Cranes hoisted large beams from a barge below the bridge as the builders worked to set the beams into place. Sakura stretched and yawned, as she sat off to the side, out of the way of the construction,

"It looks like you've got some time to kill there all by yourself." Tazuna glanced at her as he walked by, carrying a steel beam over his shoulder singlehandedly. "What happened to the blond boy and that stuck-up boy?"

Sakura rested her hands in her lap and looked at him. "They're in the middle of tree-climbing training."

"You don't have to do it?"

"I'm exceptional, so Kakashi-sensei told me to guard you." Sakura smiled and shrugged.

Tazuna stopped walking momentarily to looked at her with a brow raised. "Really?"

Sakura blinked, then screwed up her face to grit her teeth. "What?!"

Tazuna set the beam down on a pile of others and one of the other men approached him.

"You got a minute, Tazuna?"

Tazuna turned to him and wipe sweat from his face with a towel. "Huh? What's up, Giichi?"

"Uh... actually..." He looked to the side. "I gave it a lot of thought. Building this bridge..." He looked back to Tazuna. "Will you let me quit?"

"What?! Why so suddenly?!" Tazuna's eyes widened slightly. "Not you too?!"

"Tazuna, I've known you since the old days. I'd like to cooperate, but if we push it too far, Gato will set his sights on us, too."

Tazuna's expression darkened at the name and his brows furrowed.

"Also..." The man continued. "If you get killed, everything is lost!" He sighed. "Why don't you just stop building the bridge?"

Tazuna remained quiet for some time as he stared at him before he finally answered. "Not a chance. This is our bridge. This is the bridge that everyone in town has built, believing that it would generation distribution and transportation for this poor land that has few resources."

"But if it goes so far as to take our lives..." Giichi averted his eyes again."

"It's already afternoon..." Tazuna stepped toward his friend, then walked past. "Let's call it a day."

"Tazuna!" Giichi held out a hand and Tazuna stopped to look at him from over his shoulder.

"Giichi... you don't have to come back tomorrow." Tazuna continued to walk away and Sakura watched quietly as he did.

"Damn it!" Naruto panted heavily and stared up at the markings on his tree, then scowled and flailed his arms and legs. "What the heck is up with this?!"

Sasuke knelt on one knee, his own breathing heavy as he scowled at his own markings. The two looked at each other and glared, standing suddenly as a new surge of energy filled them.

"I won't lose to you!" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the Uchiha.

They ran at their trees once more, running up the trunk, racing each other to the top.

Tazuna and Sakura walked through the streets, and Sakura looked around nervoulsly.

"Say... where are we going?"

"I was asked to get some ingredients for dinner on the way home..." Tazuna answered, glancing down at her before turning his attention back to the street.

Sakura frowned slightly as they passed a man dirty, worn clothing. One held a sign that read "will do any kind of work," while children sat on the sides of the streets alone, filthy, and skinny.

"What's up with this town?" Sakura looked over at the kids as her heart sunk in her chest.

"We're here." Tazuna announced and let Sakura into a small grocery store.

"Welcome..." The clerk greeted them dully.

Sakura's eyes widened slightly as she looked around, realizing that nearly every shelf and rack were bare. "There's hardly anything here..."

A man passed behind Sakura and eyed her shoulder bag. He smirked slightly and reached out to grab it, and Sakura's eyes went wide as the touch and she turned quickly around, bringing her leg up to kick him in the face.

"You pervert!"

"Y-You're wrong...!" The man muttered as he fell to the ground and went unconscious.

After Tazuna had paid for the food, he led Sakura back to the house. "Man, I was really surprised earlier."

"What's going on with this town?!' Sakura walked with her hands balled into fists and her steps heavy. She felt a hand grip the back of her dress and she blushed slightly and furrowed her brows. "Again?!"

"Hey, you!" She turned around with a glare only to stop when she saw a small girl behind her. "What?"

She grinned and held out her hands to Sakura eagerly. "Gimme some!"

Sakura relaxed as she looked the child over, then reached into her bag. "Oh... here..."

The girl's eyed widened at the sight of the candy and took them from Sakura. "Wow! Thank you!"

Sakura smiled faintly and the girl ran off through the crowd with her treats.

"This is how it's been ever since Gato showed up." Tazuna stood beside her and watched the child leave their sight. "Here, all the adults have turned into cowards."

Sakura looked up as him as he furrowed his brows.

"So, that's why that bridge is necessary... It's a symbol of bravery... In order to restore their spirit, so they don't keep running away... For the people of this land, who have set their minds on remaining passive..." He let out a short breath and clenched his fist. "If we can just complete that bridge, this town will return to how it once was and everyone will come back."

Sakura pressed her lips together and looked toward the horizon, where a beautiful sunlight illuminated the sky. "Sasuke... Naruto..."

Sasuke and Naruto ran up their trees again, long after the sun had set, with their eyes fixed on the bare area of the trunk above their marks. Naruto's foot became to come loose and he quickly marked the tree and leapt back to land safely on the ground.

He stared up at the newest mark, out of breath., then watched as Sasuke continued to scale the tree.

