Ammy: Now before Sakura realizes...
okamiAmaterasu2012: we'll do the intro! *high fives her* So...
Ammy: we're headed torwards-
Sakura: WE'RE HEADED TORWARDS THE END OF THE MIST ARC! SHANNARO!
okamiAmaterasu2012:*smacks sakura with a rolled up Hunger games magazine*Bad Sakura! NARUTO! SASUKE! I TOLD YOU GUYS NOT TO UNTIE HER!
Naruto:-pant- sorry-pant- she tore out
Sasuke:-pant- hn. -pant- she's excited today.
okamiAmaterasu2012: *sigh* whatever. I don't own the Naruto franchise. Kishimoto-Sensei does.
Chapter 9
Sakura was stretching while yawning, bored. She had nothing to do other than watch Tazuna and the others work on the bridge. "You seem bored all by yourself," Tazuna said, "Where is that blonde kid and the other two?"
"They're training," Sakura answered. "You don't have too?" Tazuna asked. "I already completed the training so Kakashi-sensei told me to guard you," the pink haired girl bragged.
"Tazuna!"
The old bridge builder looked back to see one of his old friends. "What is it Giichi?"
"I've been thinking...Can I stop working on the bridge?" Giichi asked.
"Why? Why you too?" Tazuna asked.
"Tazuna..." Giichi said, "we've been close for a while and I do want to help you...but if this continues, Gato will notice us. If you die, what's the point?" Giichi took a deep breath, "we should quit building this bridge."
"I can't do that," Tazuna said, "this is our bridge. This is the bridge we started building together, believing we could bring resources into our poor country."
"But if we die?" Giichi protested.
"It's noon, let's stop for today," Tazuna said as he walked away. He looked back at the other man, "Giichi, you don't have to come tomorrow."
In the village streets, Sakura walked next to Tazuna, guarding him. "I'm supposed to bring the food for lunch home," Tazuna said. Sakura was stunned at how poor and beaten down the village was. They walked into a store and Sakura noticed there was barely anything at all inside.
Without warning, a hand touched Sakura and she reacted as any girl with taijutsu training would. She screamed, "pervert!" and kicked the man in his face even as he tried to explain.
Back on the street, Tazuna was commenting on her outburst when a pair of hands touched her. She turned and saw a child holding his hands out. She gave the child some candy and he went away with a bright smile on his face.
"It's been like this since Gato came," Tazuna explained, "All the adults have given up. That is why I am building the bridge. It is a symbol of courage, a symbol people need so they can abandon their fear and stand up for themselves...If we can finish that bridge...the city will return to how it used to be, how it should be." Sakura thought of her teammates, training hard.
Back where the other three were, Ammy was practicing hand seals while Naruto and Sasuke were running up trees still. Naruto reached his limit and jumped back. He growled at Sasuke's continuing progress despite his renewed efforts. A moment later, Sasuke reached his limit and jumped between the two trees to slow his decent enough to avoid injury. On the way down, he saw Naruto's steady progress compared to his almost stopped progress. 'He's catching up!' Sasuke thought.
'Grrr!' Naruto growled in anger, then remembered what Sakura had told him. Clear his head, relax and focus. He did so and took a step forward to try again when-
"Hey Naruto!" Sasuke called, causing Naruto to fall on his face. "What is it?" Naruto yelled, "I'm trying to train here! Your eyes just for show?"
"PFFFFT" Naruto and Sasuke stole a glance at the source and found Ammy literally rolling on the ground, clutching her stomach, her legs flailing about, suppressing a huge fit of laughter.
Sasuke looked nervous and just hummed and mumbled. "What?" Naruto said, 'why is he talking to me?'
"What did...Sakura tell...you?" Sasuke asked as he looked away.
A goofy smile spread across Naruto's face. "Secret," he said.
Later that night, the two were attempting to set eating speed records, sort of like how Naruto held the speed record (and quantity record) in Konoha for ramen eating. "This is good," Tazuna said heartily, "It's been so long since we had so many people over." Ammy had looked at the meal and said, "No sweets," but ate anyways without further complaint. The two boys finished and held their bowls up. "More," they said, then promptly puked on the floor, grossing Sakura out. Ammy winced with a tick mark on her forehead.
"If you're just gonna throw up, then don't eat it!" Sakura chastised, more towards Naruto than Sasuke of course.
"No, I have to eat," Sasuke said after recovering.
"Yeah, we need to so we can become stronger," Naruto said as he recovered.
'That's right,' Kakashi thought, finally well enough to walk with the assistance of a crutch, 'no need to throw up though.'
