The next morning everyone assembled early as the race would start at sunrise. Naruko and her team had already scouted the area but nothing seemed to be wrong and so they focused their attention to Idate and the Wasabi family. Everyone was nervous and tempers were running high already as Idate wasn't all that liked by everyone. It seemed to Naruko that only Jirocho had full confidence in Idate to win the race and bring victory to the family. Other members seemed less confident and from what Naruko learned from listening here and there, Idate always seemed to neglect his duties and either disappear and disappoint them. Only if the order came directly from Jirocho, did Idate obey and did what he was told to do.
As they marched to the starting place of the race, Naruko and Haku looked at all the villagers who followed them to the port. The village had been suffering for four long years under the rule of the Wagarashi family and they were hoping and praying that this time, the Wasabi family would be victorious and bring back the peace and quiet to their village. The people were cheering on Idate and the Wasabi clan and Jirocho promised that everything would be okay and that he had absolute faith that Idate would win.
When they got to the port town, the Wagarashi family was already waiting. They too had a large crowd behind them and cheers could be heard for their runner. When the two clans came face to face, a lot of insults and stares were exchanged but luckily no fights broke out. It would be bad for their reputation to start fighting when the Daimyo of Cha no Kuni was present.
"Welcome everyone." The announcer said to the crowd. "As per tradition, we have gathered here once more for the start of the 'Todori Burning Fire Race'. Four years ago, the Wagarashi family gained victory when the Warabi runner was forced to give up during the race." Here the men from the Wagarashi family started shouting and cheering. "Will they be able to go back to back and win this year's race as well? Or will the Warabi family raise up and turn defeat into victory? We shall know by the end of the race."
Naruko and Haku watched as both families and their runner squared their jaws and clenched their hands, eager to get started. The girls looked at the runner of the Wagarashi family but weren't very impressed. He didn't seem particularly fast for a runner and while Naruko didn't really like Idate, she had seen firsthand just how fast he was. However, this only reinforced the possibility of cheating by the Wagarashi family. So far they hadn't seen any sign of other shinobi but that didn't mean they weren't there.
"For those of you who forgot, I'll explain the course of race once more." The announcer explained. "The runner start here, at Tegarashi Port and cross the sea towards Modoroki Shrine at the north end of Nagi Island. Then it's up to the runner to get to the Todoroki Shrine, which is located at the South tip of Oozu Island. Now, runners get ready!."
Idate, who had already started doing some stretching and warming up exercises hardly listened to anything the man was saying. He was concentrating on his findings and how it would help him win the race for Jirochou-Oyabun. His opponent was still taking advice from his friends and seemed very relax and not in the least bit worried about the outcome of the race. Idate scowled as he was sure that things wouldn't remain fair for long. He had heard what had happened four years ago to Iwase. The poor man was paralyzed from the waist down after he was attacked by a group of mercenaries hired by the Wagarashi family. Unfortunately, they had no proof that could convince the Daimyo and so the Wagarashi family got away with it.
'Not this time.' Idate swore. 'I'll win this race no matter what.'
"Idate-san, don't worry about anything but the race." Haku encouraged. "We'll take care of anything that might harm you."
"I don't need your help." Idate said. "But if you're absolutely going to follow me, you better out of my way you hear me?"
"Hey, no need to be all snarky and a jerk." Naruko said angry. "We're just trying to help out."
"Like I said, I don't need nor want your help." Idate said once more. "I can take care of myself."
"EVERYONE!" The announcer yelled. "It's almost time. Runner for the Wagarashi family, Hiyokuya Fukusuke, are you ready?"
"Ready!" Fukusuke yelled.
"Runner for the Warabi Family, Morino Idate, are you ready?" The announcer asked and receiving nothing more than a nod.
When the Konoha shinobi heard Idate's full name, they looked at each other in shock.
"Morino? Isn't that Ibiki-san's name?" Haku said perplexed.
"It is." Yamato confirmed.
"Do you think they're family?" Naruko asked.
"I don't know but I think it's safe to say that it's worth investigating." Yamato mused. "I really don't know Ibiki that well so I don't know if he has any family or siblings. He's the kind of man that keeps his personal life well guarded. I doubt anyone truly knows anything about him."
"They don't look alike." Haku noticed. "Ibiki-san is totally different in behavior and character then Idate-san is."