"Damn it! Damn it!" Naruto clenched his jaw. "Are you telling me that Sasuke's still climbing?!"

Sasuke reached his limit, marked the tree, and jumped back down to land gracefully on the ground. "Darn it..." Sasuke at Naruto's tree. "He's gradually catching up..."

"Damn!" Naruto looked away from the Uchiha. "No! No!" He shook his head in frustration. "If I let myself get distracted by Sasuke, my concentration will be disturbed!" He exhaled and closed his eyes, forming a hand sign to concentrate on how Chakra flow and remembered what Sakura had told him.

"Listen," Sakura had said. "Chakra uses spiritual energy, so you mustn't get too strained or frantic. Relax and concentrate on the tree so that you can constantly accumulate a fixed amount of Chakra in the bottom of your feet."

"Concentrate. Concentrate. Concentrate." Naruto focused and let out a slow breath as the Chakra gathered to his feet. "Okay, I'm getting good vibes, I think!" He opened his eyes and smirked faintly. "Okay! This is it!"

Naruto began to ran toward the tree, when Sasuke called out to him.

"Hey, Naruto!"

Naruto stumbled in surprise and fell over, smacking his face onto the ground. "Ow..."

Naruto turned to Sasuke with a glare. "Geez! What the heck's wrong with you?! Don't interfere when I'm trying to concentrate!"

"Uh... well..." Sasuke started to say, avoiding looking at Naruto directly.

"What? What is it?" Naruto sat up and narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms. "I'm not used to him speaking to me first..."

Sasuke's eye twitched as he looked Naruto, then looked away again and made a face. "Y-You asked Sakura to give you some tips before... what did she say to you...?"

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at Sasuke, then he broke into a grin. After he chuckled to himself, the smile faded and his expression turned serious. "I'm not telling!"

Sasuke turned to him and stared, his eye twitching again. "...what?"

"Man!" Tazuna scratched the back of his head and looked out at the Ninja as they ate dinner. "This is really fun! It's been a long time since we've had a meal with this many people!"

Naruto shoved bite after bite into his mouth hastily, barely allowing himself an opportunity to breathe. Sasuke did the same, scarfing down his meal at the same pace as Naruto. They each stood and held up their empty bowls at the time time.

"Seconds, please!"

Sakura blinked and stared at them, and the boys met each other's eyes and glared. Theyn, their faces turned green and they each turned away from the table and threw up.

Sakura narrowed her eyes and stood quickly to yell at them. "Stop eating if you're going to vomit!"

"No, I'll eat." Sasuke wiped his mouth with the b ack of his hand and stared at Naruto.

Naruto wiped his own mouth with a smirk. "I have to eat even if it means enduring. I have to get as strong as quickly as possible, so..."

Yes, Yes." Kakashi watched them from the side of the room with his arms crossed as he nodded. "But making yourself vomit is different."

Once dinner was through and the mess had been cleaned, Tsunami washed dishes as everyone quietly sipped tea. Sakura stood and examined a photograph that hung on the wall for some time before she spoke up.

"Excuse me, but... why is there a torn picture hanging here?" She glanced back over her shoulder at Tazuna and Tsunami. "Inari was looking at this all through dinner. This torn part looks like someone who was in the picture was deliberately removed."

Inari stared down at his lap and Tsunami froze in place momentarily. Kakashi glanced at their hosts, who had all fallen silent.

"It's my husband..." Tsunami answered finally in a soft voice.

Tazuna eyes fell to the table as he held the cup of tea in his hand. "He's a man who was once called a hero of this town..."

Inari turned from the table and got up from his chair to slowly leave the room. His mother turned as he began to walk.

"Inari? Where are you going?"

Without a word, Inari left and closed the door hard behind him. She went to follow him, opening the door as she shot her father a look. "Dad! I'm always telling you not to talk about him in front of Inari!" Tsunami turned and quickly followed her son away as a heavy silence fell over the room.

Tazuna let out a small sigh.

"What're you saying happened with Inari?" Sakura asked quietly and glanced at the picture once more.

"It appears there's some kind of good reason." Kakashi watched Tazuna as his expression became serious.

"Inari had a father not related by blood... but they were like a real father and son who got along really well... back then, Inari was a child who laughed all the time."

Naruto glanced up and looked at the old man, then at the picture on the wall.

"However..." Tazuna trembled and slow tears fell down his cheeks. "Inari has changed, ever since that incident with his father." He paused and took in a breath. "The word bravery was eternally taken from the people of this island and from Inari... With that day, that incident, as the trigger."

"That incident?" Kakashi asked. "What happened to Inari?"

"To explain the incident, I must first tell you about the man who was called the hero of this land." Tazuna removed his glasses to wipe his eyes."

"Hero?" Naruto asked, rested his head on his arms.

"It was around three years ago when Inari met that man..." Tazuna replaced his glasses and looked at them.

"Potchi! Potchi!" Inari was held in place by two older boys who smirked.

Another boy stood on the docks, holding a puppy in his hand with a smirk and glared at Inari. "Wrong! His name's Shooting Star. As of today, he's mine!"

"He's not Shooting Star!" Inari protested. "He's my Potchi! Give him back! Potchi's my friend! