It was dark out when Kichirou finally returned. Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, gave him a questioning look as she handed him a bowl of soup.
"You okay?" she asked.
Kichirou nodded, but he found that the woman's gaze reminded him painfully of his mother. Quickly he turned away.
"I haven't seen you anywhere today," Tazuna grunted. "Where've you been? Training with your friends?"
"Oh, Kichirou didn't work with us today," Sakura spoke up before Kichirou could answer. "He completed the training perfectly on his first try."
"Really?" Tazuna raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said you were the best."
Sakura flushed a deep pink. "I, uh, I..."
"So where were you?" Tazuna turned his attention back to Kichirou.
"Walking," Kichirou answered simply as he played with his food.
"Huh. Kinda quiet, aren't ya?" Tazuna grumbled.
Just then the door opened as Sasuke and Naruto stumbled in. It appeared that both genin were still having difficulties with their training, as they glared at each other sullenly before marching to the table.
Kichirou scooted over so that Sasuke could take a seat. "What did you two do to each other?" he hissed as he took in his twin's ragged appearance.
Sasuke glared at Naruto as Tsunami brought over two bowls of stew. "He's just being stubborn, that's all."
Before Kichirou could press further, Sasuke and Naruto exchanged another glower and began devouring their supper.
Tazuna laughed as he looked around. "Hey, this is fantastic. It's been ages since we had so many guests around our table."
Kichirou wrinkled his nose in disguist as Naruto proceeded to shovel food into his face. He was even more horrified to see Sasuke wolf down his own dinner like he hadn't eaten in weeks. Both genin scarcely bothered to even chew as they scarfed down the meal.
Instantaneously Sasuke and Naruto grabbed their bowls at once and, mouths full, shouted, "I want some more!" They exchanged another competetive glare across the table.
Kichirou closed his eyes and eased his own bowl away. Those two were going to make themselves sick! He felt naseous just watching them.
Just as he had predicted, Naruto and Sasuke turned around and promptly threw up.
Sakura stood up, eyes blazing. "Don't eat so much if you're going to throw it up," she shouted.
"I...have to eat," Sasuke said, wiping his mouth.
"And I have to eat more than him," Naruto responded, gritting his teeth. "It's the only possible way I'll get strong enough to beat him."
"That's true," Kakashi nodded, "But throwing up won't help any."
Kichirou gave his brother a dark glare and shook his head in disgust. "You guys are such idiots," he muttered.
...
"Excuse me," Sakura's voice piped up as she studied a frame on the wall. "This picture is torn. Is there some reason for that?" She looked behind her. "Inari, you kept glancing at it throughout dinner. It looks like there was someone else in the picture and they got torn out. I mean, that's kind of strange isn't it?"
There was a pause as everyone around the room stopped talking.
"It's my husband," the bridgebuilder's daughter said quietly.
Kichirou felt a wave of empathy at her words and leaned forward slightly to listen.
"They used to call him a hero in this land," Tazuna said, looking down at the table.
"Inari, where are you going?" Tsunami asked as Inari got up and ran out of the house. "Father, you can't talk like that in front of Inari, you know that!" she said angrily as she went out after her son.
An akward silence filled the room.
"Inari's so... I mean what happened to him?" Sakura asked.
"Hm," Kakashi spoke up. "Is there a story behind this?"
"He wasn't his real father," Tazuna explained in a pained voice. "He came into our family later... and he brought so much happiness. He and Inari were very close." Tazuna paused. "In those days, Inari used to laugh all the time." His fist clenched as his voice choked with emotion. "But then..." He stopped a minute, tears running down his face.
"All that ended. He never laughs or smiles anymore. Ever since the day everything changed." Tazuna's voice took on a harsh tone, "The word courage was stolen from this island. We were left feeling powerless! Hopeless! And Inari suffered the most. Ever since that day, ever since IT happened."
"Tell us," Kakashi prodded gently. "What happened to Inari."
"First you need to know about the man, his father," Tazuna said. Tears began to streak down his face again. "The man who daughters the word 'courage.' He was the hero in this land."
"A hero, really?" Naruto asked, his boistrous tone subdued for once.
"You can decide that for yourself," Tazuna answered, putting his glasses back on. "He came here about three years ago..."
Kichirou listened as Tazuna described how Inari's adoptive father, Kaiza, had rescued the boy from drowning, become a part of the family, and saved the village during a flood. The story ended sadly, however, when Kaiza was beaten by Gato's men and then executed in front of the entire village. Inari had been there at his father's death.
"Since then Inari has changed. So did Tsunami and all our people. We lost our will." Tazuna finished.
Kichirou swallowed the lump in his throat and traced a design on the table. So much of Tazuna's story reminded him of his own father, bringing a fresh wave of pain that had been deeply buried for years.
Naruto stood up with a determined look in his eyes, stepped forward, and fell flat on his face.
"Uh!" the blond genin grunted.
"What are you doing down there, Naruto?" Sakura asked in an excellent 'mother' imitation.
"You'd better take the day off," Kakashi said calmly. "No more training. You've used too much chakra. If you push any harder it could kill you."
Naruto pushed himself up on shaking hands. "I'm gonna prove it," he growled.
"Prove what?" Kichirou raised an eyebrow doubtfully. "You can't even get off the floor.
Naruto grimaced and rose quakily to his feet. "I'll prove - that it's true! That in this world there are real heroes!"
Kichirou's mouth twisted into a sardonic smile at Naruto's words. It was well enough for the blonde to say, but in his opinion the only people termed as 'heroes' had only been considered to be so after they had died.
...