"True but I'm sensing some story here." Naruko agreed. "It will have to wait until the race is over though."
The three shinobi watched as the gates to the port slowly opened and revealed the open sea with two boats anchored, one for each runner. Idate and Fukusuke stood ready to burst away the second the sunrise started and light appeared at the horizon. The crowd watched on in suspense and not a sound came from them. Everyone was so concentrated on the sunrise. Finally, a minute later the sun peeked from behind the horizon and gave the official start sign of the 'Todori Burning Fire Race'.
Neither Idate nor Fukusuke lost any time and shot forward, each heading towards the anchored boats. At least it seemed that way as Idate made a sharp left and ran away from the boats heading away from Tegarashi Port. The Wagarashi family laughed as they thought that the boy had already forfeited the race and started taunting the Warabi clan members.
"Calm yourself." Jirocho said to his men. "I have complete faith in Idate. He'll win; there's no doubt in my mind. We must trust and believe in him."
"What the hell is he doing?" Naruko yelled as they raced after Idate. "Is he quitting?"
"No, I don't think so." Yamato said. "It seems to me as if he has a plan. Let's catch up with him."
They didn't catch up with Idate for several more minutes and that meant that he had already covered a lot of ground. If they had to guess, they were now already almost a mile away from the starting point of the race. Whether he planned it or not, Idate was now in a very bad position to win the race as there was no doubt that his opponent had already taken to the sea.
Not far behind them, a trio watched as the Konoha shinobi closed in on Idate. They were hiding in the trees watching from afar so they wouldn't get spotted. Their headband indicated that they were from Amegakure. They wore beige jumpsuit and each of them had a breathing device on their face, making their voice come out distorted.
"Lucky." The one in the middle said. "Found him already. There's no way he can make it now."
"Double lucky." The one on the right said. "Konoha Shinobi. We can get revenge for what happened during that Chuunin Exam."
"Triple lucky." The third one grinned. "The girls are hot. The blonde one is mine."
"We'll wait and see where he's headed and then we'll attack." The leader said. "The guy might be a Jounin but those two girls pose no threat to us. Once we dealt with the Jounin, the girls are ours."
The three started laughing and vanished from their hiding spot. They and some other shinobi had been hired to ensure that the Wagarashi family won the race again so they would simply stop the runner from even leaving the island. Of course they had to make it look like an accident but that was not a problem. It wouldn't be the first time they did such a job.
One other shinobi was with Fukusuke, both as protection and to take out Idate if he should somehow escape the three. There were more shinobi but there purpose was something completely different. That didn't matter now as their job was to stall Idate or ensure he couldn't finish the race.
"Hold up." Naruko yelled as they finally reached Idate.
"What do you want now?" He sighed. "Why can't you leave me be?"
"That's not going to happen, Idate-san." Yamato said. "We were hired to protect you and that's what we're doing. So you might as well get used to having us around because we're not going anywhere until the end of the race."
"Fine." Idate snarled and sped up.
"Damn, he's fast." Naruko watched as the distance between grew again. "How does he do that?"
"He must have gotten some training because no civilian can run that fast for so long." Yamato agreed.
They followed Idate as he ran towards some unknown destination. It became clear to them that Idate has some kind of plan as he hadn't shown any sign of hesitation or confusion. He knew where he was headed and why; so they figured he had indeed come up with a plan to win the race. They noticed that Idate headed north but had no idea where exactly he was headed. The only thing they could do was follow him in order to ensure his safety.
After almost hour of non-stop running, Haku noticed that air started getting salty. Like they were approaching the sea and when she voiced her findings Yamato and Naruko agreed with her. As Idate kept running, they now understood that he definitely had some plan in mind and they quickly sped up so they could question him about it.
"Idate-san, you have some kind of plan don't you?" Yamato asked the boy in front of him.
"Tch, that's why I hate shinobi." Idate said not looking back. "All you think about is using violence to solve your problems. Do you know the difference between you guys and me?"
"No, please tell." Naruko said rolling her eyes making Haku giggle silently.
"It's this." Idate said pointing at his head. "I use my brain instead of my fists to help me solve my problems. You should try it once in a while."
"So what's your plan?" Yamato pressed on.