After eating, Sakura was looking a picture with the top right corner ripped out. "Why do you have a torn picture on the wall?," she asked, "Inari-kun was staring at it all the time. It also looks like someone tore it that way on purpose..."
Tsunami, Tazuna and Inari suddenly became stiffer. Kakashi felt the tension in the air while Ammy smelled a change in the air. "It's my husband," Tsunami said, not turning to face the others. "He was also the man this city called a hero," Tazuna said.
Inari got up and walked to the door. "Where are you going Inari?" Tsunami asked. His response was a slamming door. "Inari!" Tsunami yelled after her son, she then turned to her father angrily, "I told you not to talk about him in front of Inari!" She went away as well.
"What's wrong with Inari-kun?" Sakura asked. Naruto felt a stab. Why was it that every boy other than him got a -kun on the end of their name?
"Inari's father wasn't his blood related father, but they were just as close as a real father and son could be...he laughed a lot back then." The older man stopped as he cried a little at the old memories, then he composed himself and continued, "But he changed since that incident with his father..." The ninja waited for the older man to continue. "On the day of that incident, courage was robbed from Inari and the people's hearts."
"Incident?" Kakashi asked, "what happened to Inari-kun?"
Tazuna explained about how Inari had met a man named Kaiza who had saved Inari from drowning because of some bullies. He told of how he had become a part of Tazuna's family and how he had helped stop a flood from destroying part of the city, making the man a hero. "But when Gato came to this city..." the older man stopped his story.
"What happened?" Kakashi asked, "was it this 'incident' that happened?"
Tazuna shook in anger, "Kaiza was put to death before everyone as a warning to everyone... Since then, Inari changed, then Tsunami, then the whole village."
Naruto listened to the tale and remembered Inari's speech about heroes and then the boy's crying. He got up to leave, but tripped. "What are you doing Naruto?" Sakura asked as Naruto slammed into the ground.
"No training," Kakashi ordered, "you used too much chakra and it could kill you if you release more."
"I'm gonna prove it," Naruto said as he got up. "Prove what?" Sakura asked. Naruto walked out of the house, "I'm going to show this world that heroes do exist."
The next morning, Sakura came down with a loud yawn. Tazuna saw her. "Naruto didn't come back last night?" he asked. Sakura sat down, "he was out climbing trees after that story...Simple idiot that he is. He probably overdid it and died." The last comment was a joke, but Tsunami took it seriously. "I hope he's alright," she said, "a child in the woods at night..."
"Don't worry," Kakashi said, "he may look like that, but he is a real ninja."
"Honestly...I wouldn't be surprised if he overdid it and killed himself," Sasuke said in all seriousness, "he is a moron after all." At that point, Ammy stood up declaring that she was going to look for Naruto and left. Sasuke followed her.
Naruto, who had worked himself to the point of passing out, was woken up by a cute, older girl. "You'll catch a cold sleeping out her," she said. Naruto sat up and rubbed his eyes, "who are you?" he asked.
A few minutes later Naruto found the plant the girl was looking for and was helping her pick some. "This plant is medicine?" he asked as he looked at the plant. "Yes. Thanks for helping," she said.
"You are working real early today lady," Naruto said.
"You too", she replied, "what are you doing out here anyways?"
Naruto smiled, "training!"
She blinked at him, "that forehead protector, are you a ninja?" she asked.
"Yep, I'm a ninja!" Naruto said happily.
"Why are you training?" she asked.
"I want to be stronger," Naruto said, his smile growing bigger.
"But you look strong already," she said.
"No! I need to get even stronger!" Naruto countered.
"Why?" she asked.
"So I become the best ninja in my village and then everyone will respect me," Naruto said, "I also have something to prove."
"Is it personal or is it for someone else?" she asked. Naruto stared at her like she spoke a foreign language, causing her to giggle. "What is so funny?" Naruto exploded. "Do you have an important person?" she asked. Naruto, as many would guess, didn't get it. "When you have an important person to protect, then you become much, much stronger," she said. Naruto remembered things that proved her words to be true, then said, "yeah, I know what you mean."
She smiled and stood up, walking away. "You will become very strong," she said, "let's meet again sometime."
"Yeah!" Naruto said.
She stopped for a moment. "Before I forget," she said, "I'm a boy." Naruto freaked out, wondering how a boy could be cuter than Sakura. Sasuke and Ammy walked up as Naruto pondered how strange the world was.
Ammy sneezed. "Too many herbs," she complained as she rushed to get away from the boy and his scent.
The next day, Sakura and Kakashi went to find Naruto and Sasuke so they could eat breakfast. Ammy had left a clone to go with them and stayed behind with Tazuna, having "done all the training I can for now," as she said.
