Note: I've gone through and edited the whole thing, although no changes to plot. You can find me on tumblr at chortling-dingo.

edited 06/06/2017


Chapter 12

Before they got within sight of the dock, Kakashi waved his team and Tazuna to remain in formation behind him as he veered off the path into the trees. Tazuna, who had sobered remarkably fast, made an effort to be extra quiet as they skirted around the edge of the Gato-controlled harbor. The brush blanketing the ground in the forest was extremely dense, slowing their progress to a near crawl, but they eventually broke through the trees to the sea.

There was about a hundred feet of bare beach between the edge of the forest and the single giant tree leaning out over the water, just as Tazuna had described. It was so conspicuous and exposed that Kakashi decided to make camp within the tree line where they could retain some sort of cover.

"Why do you think there's just the one tree over there?" Naruto asked, setting down her pack on the sandy earth.

"I'm not sure," Sakura replied. "Even if that's where the forest used to extend, there should be more… evidence. It's almost like someone planted it there, but it shouldn't like the salt water."

"Does it really matter?" Sasuke asked.

"I guess not," Naruto said. She rolled out her shoulders and watched the bridge builder out of the corner of her eye.

As he had every night since leaving Konoha, Tazuna dropped to the ground and leaned back against a tree, cracking open a fresh bottle of sake. None of the genin were sure where he was carrying all of it. The man seemed to have a never ending supply. The sake was extremely pungent, causing all three genin to steer clear of him most of the time. It was an arrangement that the bridge builder enjoyed as he often found their extreme focus to be unnerving.

The alcoholic fumes stung Naruto's sensitive nose, and she sneezed. She covered her nose with her hand and moved further away from the perpetually drunk old man.

"Over here, you three," Kakashi called, waving at them with one hand. "Time for a perimeter check. Then, you're going to run sprints in the sand."

"Sensei, that's just mean." Sakura said, evaluating the powdery white sand that stretched between them and the water.

"Best just to get it over with," Sasuke said practically.

"Such enthusiasm," Kakashi sighed. "Go on, then. Perimeter."

It didn't take long to secure the area for their camp. No one could sense anything out of the ordinary, and the woods were occupied only by a few animals. Naruto had hoped that it would take longer. She could use the exercise, but she really wasn't looking forward to running sprints on the sand.

As they ran, even Naruto began to feel the strain quickly. The soft, pillowy sand sapped her strength and steadily drained her chakra as she used it to prevent her ankles from twisting when they sank into the low dunes. The strain on her legs was more comparable to traveling through the trees than across hard ground.

By the time Kakashi finally called them to a halt, the sun had sunk low on the horizon and, despite her infamous stamina, Naruto was panting right along with her teammates.

He allowed them just a few minutes to rehydrate and catch their breath and then signaled for Sakura and Sasuke to rejoin him. Team seven worked on rotation for spars. Last time, all three genin fought against Kakashi, so this time they would take turns sparring alone while the other two worked as a team. While her teammates sparred with Kakashi, Naruto crouched near the bridge builder, trying to ignore the heavy alcohol fumes.

"Hey, ossan, how old is your grandson?" she asked curiously, propping an elbow on her knee and resting her chin in her hand. She couldn't help wondering what it would feel like to have a grandfather love you so much that he would be willing to lie to a shinobi village to provide for you.

Tazuna scowled at her. "What happened to 'oji-san'?"

Naruto batted her eyes and smiled sweetly. "I got to know you better. Your grandson?"

"Inari just turned eight a few weeks ago," Tazuna grunted, taking a swing from the sake bottle.

"That's a good name," Naruto said with a small, private smile, thinking of the fox sealed within her.

"He used to live up to it too! Little scamp…" he chuckled.

"You really care about him, don't you," Naruto said, peering at the warm affection lighting the old man's watery eyes.

"Ah, he's a good kid. He's a good kid." Tazuna's voice broke and he busied himself with another gulp of liquor.

Naruto waited for the old man to collect himself. The lines of his face had deepened with sorrow and his usual cockiness had vanished.

"It's really bad in Wave right now, isn't it," she said quietly.

Tazuna let out a harsh laugh. "That's a super understatement, kid. The way Gato killed my son-in-law was brutal and Inari had a front row seat. He hasn't been the same since."