"I noticed it when the gates opened just before the start." Idate explained. "I saw how the clouds were moving towards the port and I remembered how some of the fishermen were saying how at this time of year, a strong wind comes from Oozu Island towards Tegarashi Port."
"A strong wind coming from Oozu Island?" Naruko said. "That would slow down everyone heading towards the Island."
"Exactly." Idate said nodding. "On top of that, I remembered that there's a strong current heading towards Nagi Island from the North. It's so strong that it would only take an hour to reach Nagi Island by boat."
"I see, that's very good thinking." Haku said impressed. "That would make up for the time you lost running here and give you more than enough time to get to the Modoroki Shrine."
"Like I said, that's the difference between us." Idate shrugged but inwardly very happy at getting one up to the Konoha shinobi.
Ten minutes later the four reached a small settlement at the shore and Idate ran straight to one of the houses. After getting the old man to open the door and explaining the situation, they readied the boat and sailed off. Like Idate had said, the current was very strong and the boat made great progress. As there was nothing else to do but steer the boat towards Nagi Island, Yamato decided to ask Idate some questions.
"Say, Idate-san, can I ask you something?" Yamato said.
"I guess." Idate shrugged.
"The announcer called you 'Morino Idate'." Yamato started. "Are you by any chance family of Morino Ibiki of Konoha?"
"How do you know that name?" Idate said jumping up. "That's my older brother but he died years ago."
"Ibiki-san dead?" Naruko snorted. "Not likely as we're quite familiar with him. Our Nee-chan works with him on a daily basis and I fought at his side during the invasion."
"He's alive?" Idate said shocked. "But, that's impossible, I…."
"What makes you think Ibiki-san was dead?" Haku asked but before Idate could answer Yamato shoved him aside causing several arrows to plant themselves into the spot where Idate had been standing.
"What the hell?" Idate yelled.
"We're under attack." Yamato said calmly. "Stay behind me and don't get in the way."
Naruko and Haku took formation and saw a boat heading their way. Taking a closer look they saw three men standing on the deck. They couldn't tell where they were from but it was obvious that these men were shinobi. Naruko and Haku deflected several more arrows fired from the trio until several large arrows with long ropes hit the side of the boat.
"We'll take care of these guys." Naruko said to Yamato.
"Okay but be careful, they seem confident." Yamato nodded wanting the girls to get some extra experience.
"Are you letting those two fight? There's thee of them." Idate shouted not believing what he heard. "They'll get killed. There's no way they can win."
"You underestimate Naruko and Haku." Yamato shook his head. "Those two are some of the strongest Chuunin in Konoha."
"They're Chuunin?" Idate said surprised.
"Just watch and see." Yamato said confident.
Naruko and Haku wasted no time as several Bunshin appeared in front of them. It didn't take a genius to know that these were simple Mizu Bunshin. The two of them knew this jutsu all too well and it didn't take them more than five seconds to dispose of the Bunshin. Naruko used one of her Tanto to cut the ropes that connected to two boats. As their boat seemed to be faster, the enemy fell slightly behind. Naruko and Haku paused to see what they planned to do next.
On the side of the three Amegakure shinobi, the leader cursed as he noticed how easily the two of them had destroyed their Mizu Bunshin. True enough, the Mizu Bunshin wasn't the strongest Bunshin but at sea they had the advantage. It seemed however that the girls had experience fighting the water clones so it would be useless to keep relying on them.
"Kagari, you're up." The leader, Oboro said.
"Hai." Kagari did some handseals before he used his Jutsu. "Suiton: Kokuyou no Jutsu."
Haku who saw him do the handseals reacted immediately with her own Jutsu. "Suiton: Mizurappa no Jutsu." She aimed the jet of water straight at Kagari who took the full blast of the attack, causing him to crash into the cabin of the boat. As he lost his concentration, his Jutsu never took hold and dissipated before it even had the time to form.
"You'll pay for that." Mubi, the third member screamed as he jumped towards Haku. He was still in the air when a fist impacted on his jaw. Not only that but he felt Raiton chakra run through his body, paralyzing him for a small moment and give him great pain. He didn't get the time to scream as a follow up attack from Naruko with her Raiton charged Tanto, cut him deeply across the chest. He fell into the sea never to surface again.
"Mubi!" Kagari yelled at his teammate. "You bitch, you killed him."
"Surrender or you'll join him." Haku said to him. "We don't want to kill you but if you don't surrender we won't hesitate."
