Dark red blood ran freely down the back of Naruto's hand to his arm as he stabbed himself with his kunai. Everyone looked at him with surprise and shock as he gritted his teeth and sucked in the pain like a sponge.

Why…why do I never fit in?

Naruto's blood slowly dripped to the ground, staining the dirt he stood on as it flushed the poison out of his system.

I've trained by myself every day trying to improve my skills…I should be really strong by now!

He winced as he yanked the dagger sticking out of his hand harshly.

By the pain in my left hand I swear…nobody will ever have to save my life again, I will never freeze up like that again, and I'll never be outshined by Sasuke like that again! Also…

Naruto turned to ace the other shinobi and Tazuna.

"I swear I'll protect the old man," he yelled, eyes blazing with determination. "Reporting, fit for duty, Kakashi-sensei!"

He stood firm as he looked at everybody's surprised expressions.

"Uh…Naruto…"Kakashi walked up to his student. "We needed to get the poison out of your body, but… you overdid it."

He smiled brightly with his right eye. "You could seriously die from blood loss right now!"3

Naruto didn't exactly process what Kakashi said right away because he said it such a nonchalant tone. When the little Uzumaki did realize what his teacher had said a sudden horror swept over him.

"What?!" he started to run in a little circle, flailing his arms up and down in a uncontrollable manor. "I don't want to die like this! I'm freaking out, I'm freaking out! Save me!"

Hiita took Naruto by the arm as her students began to laugh. She gave them a sharp look that told them to shut up, and they immediately fell silent at once. Her grip on Naruto's wrist was firm but gentle, and for some reason, her touch calmed him down greatly.

"Let me see…" Hiita took out some gauze and a cloth from her white ninja pouch.

Taking out some cleaning alcohol too, she lightly dampened the cloth with the cold liquid and began cleaning his arm. As she dabbed away the rest of the blood from his cut, she noticed the wound had almost completely healed.

The Kyuubi… Hiita thought with a sudden realization.

She was silent for a while and wore a serious expression on her face- that worried Naruto a lot.

"I-I'm gonna be alright…right?"

"Oh- right, Naruto."

She finished tending to Naruto by bandaging his hand up tenderly and smiled.

"Don't keep stabbing yourself, ok?"

Naruto looked at Hiita and flushed. None of the other adults treated him kindly except for Iruka and Kakashi. Outside those two people, he was always pierced with icy- cold, empty glares of hate.

Naruto laughed and smiled. "Okay!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

Hiita smiled at him, stood up, and walked towards her team. Kakashi, however, watched her with a wondrous expression. That tender care for Naruto- was it filled with… empathy?

Without words, he found peace in Hiita-chan… he thought. Interesting…

"Kakashi-sensei…erm… san? I…"

Kakashi turned to face the stuttering Tazuna.

"There's something you must know."

Everyone turned to listen to what Tazuna was going to say.

"There is a horrible man who wishes to see me dead."

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow. "A 'really horrible man'?" he asked.

Hiita became very serious. "Who is it?"

Tazuna sighed. "You probably know of him…he's a billionaire in the marine transportation industry…His name is Gato."

Hiita and Kakashi shared a shocked expression.

"What? Gato?" Kakashi asked, taken aback at this news.

"They say he's the richest man alive!" Hiita added.

Tazuna nodded. "At first, he seems like a normal businessman, but as time passes, the violence starts and you find out that he is actually a merciless criminal who employs groups and teams of ukenin and shinobi to do his dirty work. Only one year ago…he came to the Land of Waves and in to time took over and abused our marine transportation system which is the key to an island's economy.

"Eventually, our whole country was in the palm of his hand, and he sucked all our currency away. Everybody, including our neighboring lords, are poor. Our only hope is to complete the bridge we're working on currently to start trade again and put a halt to Nami no Kuni's suffering."

"I see," Sakura said. "That means you, Tazuna-san, are very much in Gato's way." She had a talent for grasping situations.

"That means those idiots over there are working for him," Saya added.

"Why didn't you mention all this when you sought help from our village?" Kakashi questioned.

"A Jonin bodyguard would be a lot more then I, or anyone else in my country for that matter, could afford. If you give me up now, I'm pretty much dead."

Hiita was about to protest. "But…"

"Oh well!" Tazuna boomed with a carefree grin. "You're right, it's not your problem! It's not like you're going to see my family cry all day long while their hearts are breaking!"

The eight shinobi hunched over and sighed with exasperation as Tazuna continued. "Oh, and don't mind if my daughter and grandson pledge eternal hatred against you or your country as she lives her life alone! Heck, it's not your fault!" He was still grinning as Hiita sighed.

"Well, we'll keep protecting you then- at least until you're safely in Nami no Kuni,"she half-grinned.

She, like the others, were thinking along the same lines…

This is the worst client ever!