"Where is Naruto?" Kakashi asked, "he left again last night..."
"He missed breakfast," Sakura said, "Sasuke-kun also went for a walk and isn't back yet."
A kunai fell to the ground near them, causing them to look up and find a smiling Naruto looking at them from a branch near the top, laying down on it.
"He's already up there?" she asked. Kakashi just chuckled. Ammy smiled.
"Look at how high I can go already!" he yelled. He then stood up and lost his balance. The trio watched helplessly as Naruto fell back, only for him to stick to the bottom of the branch. "Just kidding!" he chuckled.
"You scared me!" Sakura yelled. 'Good, now I can kill you later myself!' Inner Sakura yelled.
Naruto's feet suddenly lost their grip of the tree, his chakra finally running too low or his focus was lost. "Stop being a show off!" Sakura yelled. Naruto would have fallen, but Sasuke ran up the tree and grabbed his foot. "Moron," the Uchiha said. "You're the best Sasuke-kun!" Sakura squealed. Kakashi smiled at how well they were growing as they all went back to Tazuna's house.
A little while later, Kakashi was doing pushups with one finger while Tazuna and Sakura sat on his back. He was up to 198. "I was going to ask earlier, but why are you here? Protecting someone who lied to you?" Tazuna asked. "Abandoning one's duty is not courageous," Kakashi explained, "under courage is nothing. That is what the Yondaime Hokage said. Shinobi don't move only because of money." He then got up and noticed how he was almost fully recovered.
[Zabuza's hideout]
Zabuza tested his body's recovery by manipulating the water in an apple with his chakra. The apple burst apart. "You've almost fully recovered," Haku said. "We will attack soon, Haku," Zabuza ordered. Haku agreed.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto and Sasuke entered the hut, both beaten up from training, but Naruto looked like he floored himself since Sasuke had to help him. They sat down and ate their meal in peace. When it was over, Inari stared at Naruto, who looked ready to nap right there on the table. His expression changed from boredom to anger quickly.
"What is wrong with you!" Inari yelled, "no matter how much you try, Gato can't be beaten! You'll just die! Leave this village while you have a chance!"
Everyone looked at the boy after he stopped yelling, everyone except Naruto and Ammy. She was rubbing her ears and Naruto looked like he was thinking with his eyes closed. He suddenly opened his eyes and glared at the boy. "At least I'm trying something instead of running away like a whiny little brat and bawling myself to sleep!" Naruto snapped. Inari was shocked at this, but recovered quickly. "You don't know anything about our village, about me!" Inari yelled, "you don't know how it is!"
"You got that right," Naruto said, "I wouldn't know what it is to be a useless little brat who only cries day in, day out." Inari ran out of the room and went to the dock. Naruto sat there while Sakura yelled at him. Ammy curled up in a corner to sleep while Sasuke tended to a few persistent wounds. Kakashi saw the chance to slip away and did so, but not to read his book. That would happen later.
Outside, he found the small boy glaring at the water and throwing rocks into it. Kakashi sat next to Inari and waited for him to run out of rocks.
"You know..." Kakashi said, "Naruto doesn't really hate you." Inari was shocked at that. "You and him are similar...that is why he said that."
"How?" Inari asked angrily.
"Naruto lost his father too," Kakashi said, causing Inari to lose his anger, "actually, he never met either of his parents since they died very soon after his birth, so he has been alone his whole life. He is probably tired of crying all the time... He knows how hard it is and is just trying to cheer you up in his...unique way." Inari looked at the water. "But he knows it can be better," Kakashi said, "he recently made friends and is finally being accepted." Kakashi stood up, leaving the boy to think by himself.
[Next day]
"Bye sensei, Sakura-chan, Sasuke, dad," Tsunami said.
"Make sure to take care of Naruto," Kakashi told Tsunami, "he used too much chakra yesterday and should be down till tomorrow. You guard Inari-kun and Tsunami-san while we are away, Ammy." The girl nodded. The Jōnin, bridge builder and two genin left.
[Bridge]
The area was completely deserted. "What is going on?" Tazuna asked. A thick mist rolled in and Zabuza and the hunter-nin walked out of it. The Konoha ninja fell into a defensive position around Tazuna.
"I'm not too shocked to see that fake hunter-nin next to him," Sakura said. The other two nodded.
"Kakashi...I see you at least dumped one of those trash genin, but you surprise me," Zabuza said, "getting rid of such a useful tool as Kaneko...has your mind started to rot?"
"Tool?" Sasuke asked.