"Never." Kagari and Oboro yelled charging once more at Haku and Naruko.
"Fools." Naruko sighed and she attacked. Seeing that Oboro was targeting her, she met him halfway in the air. She evaded a slash from a kunai only to grab Oboro's arm. She concentrated some Raiton Chakra into her hand and used it to numb the grabbed arm up to the shoulder. She then threw him back towards the boat making him crash onto the deck. As Oboro was still dazed from the attack, she decided to finish it. "Fuuton: Renkuudan no Jutsu." She exhaled a concentrated ball of wind at Oboro making it slam into his back, hitting him so hard the deck of the boat was destroyed beneath him. It was clear that the man wouldn't get back up after that.
Kagari aimed for Haku but was still wounded from the earlier hit he suffered at her hands. Trying to defeat her with Taijutsu, he quickly learned that Haku was way above his level as he kept missing. Haku evaded each attack with ease and decided that she didn't want to kill him. She chose to imprison him so they could interrogate him in order to learn more about his employer and if there were any other shinobi after Idate. As she had enough water around her, she would have no trouble using her Kekkei Genkai to restrain him. Ducking under another kick she swept his feet from under him before she punched him hard. Kagari took a few steps back to clear his head which gave Haku more than enough time to capture him.
"Hyoton: Eien kangoku" Kagari gasped as ice started forming at his feet and moving up to his knees and the rest of his body in mere seconds. The only part of his body that remained free of ice was the top of his chest and his head. The rest was encased in ice and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't break free.
"What the hell is this?" Kagari yelled angrily.
"That's Haku-chan's 'Eternal Prison' and like the name says, you won't get free until she releases you." Naruko beamed at Haku who smiled back. "Now, we're going to ask you some questions and you'll answer them truthfully, if you want to live."
"I'm not telling you anything, you psycho bitch." Kagari said glaring at Naruko.
"Wrong answer." Haku said and the ice started to cover the rest of Kagari's chest and was working its way up to his face. "Any last words?"
"Yeah, it doesn't matter if you kill me." Kagari smirked. "In the end, you'll lose and our employer wins." Kagari then bit on one of his teeth causing it to break. Out of the cavity a dark liquid spilled into his mouth and he started convulsing. With him being stuck in a chunk of ice, it was his head that moved but Yamato and the girls recognized the signs.
"What's happening to him?" Idate asked.
"Suicide." Yamato simply said.
Suddenly, Kagari's body began to glow and from through the ice several they could see several explosive notes burning. They reacted immediately and jumped as far away overboard as they could. Yamato took Idate with him who struggled as he didn't understand what was going on. A mere second later, the boat exploded into a thousand pieces as the blast for the dozen or so explosive tags destroyed it completely.
Yamato, Naruko and Haku had gotten out of the way without any trouble but Idate wasn't so lucky and a piece of wood of the boat hit him in the head, knocking him out. Luckily Yamato has seen it happen and grabbed Idate before he sank under water. Still, the boy was bleeding badly from the head wound. Using their chakra, the three shinobi crawled onto the water and ran straight to the shore which was much closer than they first had thought. When they reached land, Haku used her Medical skills to treat Idate's wound. It wasn't all that bad but the boy was still unconscious so they decided to head for cover and wait until he recovered.
"We better get some shelter and soon." Yamato said as he saw the thunderclouds getting closer. "It would be bad if Idate catches a cold on top of his injuries."
"There's a cave over there." Naruko pointed to the cave in the cliff. "We'll be able to get dry and take care of him there."
"Good; I want you two to take Idate and rest until he wakes up." Yamato said while they carried Idate inside the cave and stared a fire. "Meanwhile, I'll head back straight to the Todoroki Shrine. I'm worried about what that guy said."
"About we're going to lose even if we win the race?" Naruko said nodding. "It's got me worried as well."
"What are you thinking Yamato-sensei?" Haku asked.
"We already know that the Wagarashi clan wouldn't hesitate to destroy a man's life to win this race." Yamato explained. "However, there's no way they can cheat their way to victory every race. It would be suspicious if every runner of the Warabi clan encountered some injury before or during the race. But what would happen if there wasn't a Wasabi clan to compete with?"
"You think they'll attack Jirochou-oyabun and the clan?" Naruko asked. "That would be bold and highly dangerous."
"Yes but what if they found a way to divert suspicion away from them." Yamato answered. "Like for example, a team of shinobi that were hired to protect the Wasabi clan."
"They would frame us? But we're hired to protect Idate and the rest." Haku said. "Everyone in the village knows that. How would they made the charges stick?"
"You girls need to remember that not everyone loves shinobi." Yamato explained. "Many civilians from outside Konoha have a fierce distrust of shinobi because they are badly informed or have bad experience with them. It wouldn't be so difficult to frame us and have the village turn against us. Don't forget the saying 'In the world of shinobi, your enemy can become your ally depending the situation'; the same can be said for the opposite."
"That's not good." Naruko nodded in understanding. "So you'll head back to protect the Wasabi clan?"
"Yes, I'm the fastest out of the three of us." Yamato nodded. "Besides, I have no doubt that the two of you can handle anything or anyone that tries to get in your way. Nonetheless be careful and stay on guard."
"We will." Naruko and Haku said.
"Very well, I'll see you at Todoroki Shrine." Yamato said before he left the cave and disappeared in the heavy rain.
About an hour later Idate woke up, feeling a major headache and very hungry. Naruko and Haku quickly explained what had happened and where they were before giving him some food. Of course Idate wanted to leave right away but Naruko told him that running through the storm would not only be dangerous but also without meaning. She and Haku were pretty sure that Fukusuke was hiding from the storm as well. They told him to rest and gather strength for when the storm was over.
"So Idate-san, why are you living in Cha No Kuni?" Haku asked. "Weren't you born in Konoha?"
"Yeah, what happened?" Naruko wanted to know. "If you're a former shinobi yourself, why do you hate them so much?"
"Guess I could tell you." Idate shrugged as he ate. "I was born in Konoha of course and like so many I joined the Shinobi program. I joined because I looked up to my older brother Ibiki. He raised me after our dad died during a mission and our mother passed away from illness when I was just a baby. I adored him and I wanted to be just like him. Did you know that he was the youngest ever to become part of the Torture and Interrogation Squad?"
"Your brother is strong alright." Naruko nodded. "I fought at his side during the invasion. Our sister works with him in his squad and she says he's the meanest and toughest of all of them."
"That sounds like him." Idate snorted. "Anyway, I noticed how everyone seemed to admire and respect him so I wanted to become a great shinobi so that one day people would look at me that way. I became a Genin and was so proud so I told him that soon I would be respected just like him. He said just one thing to me."
"What was it?" Haku asked.
"He told me that there were more important things than being respected and admired and that I would never be truly strong until I understood that." Idate explained. "I didn't understand what he meant at that time and I didn't really pay attention. All I cared about was the next step; becoming Chuunin. After a few months my team was allowed to participate in the Chuunin exam."
"Didn't go well, huh?" Naruko said when she saw the look on his face.
"It was a disaster." Idate said. "Ibiki-ni-san was the first proctor in the exam. It was a written exam so naturally I was quite confident in my chances to succeed and pass to the next level. Until the tenth question came."
"Tenth question?" Haku and Naruko asked. "What was the question?"
"It wasn't as much as question but more of a do, or do not situation." Idate recalled. "It was a battle amongst the three members of your team. If a team took the challenge that one of them would remain a Genin for the rest of his or her life. Of course, none of us understood the meaning of this but Ibiki-ni-san refused to explain any further. He gave us a choice; either quit and take the exam again later or take the question and make one of your teammates remain a Genin for the rest of their career."
"So what did you do?" Naruko gulped. She understood the kind of pressure those Genin must have felt at that time. It was psychological warfare with young minds and no matter how much they had trained for this, no one at that age was truly ready to take such heavy decisions on the spot.
"I remained." Idate sighed. "A few quit but most of us stayed. That's when my brother told us that we had failed the test."
"I see." Haku and Naruko said quickly understanding the meaning of the test.
"I didn't get it and I still don't." Idate said punching the floor. "I was furious and confronted my brother about it. He told me that I should quit being a shinobi. He told me that I should have figured out the true meaning of the test and that if I didn't then I was not worthy to become Chuunin. I didn't take his words well and left without saying another word."
"It's understandable that you were disappointed." Haku said softly.