Naruto grimaced. She wasn't sure how to respond so she kept quiet, turning her head to watch her teammates get knocked around by sensei. Sakura and Sasuke were really starting to work well together. Sasuke's sharp eyes read Sakura's movements almost instantaneously, enabling him to coordinate attacks without having to rely on direction, and Sakura's perfect control over her chakra made up for her lack of stamina and physical strength.

"I think Sasuke should talk to your grandson," she said, peering at the bridge builder out of the corner of her eye.

Tazuna scoffed. "How could that surly brat help Inari?"

Naruto looked back at her teammates fondly. "Believe it or not, but he's a lot better than he used to be." She paused, considering. "Don't say anything about it, because it's the best way to make him really angry, but Sasuke's entire clan was massacred when he was your grandson's age."

She ignored the bridge builder's spluttering and lowered her voice to a near whisper. "He hasn't said anything, but I think that he saw some of it."

The old man was silent, shock and horror slackening his features. After a moment, he shook himself and looked sidelong at the blonde still crouched near him. "He doesn't seem like the best role model for moving past a tragedy like that. I think you'd be a better person for Inari to look up to."

"M-me?" Naruto lost her balance in surprise and fell back onto the soft ground. She caught herself and gaped at the bridge builder. "Why in the world would you think that? I've never experienced something like that."

Tazuna leveled a surprisingly intelligent gaze at her, at odds with his usual drunken stupor. "I've been paying attention since we left Konoha," he said, swirling his bottle in lazy circles. "Seems to me like you've had a super hard life, kid. But you don't let it keep you down. I like your attitude."

Color crept up Naruto's neck and flooded her cheeks. "I must be a better actor than I thought," she said. "I'm… not as confident as I look. I'm always afraid of what people think of me or that I'll screw something up. People don't like me."

"Maybe those things are true, but you're still moving, aren't you?"

Naruto looked back at him in surprise, a small smile curving her mouth. "Yeah, I guess I am."

Their conversation was interrupted by the return of Sakura and Sasuke, who were both panting, drenched in sweat, with patches of sand stuck to their skin and clothing. Naruto could never decide if she preferred sparring with Kakashi alone or with one of her teammates. She ended up getting a better workout when by herself, because sensei never took it easy on her, but there was something comforting about having one or both of her teammates at her back.

"You two don't look bored anymore," she said, grinning.

"Oh shut up Naruto," Sakura gasped. "You won't look so happy in a minute."

Sasuke gave her an amused smirk, knowing exactly how it felt to spar Kakashi one-on-one.

"Wish me luck, old man," Naruto said, rising to her feet and heading over to where sensei waited.

"Good luck, kid," Tazuna snorted.

Naruto settled into an offensive stance.

"Have a good chat with the client?" Kakashi asked casually. He appeared unaffected by his spar with the other genin.

"Yeah, I guess he's not so bad. For a drunk, anyway."

Naruto made the first move—she always attacked first because otherwise, Kakashi would make her wait forever before initiating combat—but forgot about the dampening effect of the sand. She didn't push off hard enough and stumbled a little short of sensei, leaving herself open to a hard palm strike to the chest.

She flew back, rolling several times before finally coming to a stop on her back. Naruto gasped, gingerly rubbing her breastbone. Kakashi really didn't take it easy on them. The back of her neck prickled and she rolled to the side, narrowly missing a knee to the gut.

Naruto pushed to her feet and threw a few punches at Kakashi while he was down on his knee in the sand. To her frustration, he blocked her with one arm and then caught her fist in his hand, throwing her over his shoulder toward the trees.

She twisted in midair to land feet first on a tree trunk, using chakra to stick to the bark. Naruto ran up the tree to take cover in the foliage, dipping a hand into her thigh pouch for a few shuriken. She launched them toward Kakashi, but they thudded uselessly in the sand. Strong fingers wrapped around her ankle and jerked her from the tree, causing Naruto to let out an involuntary shriek of surprise.

Sakura winced from where she sat in their camp. "I am so glad that I'm not her right now," she said.

"Shame that's the only way to wear her down without taking a few hours," Sasuke muttered, massaging healing chakra into his swollen black eye. "But I agree with you. Kakashi is a monster."

