell anyone! Not even your friends. It needs to be Naruto's decision. He'll tell you when he's ready."
"You mean he knows?"
"He found out after the graduation exam from Mizuki. Your former sensei turned traitor and tried to use Naruto as a scapegoat. If it weren't for Iruka, he would have succeeded. Now please, take what I said to heart and don't let what you've learned affect your friendship."
-
Two days have passed since the fight with Zabuza. Hinata, Kiba, Naruto, and Akamaru have gotten the hang of water walking. They currently were sparing with Kakashi while guarded Tazuna at the bridge. Naruto swarmed him with clones, Kiba performed hit and run attacks with Akamaru, and Hinata was waiting for an opening provided by her teammates. She got it when she got it when he dove to the right to dodge Kiba and Akamaru's fang over fang attack. "8 Trigrams: 32 Palms!" She struck 32 of his chakra points before he puffed into smoke.
"What! That was just a clone?!" Hinata yelled.
"T-then where's the real one?" Naruto asked.
"Right here." Naruto turned his head to see the jonin crouched right behind him about to attack "Leaf Secret Finger Jutsu:"
Bullseye.
"A Thousand Years of Death!"
Naruto flew into the air before crash down into the water. Hinata was shock at the use of such a, weird (yeah, let's go with weird) move. Kiba on the other hand was laughing his ass off as he clutched his sides. "Wow, pretty effective! Ha ha!"
"You think so?" Kiba instantly stopped laughing as he looked behind to see Kakashi with the same hand sign as before.
"Oh, shi…"
"A Thousand Years of Death!"
Now it was Kiba's turn to go flying. Kakashi looked at Hinata, who instantly moved her hands to cover her rear. "Don't worry. I'd never use such a technique on a lady," he assured. Hinata looked at him for a few seconds, before reactivating her Byakugan and returning to her fighting stance. Kakashi moved, but with her eyes she saw where he was going and struck to her left, but Kakashi caught her arm before her palm could connect and performed a sweep kick that had her lying on the water with a kunai to her neck. "Not bad, but not good enough."
Meanwhile, Kiba and Naruto climbed ashore, still sore from Kakashi's recent move. "H-hey, Kiba?"
"Yeah?"
"I don't l-like sparring with K-Kakashi-sensei."
"Me neither. It's a pain in the ass, literally."
What neither of them noticed was that in the shadow, Inari watched. 'They're wasting their time. They should just give up and run. Who do they think they are, heroes. There's no such thing.'
Dinnertime came and everyone was getting seated. Kurenai told her team of the village's poverty. Stores barely had any merchandise, children were forced to beg and steal to survive, and people are too afraid to do anything.
Hinata looked finished eating when she noticed something on the wall. It was a torn picture of Inari, Tazuna, Tsunami, and one other person, but that was the part that was torn. "Hey, what's with the torn picture? And who's the guy that's torn out?" Tazuna's family immediately stopped what they were doing, their faces saddening, Inari more than the others. Clearly, this was a sore subject.
"That's… my husband." Tsunami answered softly.
"They once called him a hero around here."
Inari got out of his chair and made his way toward the door. "Inari, where are you going?" his mother asked, but he ignored her. "Inari, come back here!" But Inari was already out the door. Tsunami ran after her son, but not before scolding her father. "Father you know better than to call him that in front of Inari."
The old man sighed. "Err, sorry about that. I guess that's a sore subject." Hinata apologised, while rubbing the back of her head.
"Yes, it is." Tazuna replied. "But you guys deserve an explanation, so listen. His name was Kaiza, and though not by blood, he was a true father figure to Inari."
"To better understand the situation, you need to know their history. Inari took care of this little puppy he named Potchi. But one day a group of bullies come, their leader claiming the dog as his own. Inari protested, but they held him tight. Tired of his complaining, the leader threw Potchi into the water. They told him if he really wanted his dog back, he would have to save Potchi himself." Hearing this really pissed off Kiba and Akamaru. "However, Inari couldn't swim, and did nothing, hoping they'd have a change of heart. But instead, they pushed him in the water. Strangely enough, at that moment, Potchi learned to doggie paddle and swam to shore, with the bullies chasing after him."
"What?! They left Inari to drown?" Kurenai was furious upon hearing this.