"Heh heh heh," Zabuza chuckled, "all shinobi are tools to be used by greater people, whether it is higher ranked ninja or a rich man."
"Disgusting," Sakura said.
"It is somewhat true though," Kakashi said.
"Enough," Zabuza said and summoned more mist. Zabuza clones walked up and drew their swords. "Poor kid," they said as they saw the shaking Uchiha, "still scared."
Sasuke smirked and performed a rapid speed slashing attack with his kunai, destroying all the clones. "I'm not shaking in fear," Sasuke said, "it's excitement."
"Impressive," Zabuza said, "he is rather skilled. Looks like you may have a rival in speed, Haku."
"Even though they only possess one tenth the strength," the hunter-nin stated, "cutting down six is an impressive feat." Sasuke gave one of his trademark grunts and a smirk.
Back at Tsunami's house, Naruto suddenly burst out of the room. "Kakashi-sensei! Sasuke? Sakura-chan?" he asked as he looked around. He was about to call for Ammy when she and Tsunami walked out of the kitchen. "Naruto-kun?" Tsunami asked, "shouldn't you be resting?" Ammy was holding a knife and a cutting board, which she had accidentally cut in two with the knife.
"AHHH! Dammit!" Naruto said as he started shrugging off his pajamas and started getting dressed, "they left me behind...AGAIN!" He finished getting dressed and rushed out the door. "Naruto!" Ammy yelled as she tossed what she was carrying behind her, then ran out to follow him. The knife fell into the sink and the cutting board pieces landed in the garbage.
She found Naruto running across the forest floor, seeming to head for Tazuna's bridge. Ammy followed him in the trees. "Naruto!" Ammy yelled, "slow down! Even with your stamina, you need to take it easy!" Naruto didn't seem to listen. She was about to yell again when she noticed she was about to hit a tree. She slammed into it on all fours and stuck for a moment, but chakra burst from her hands and feet, blasting apart the bark as she was catapulted backwards. 'Damn! And after all of that training with Kaguya-sama!' she thought as she flew backwards, unable to stop herself or change which way she was facing. She looked back and saw a tree coming at her. "Damn," she cursed again as she slammed into the tree and was knocked unconscious. 'It never helps to be as skinny and light as a rake...' were her last thoughts as she fell to the forest floor, sitting against the tree she had slammed into.
Naruto hadn't noticed his petite teammate following him or her knocking herself out, but he did hear the bushes shake and a strange noise make it to his ears. He drew a kunai and cautiously approached the source of the noise.
Back on the bridge, Sakura stayed with Tazuna. Sasuke was next to Kakashi. Both were ready to fight their respective targets.
"I guess it's time to end this," Kakashi said as he went to right his headband.
"Sharingan again?" Zabuza asked, "Is that all you can do?"
Before Kakashi could move the headband, Zabuza flashed out of the mist and struck at Kakashi with a Mist village assassination kunai, but Kakashi put his right hand in the way and the knife pierced it instead. He glared furiously at the assassin.
"You know," Zabuza said, "I had my partner here, Haku, watch the entire battle last time. Not only is he strong, but he's very smart. He only needs to see a jutsu once and then he can come up with a way to beat it."
"Really?" Kakashi asked, then lifted his headband to reveal he had uncovered the Sharingan.
"The Sharingan isn't something you should be showing off again and again," Zabuza said as he closed his eyes, freed his weapon, and faded into the mist. Kakashi's eyes searched around for a sign of attack. "That is useless," Zabuza said, "since the Sharingan, like all dōjutsu, allows you to see chakra, I used more chakra than normal to make this mist. There is too much chakra for you to see me."
'He's right,' Kakashi thought. He got a kunai ready anyways. "How do you expect to defeat the Sharingan with mist?"
"Simple," the assassin said from the mist, "the Sharingan is nothing more than reading and genjutsu based dōjutsu. If you can't see me, then it can't copy my jutsu. If I can't see you, then genjutsu won't work."
"But how will you attack?" Kakashi asked, marveling at the plan.
"You forget Kakashi," Zabuza said, "I am an expert in silent killing. I can track you by sound." As if to prove it, Zabuza appeared from nowhere and sliced Kakashi's chest with his sword. He then faded away again.
"You seem to forget as well," Kakashi said, "I was in ANBU too. Sharingan alone wasn't what let me survive all my battles."
A small distance away in the fog, Haku and Sasuke faced each other. The Uchiha had been drawn out by the hunter-nin threatening his client. Sasuke threw some shuriken Haku deflected them with his needles, then noticed Sasuke had used them as a distraction so he could draw closer. Sasuke swung his kunai at Haku, who blocked it, then moved his head as Sasuke threw the kunai at short range, thought it still scratched his mask. Haku shoved him away, and jumped back. He heard the shuriken coming at him and kept dodging back as three shuriken forced him back. A fourth slammed into the bridge railing and caught his attention. He only noticed it was a feint when the heir punched him in the chest, though he caught the hand afterwards.