Naruto had trouble getting comfortable that night as she lay curled in her bed roll. Her ribs ached from the number of blows that had slipped past her guard, despite a healing session from Sasuke. She knew they would be fine in the morning, thanks to her Uzumaki vitality combined with trace amounts of kyuubi chakra naturally running through her system, but it make didn't finding a comfortable sleeping position any easier.

After fifteen minutes of tossing and turning, she gave up and crept from the tent, trying not to wake her teammates or the bridge builder.

She stopped at the edge of the water and dug her toes into the cool sand. The water lapped gently at her feet. Naruto stretched her arms over her head, groaning when her back popped. Her ribs protested the movement and she brought her arms back down, lightly massaging her sides.

"I'd appreciate a little help here, fox," she muttered, poking at her belly.

"What are you doing out here?"

Naruto spun around in surprise, losing her balance when her feet got stuck in the sand, and fell into the shallow water. She looked up through her hair and saw Sasuke smirking down at her.

"That wasn't very nice," she accused. She sent a sheet of water at him with her hand, letting out a triumphant huff of laughter when it got him in the face.

Sasuke's eye twitched but he stoically pushed aside the urge to retaliate and merely extended a hand to help her up.

Naruto hadn't expected the gesture, given that Sasuke's aversion to touch rivaled her own, but she took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"Did I wake you up?"
"Who did you mean by 'fox'?"

They spoke simultaneously. When Naruto registered Sasuke's question, the color drained from her face. She hadn't heard him come up behind her and didn't realize that he was there to hear her muttered comment. It would have been perfectly clear in the quiet night.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she deflected, hoping that he would take the hint and leave it alone.

Unfortunately, Sasuke wasn't in a cooperative mood. "Does it have to do with the way people treat you at home?"

Naruto ground her teeth together. She wasn't sure why he had decided to push when the whole team had always been respectful of each other's boundaries.

"I'm going back to bed," she said shortly, brushing by him.

Sasuke grabbed her arm, jerking her to a halt.

Naruto narrowed her eyes at where his hand was wrapped around her bicep. "If you want to keep that hand, I'd suggest you remove it."

"You can trust me with this," Sasuke insisted.

"You're doing such a good job showing me that. When I'm ready to talk about it, I'll talk about it," she said, jerking her arm out of his grip. "None of us pressure you about your issues. I'd appreciate it if you would return the favor."

She stomped through the sand back toward their small camp, angry tears prickling her eyes. Sasuke was such a hypocrite, wanting her to spill her guts but not being honest about his own issues. Retreating back into her tent, Naruto dug in her back for the scroll containing her spare clothing. She changed into something dry with quick, jerky movements, still wounded by Sasuke's insistent prying.

By the time she was tucked back into her bed roll, she had calmed back down. Naruto still wanted an apology, but was fairly certain that she would never get one. At least not a verbal apology. Sasuke had softened since they had become a team, but not that much.

She curled on her side, barely noticing her sore ribs anymore, and hoped that things wouldn't be awkward between them in the morning. As she thought back on the conversation, her stomach churned uneasily. Surely he wouldn't go back to ignoring her because of this, would he? She hadn't really ever had an argument with someone before. Sakura didn't count because it was just her poor reaction to Naruto's gender, and had been pretty one-sided. Naruto had never been brave enough to argue before and she was pretty sure she hated the feeling.

She kicked away her bedding and slipped back outside, intending to smooth things over with Sasuke, who was still looking out over the water. He looked a little down, from what she could glean from his posture, and she felt even more terrible.

A strange whistling sound cut through the air and Naruto instinctively dropped, flattening herself to the sand. Something flew over her, close enough for her to feel a chill from the steel through her clothes as it passed over her back. Naruto whipped her head to the side as it landed with a dull thud and gaped at the ridiculously massive sword that was half buried in the sand.

"Naruto, move!" Sasuke shouted, pulling her up from the ground as he ran back toward camp. An eerie mist crept across the sand from the water almost as if it were chasing them.

"Sensei, Sakura, get up!" Naruto called, looking over her shoulder to see a shadowy figure retrieving the sword in the mist.

Kakashi emerged from his tent, fully dressed and alert. He met the two genin halfway and pushed them behind him. "Get your weapons and stay with the client," he ordered.

He hesitated for a moment but then his gaze hardened and he reached up to straighten his hitai-ate, exposing the hidden eye. It was blood red and three tomoe swirled lazily around the pupil. Naruto gripped a kunai tightly and crowded back against the bridge builder's tent while Sasuke helped Sakura extricate herself from her bedding and join them in formation.

"Ah, this must be my lucky day," a gravelly voice drifted from the mist. "I get to face the legendary Hatake Kakashi and his sharingan right away."

Kakashi tensed as a tall figure emerged. The man wore a Kirigakure forehead protector that had a deep slash marring the village symbol and bandages across the bottom half of his face. He held the massive cleaver nonchalantly over his shoulder with one hand.

"It looks like it's my advantage in this battle, Ko-no-ha-nin," he drawled.

"Why would you say that, Momochi Zabuza?" Kakashi asked with deceptive calm. "There's plenty of cover right behind me."

"Sure, but I'm not here for you," Zabuza said. His eyes fell on the tent guarded by the genin. "I don't think the old man's going to be able to hide in the trees like you can."

Kakashi stepped to the side to block his line of sight to Tazuna. "I'm afraid that you'll have to fight me first. And I don't need to stick to the trees to win this one."

Zabuza laughed and formed an unfamiliar hand seal with one hand and stretched his sword above his head. "Kirigakure no jutsu," he growled.

Thick fog billowed from the sea, instantly obscuring both shinobi. Naruto and Sakura nervously stood guard outside of Tazuna's tent while Sasuke had ducked inside, trying to quietly rouse the old man and warn him of the situation.

The sound of metal hitting metal was deafeningly loud in the quiet night, making Sakura flinch every time the sharp clash occurred.

"He'll be okay, Sakura," Naruto reassured, tightening her grip on the kunai. "Jiji said that sensei is one of Konoha's strongest ninja. There's no way some missing-nin will beat him."

"Yeah, you're right," Sakura agreed faintly.

Naruto strained her eyes, trying in vain to see through the thick mist. "I'm going to make some clones to circle the camp," she whispered. "We don't know if this guy is working alone."

"Good idea, Naruto," Sakura replied, shaking off the last bit of drowsiness from her abrupt awakening. "Make thirty clones and use formation 17."

Naruto wordlessly formed the appropriate number of clones, half of which scattered to form a loose perimeter around Tazuna's tent. The other half disappeared into the trees, on the lookout for other enemy shinobi.

She stiffened as one of her scouting clones was immediately dispelled, returning the memory of a senbon to the face. "There's someone at 5 o'clock," she breathed, making the cross seal again and sending another half-dozen clones toward the one that had been killed.

Sakura tensed, fear flitting across her expression. She opened the flap of Tazuna's tent with one hand. "Sasuke, we have a second enemy at 5 o'clock. Forget about trying to wake him."

"He's probably jounin-level, or close to it," Naruto added with a grimace. "He just took out six clones in about a second."

She sent a clone in to change places with her teammate and watch over the sleeping bridge builder.

Sasuke emerged from the tent and took his place in the defensive formation. "Status?"

"Jounin-level accomplice in the forest," Naruto repeated. "My clones are being dispelled alarmingly fast, but he doesn't seem to be moving any closer to us. Looks like he's just observing."

"For now," Sakura added.

Sasuke scowled and palmed a handful of shuriken, peering into the darkness of the forest. "Any idea on how Kakashi is doing?"

"None," Sakura replied. "It's actually been really quiet for the past minute or so."

Without warning, a body came flying out of the fog, landing against a nearby tree with several kunai pinning him in place. All three genin startled and stared wide-eyed at the figure. They gave a collective sigh of relief to see that it was the missing-nin and not their teacher.

A strange sound cut through the air, like a thousand chirping birds, and a brilliant light illuminated the mist. It charged toward the immobilized shinobi and Kakashi burst through the fog, right hand trailing behind him and surrounded in crackling blue chakra. As Kakashi charged toward Zabuza, Naruto gasped as a dozen clones were dispelled in quick succession.

She formed more and sent them toward the hidden enemy, hoping to distract him long enough for Kakashi to be able to defend himself. The second shinobi was frighteningly fast and it was all Naruto could do to keep him from interfering in the fight.

Kakashi drove his hand through Zabuza's heart, killing him instantly, and embedding deeply into the tree.

"No! Zabuza-sama!"

The rest of Naruto's clones were dispelled instantaneously and a half-dozen senbon flew from the trees toward Kakashi's unprotected back and head.