"Yes." Tazuna said sadly. "But fortunately, a stranger came by and saved him. That man was Kaiza. If it weren't for him, Inari would have drowned that day."
Hinata and Naruto looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. 'It's like how we met, Naruto. If I didn't come along when I did…' She didn't finish that thought.
"After that, the two were inseparable. He taught Inari to live with no regrets. To protect that which you care about with both arm, no matter how tough or sad, even if you have to put your life on the line. He saw Kaiza as the father he never had. He look up to him, following in his footsteps. He was so happy when Kaiza married my daughter and I gladly called him son."
"Then one day he became so much more. There was a storm and the floodgates opened. Unless they were closed, the entire lower district would have been lost. However, the current was strong, and everyone was too afraid to swim out tie the rope to the gate so they could pull it closed. Everyone, except Kaiza. That day he became a hero to this land. He taught us the meaning of courage, and Inari grew even more attached to him."
"Then came that dreadful day. The day Gato came to the Land of Waves and took over. Kaiza fought back, but Gato's mercs overwhelmed him and he was defeated. Gato had his arms cut off, crucified him, and publicly executed him as an example to anyone who defied Gato's rule. As poor Inari watched his father die, he changed. His spirit was crushed, as was everyone else's. They all lost faith in heroes."
Everyone in the room was silent, slowly taking in this sad tale. After a few minutes of silence, Naruto got up and walked toward the door. Kurenai looked at her student and asked where he was going. "Something I have to do," he answered. Everyone was surprised, since only a few of them ever heard him speak without a stutter, which in itself was rare.
Naruto walked into Inari's room. Inari turned and asked harshly, "What do you want?" His eyes were red, clear indications that he had been crying.
"I, uh, I heard about y-your father." Inari showed some surprise, but otherwise remained the same.
"Then you understand? Does that mean you'll leave? It's better that you do, otherwise you'll die like he did."
"N-no. I, I'm here b-because…" Naruto's voice started to falter. Taking a moment to gather his courage and find his voice, he finished. "I'm gonna prove to you heroes do exist. M-me and my team will keep y-your grandfather alive, a-and stop Gato. I promise."
Inari grew angry at his words. "You promise? YOU PROMISE! My father made a promise too! He said he'd protect me and defend this land, AND LOOK WHERE HE IS NOW! So don't go promising stuff like that like it means anything and get this through your head! THERE ARE NO SUCH THING AS HEROES! But of course a stupid kid like you would believe in them! None of you know what it's like to lose someone close to you! None of you know what it's like not to feel safe in your own home! No, you've all lived happy lives in that big village of yours! What could you know about what we've gone through! So go and take your bullshit elsewhere."
Naruto just stood there, listening as Inari yelled and insulted him. And when he was done, he just turned around a left the house. That's when Hinata, who followed Naruto upstairs and listened in on their conversation, popped out from her hiding spot, pissed off.
She grabbed Inari by the collar of his shirt and pulled him toward her face. "What the hell is wrong with you?! He wants to help you and you insult him? You should be grateful there's someone willing to help!"
"I'm saving his life!" Inari retorted. "He and the rest of you are just throwing your lives away meaninglessly! Gato is too strong to be beaten! Besides, it's not like any of you know what our lives are like! I've heard about you Hyūga! Your family lives a lavish life!"
Hinata activated her bloodline. "Really? Tell me, are you aware that I lost my mother, or that I lost my uncle shortly after I was nearly KIDNAPPED IN MY OWN HOME?! Or that I have to work twice as hard as anyone just to meet the ridiculous standards of my clan because I'm the heiress?"
"And what do you know about Naruto? You were right about what you said about Naruto never losing anybody, because he never had anyone to begin with! He's an orphan with no family and, until I met him, no friends, living alone. The people of our village always mistreated him, calling him names, encouraging their children to ignore or bully him, refusing him service. And the first time we meet, which was only almost three years ago, he was beaten badly by a bunch of adults right in front of his apartment! In fact, if I hadn't passed by, he would have died that day! Sound familiar? I snuck a peek at his medical records and found out it wasn't the first time, not by a long shot!"