The two stared at each other as they were deadlocked. "I think it is time to finish this," Haku said. "How so?" Sasuke asked, "the way I see it, I'm winning." Haku chuckled, "I have two advantages. First, the water on the floor. Second, I have tied up one of your hands." The fake hunter then performed a number of seals with one hand. 'W-what?' Sasuke thought,'one handed seals?' The water started to glow with chakra and what appeared to be mirrors of ice rose up from the ground to surround the two. "Makyō Hyōshō," Haku said as he released Sasuke and jumped back and into a mirror. All the mirrors showed Haku holding his needles.
"Bunshin?" Sasuke asked.
Light bounced off a mirror and Sasuke was engulfed in what felt like a storm of pointed blades. When they let up, he almost fell over. 'That wasn't a bunshin. What the hell was it?' the heir thought.
Kakashi and Zabuza got a brief view of the ice mirrors, then the mist engulfed the two young ninja again.
"What was that?" Kakashi asked.
"You should know Kakashi, since you possess one in that eye of yours," Zabuza said.
"What?" Sakura asked.
"Kekkai Genkai," Zabuza stated.
"Kekkai Genkai? What is that?" Sakura asked, never hearing of them before.
"It is a jutsu passed on through the blood," Kakashi said, "a jutsu that is literally written in one's DNA. Superior ninja through selective breeding. The Sharingan is one of them, though it can't copy other Kekkai Genkai."
"Jutsu written in...blood," Sakura whispered. The thought of such a thing was fearsome.
"I sure do have a useful tool, don't I Kakashi?" Zabuza asked from the mist, "unlike the trash that follows you around."
"My students aren't trash," Kakashi said, "Sasuke also possesses one of those bloodlines."
"That dark haired brat?" Zabuza asked.
"He is the last of the Uchiha," Kakashi said, "he is also the top rookie and a prodigy."
"A survivor from that tragic clan..." Zabuza said, "he still won't win and that doesn't help you at all."
Kakashi smiled. "Sakura is the brightest of all the genin graduates from this year. Ammy, as you know, is one of the greatest of Konoha's sword bearing ninja and she even has eyes comparable to my own Sharingan when it comes to reading an opponent's movements." His smile grew wider. "Then there is Naruto..."
"What about that blonde idiot?" Zabuza asked, getting bored of this.
"He is the #1 loudest, #1 most unpredictable ninja in all of Konoha," Kakashi said, "if not the world."
Back at Tsunami's house, Gato's samurai guards had captured her as insurance in case Zabuza proved to be ineffective. She was tied up and sitting on the floor when her brat broke in. "What are you doing?" the boy yelled. "Tch," the one with the hat turned to face the kid and started thinking. "Gato said we only needed one hostage..." the other said. Both snickered as they drew their swords and walked up to the kid.
"STOP IT!"
They turned to the captive woman as she glared at them. "If you harm him in any way," she threatened, "I will bite my tongue and kill myself." Inari looked at his mother with tears in his eyes, scared both were going to die. "Maybe bodies will be better," the hat wearing one said as he and his partner rushed up and cut Inari down.
"NOOOOOOOOO!" Tsunami screamed, then fainted.
The samurai knew something was off. They enjoyed cutting things up so much that they could tell when their blades bit flesh and when they didn't. A dull clonk and three pieces of wood falling to the ground proved their thoughts right. 'Kawarimi?' they thought. A moment later, both were beaten down by a couple Naruto clones. Naruto cancelled his jutsu and freed Tsunami, then tied up the two samurai. He noticed Inari staring at him, tears streaming down his face. "What?" Naruto asked. "You're going to make fun of me again," Inari said as he furiously wiped at the tears, "you'll call me a crybaby again."
"Why would I make fun of happy tears?" Naruto asked with his 'I don't get it' look, which broke into a sunny smile, "it's okay to cry if you're happy."
Inari wiped his tears away and nodded. "Think you can handle this?" Naruto asked. "Yeah!" Inari cheered. Naruto turned away and started to head in the direction he had come from, but Inari stopped him. "Naruto...the bridge is that way," Inari said as he pointed off to Naruto's right. Naruto smiled, "thanks." He started to go, "it is tough bein' a hero."
"Yeah!" Inari yelled as the ninja ran off. Inari then went back to his place to get ready. It was time to actually do something.