Kichirou studied the trees as he, Sakura, and Kakashi walked along the path. He hadn't seen Naruto or Sasuke since they had left earlier in the morning. Naruto had been the first to disappear, and Sasuke been furious when he found out. No doubt they were training again. Tension was still high between the genin as they fought to outdo each other, and neither Sasuke nor Naruto wished to see their rival get ahead.
"Knowing Naruto, he could be anywhere," Sakura complained. "And Sasuke hasn't come back either! I wonder where they are."
"Probaby still trai - " Kichirou's words were cut off as a kunai knife buried itself into the ground in front of them.
He looked up to see Naruto slung over a branch, cackling at their surprise.
"Whoah," Sakura breathed. "Naruto can climb that high now using his chakra? That's great!"
"What do you think? High enough for you guys?" Naruto bragged. "I mean, it's a long way down, huh?"
He jumped up so he was standing on the branch. Abruptly he fumbled, slipped, and fell backwards.
"Naruto!" Sakura screamed.
"Uh-oh," Kakashi muttered.
Just as Kichirou thought the genin would actually fall, Naruto swung around to stand upside down, his feet connected to the branch like iron to a magnet.
"Haha, just kidding!" Naruto grinned.
Kichirou rolled his eyes. "You idiot. You could've gotten yourself killed."
"You guys really fell for it!" Naruto continued to cackle.
"We were worried about you, Naruto!" Sakura growled.
"Why do I think this is going to end badly," Kakashi said as he watched Naruto with some concern.
As if on cue Naruto's concentration slipped and his feet disconnected from the tree branch. Kakashi and Sakura both gasped in horror as the genin began to fall.
"You just had to push it, didn't you, Show-off!" Sakura screamed.
There was a flash of dark blue and Sasuke practically flew up another tree and leapt out to grab ahold of Naruto's ankle. The raven haired Uchiha stood upside down on the branch Naruto had just vacated, perfectly poised in midair.
"You really are a total loser, Naruto," Sasuke said calmly.
"Nice job, Naruto," Kichirou called sarcastically.
"Daah!" Naruto shouted as he swung upside down by his ankle. "Sasuke!"
Sakura gave a high pitched squeal that hurt Kichirou's ears. "All right, Sasuke! You're the best!"
"If I'm still sane by the time they finish training, it will be a miracle," Kakashi groaned.
...
It was nightfall before Sasuke and Naruto finally returned. Kichirou and the others were sitting at the table when the two boys stumbled in.
"What have you been up to," Tazuna asked gruffly. "You look like something the cat dragged in."
Naruto looked up and grinned. "We both made it. We climbed all the way to the top!"
Kichirou raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Really?"
Sasuke nodded smugly in response. "Yep. Both of us."
"Good," Kakashi said. "Now we move on. Starting tommorrow you're both bodyguards for Tazuna.
"All right!" Naruto cheered as he fell backwards, dragging Sasuke with him.
"Ahhh," Sasuke started, then moaned "You are such a loser!"
The others laughed around the table and even Kichirou grinned at Naruto's antics.
..
"In a few more days," Tazuna said after they had finished eating, "The bridge will be finished. I have you to thank for that."
"You've all done great, but you've still got to be careful," Tsunami warned.
Tazuna sighed. "I've been meaning to ask you this but I haven't had a chance until now. Why did you stay and protect me, even after you found out I lied to bring you here?"
"Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage," Kakashi answered, "But under the wing of a strong leader, cowardice can't survive."
"Huh?" Tsunami asked.
"That was a quote from the first hokage," Kakashi replied.
Inari was looking into the distance as a tear rolled down his cheek.
"But why?" he suddenly asked, waking Naruto.
"What'd you say?" the blond genin asked.
Inari slammed his hands on the table and stood up. "All this stupid training is just a waste of time!" he shouted. "Gato's got a whole army! They'll beat you down and destroy you! These cool things you all say - they don't mean anything! No matter what you do, the strong always win and the weak always lose!"
Kichirou fiddled with a chopstick at Inari's words. In a way the boy was right; the ones with power always seemed to have their way.
"Just speak for yourself," Naruto growled. "It won't be like that for me, you got that."
"Why don't you just be quiet!" Inari began to shout again. "Just looking at you makes me sick! You don't know anything about this country! You're always laughing and playing around, you don't know what it's like to suffer and be treated like dirt!"
Naruto's face twinged and Kichirou frowned.
"You've got no idea - " he started to say before he was cut off.
"Listen to yourself, whining and complaining like some sorry little victim!" Naruto accused Inari. "You can whimper all day for all I care. You're nothing but a coward!"
Inari cringed.
"That's enough, Naruto!" Kichirou jumped up at the genin's words. "Just leave him alone!"
How could Naruto speak to Inari so cruelly like that? He couldn't expect everyone to have his attitude towards harsh circumstances! Inari was just a child right now. Of course it would be difficult for him to move past everything that had happened!
"Naruto! You went too far!" Sakura shouted in agreement.
Naruto yelled in exasperation and left the room.
"Naruto," Sakura said more quietly.
Inari began to cry, enormous tears trickling down his face. Kichirou shot a glare at Naruto's retreating back and left the table.
"Where are you going?" Kakashi asked.
"To go train," Kichirou hissed.
For hours he sat on the roof of the house and watched the ocean. Naruto's words kept running through his head. Maybe his teammate was right after all. If anyone would understand Inari, it was Naruto. He'd been rejected by people since he was a young child, yet instead of hiding away he had pushed himself to be greater. He hadn't hidden away in a shell like...
Suddenly Kichirou knew why Naruto's words had stung him so badly. It wasn't just because of Inari. They were speaking about him.
...
Many thanks to those who have been reviewing! I wouldn't be updating this otherwise! :D