Hinata walk to the door and opened it. Before she left, she said one final thing. "Ask yourself this, do you really want things to stay the same? Is this really a life worth living?" And with that, Hinata went after Naruto, leaving Inari to dwell on her words.
She ran outside, hoping Naruto wasn't too hurt from Inari's words. Everyone else was asleep. She activated her Byakugan to look for him. After a few minutes of searching, she found him in a clearing, Yuki nearby, and what she saw surprised her.
She had expected to find him sulking, or depressed. Instead, she found him sparring with three clones, each wielding a kunai. They charged at him, swinging their weapons. Naruto dove between the two in front of him and slash at the back of one's neck. Then, he kicked the other one hard as the clone turned around and he dispelled too. The last clone brought his kunai down, but the real Naruto raised his own and the two blades clashed. Both jumped back, and the real one threw his kunai right at the clone's heart. Hinata looked at Naruto's blue eyes and saw fiery determination. 'I've never seen that look in his eyes, not even during the graduation exam. He's really changed a lot.' Hinata's heart swelled with pride as she looked at her friend. Deciding to make her presence known, she left the tree line and walked into the clearing.
Naruto was surprised to see Hinata walk towards him. "Hinata! W-what are y-you doing here?"
"I, uh, overheard your conversation with Inari, then saw you leave."
"Y-you didn't do a-anything too rash, r-right?" Naruto asked, worried Hinata's temper may have gotten the best of her.
"Relax, I just had a few choice words with him and left. He was left unharmed I assure you. So, I see your training pretty hard."
"W-well, yeah. I h-have to get s-stronger to keep my p-promise, ya know."
Hinata smiled at this. "Well, don't go trying to be a hero on your own. Remember, ya got me at your side. You and me, we'll save this land. In fact…" She brought her left hand to the pouch strapped to her leg. She grabbed a kunai and gave herself a little cut in her right hand, just enough to draw blood.
Naruto's eyes widened. "Hinata! What are you…"
"Calm down. There's a reason for this, but I need you to do the same, ok?"
"Um, w-why?" Naruto asked confused.
"Simple, we're gonna vow on our blood to never give in and keep our promises. Now, are you in or not?"
Naruto complied and did as Hinata had done earlier. After he was done, Hinata took his hand. Both of them blushed, then Naruto spoke up. "Um, w-what now?"
"Err, I have no idea," she admitted. "I've never done this before. Just give me a second." She thought about how to go about it. "I got it! Ok, on this we night we swear to never give up…" she looked at Naruto, silently urging him to continue.
He got the message. "A-and to n-never go back on o-our word."
"That's our nindo, our ninja way."
"Believe it." Naruto quietly added before covering his mouth with his left hand.
Hinata raised her eyebrow at him. "Believe it?"
"S-sorry, I d-don't know w-where that came from." Naruto said, embarrassed.
Hinata just laughed as she walked to the edge of the clearing. She turned around to face Naruto. "Alright, well enough of this, let's spar. After all, we've both gotta get stronger to uphold our word." She dropped into the Gentle Fist stance. "Come at me with all you've got!"
Naruto nodded and summoned a couple of shadow clones and they all charged at Hinata. And the two of them trained throughout the night.
-
Alpha: So, what'd you think of that?
Ino: Woohoo! Sasuke kissed me!
Sakura: On the cheek, and it was only to manipulate you.
Ino: He still kissed me!
Sakura: By the way, what's that other document you were working?
Alpha: Oh, it's a runaway fanfic where Naruto leaves the Hidden Leaf Village.
Sakura: Wait, what?!
Alpha: Yeah, but that's gonna be difficult since I won't be able to rely on the show. Still, should be interesting.
Sakura: So where will he go?
Alpha: Let me write the first chapter and maybe you'll know.
Ino: Is it gonna distract you from this?
Alpha: Maybe, or vice versa.
Shino: When will I play a major role?
Alpha: Don't worry. I have plans for you Shino.
Kiba: Why'd you have to make Kakashi-sensei use that technique.
Alpha: Ha ha ha! I loved writing that part!
Naruto: Well, since you love that move so much, why don't I show it to you. (Forms the hand sign)
Alpha: You wouldn't.
Naruto: Leaf Secret Finger Jutsu!
Alpha: GET AWAY FROM ME! (Runs away with Naruto chasing after him)