"It was more than that." Idate shook his head. "I was furious at myself, at my brother, at the village and everyone. But then my Sensei came to see me and told me that there was another way to become Chuunin. Like an idiot I believed and did what he told me to do."
"What? What did you do?" Naruko said narrowing her eyes.
"I stole two heirlooms from Konoha." Idate said ashamed. "My Sensei told me that if I managed to steal those I would have proven that I was ready to become a Chuunin."
"What did you steal?" Haku asked.
"The famous 'Raijin no Ken' of the Nidaime Hokage and one of his most secret scrolls." Idate admitted.
"You idiot!" Naruko said angry. "How could you be so stupid? Didn't you realize what you were doing? Stealing two possessions of such importance would have been enough to sentence you to death or life-time imprisonment."
"I know that now." Idate defended himself. "I should have realized that something was going on but I was so focused on becoming Chuunin that I didn't question him once. Only when I handed him the sword and the scroll did I learn of his true intentions; He had made contact with Amegakure and decided to turn traitor and join them. He said he was getting tired of Konoha and how they taught the shinobi arts."
"Amegakure?" Naruko said surprised. "Why not one of the bigger villages like Kumo or Iwa?"
"I don't know. He didn't explain anything and only said that now that I had stolen two of Konoha's greatest heirlooms, I had no choice but to follow him." Idate continued. "I was afraid of going to prison or worse so I figured I had no choice but to follow him. After a few days of travelling a tracking team of Konoha's ANBU found us and with them was my brother. He scolded me for doing such a stupid thing and told me to head back to Konoha and think about what I had done."
"So why didn't you return?" Haku asked.
"Before I could several teams of Ame shinobi appeared and killed everyone except my brother." Idate explained. "They captured me and brother and tortured nii-san so he would reveal everything he knew about Konoha. Also the scroll of the Nidaime Hokage was protected and only a Jounin could decipher it. Aoi-sensei tried but he didn't manage to learn its secrets so he wanted nii-san to do it."
"Ibiki-san would never betray Konoha like that so I gather something happened." Naruko grinned.
"Yeah, after torturing my brother for several hours Aoi-sensei figured that he wouldn't get nii-san to tell anything." Idate nodded. "He then threatened to kill me but my brother managed to get free. They fought for a bit before Aoi-sensei was wounded by falling on a pot of oil. Nii-san used that opportunity to cut me free and ordered me to run. He then ignited the oil so Aoi-sensei couldn't get to me."
"So you ran." Naruko said understanding.
"I was so scared and moments after I ran from the hut, it exploded." Idate said with tears in his eyes. "I thought my brother had died so I just kept on running. For days on end, I just kept running, trying to get as far away from everything. Eventually, I ended up here and met Jirocho-oyabun. He took me in after I tried to rob him and I've been with him ever since. I tried to pay him back for his kindness but I guess that's out of the question now. There's no way I can win now."
"So you're going to give up?" Naruko shouted angry. "For once in your miserable life stand up and do something about it instead of just running away again. I can't believe you would just betray the one person who believes in you."
"But…." Idate said trying to defend himself.
"No, Naruko-chan is right." Haku interrupted him. "Nothing is lost yet. You can still make it but you need to stop whining and start acting. Jirocho-oyabun and everyone in the village are waiting for you so that they could be free of the Wagarashi family. They believe in you and so do we, right Naruko-chan?"
"Sure we do, he just needs to get his head out of his ass." Naruko nodded with a snort.
"You really think I could win?" Idate said softly.
"We do." Naruko and Haku said. "Don't worry about anything else. Just focus on winning the race and leaving that Fukusuke guy in the dust. We'll take care of anyone that tries to stop you from winning."
"T-Thank you." Idate said smiling a bit. "You're right; I can't let everyone down again. I will win this race and show everyone who Morino Idate is."
"Good and it seems the rain has stopped as well so you might as well start now." Haku said pointing outside. "Are you ready?"
"Hell yeah, bring it on." Idate yelled confidently.
With renewed confidence and vigor Idate ran out of the cave and headed towards the Modoroki Shrine. He knew that Fukusuke had a head start and that it would be difficult to catch up with him but he wouldn't fail again. He would win the race and bring peace back to the little village he had come to love as his own. Nobody or nothing would stop him from reaching that finish line first. With his two new friends beside him, he couldn't fail. They would protect him and encourage him all the way.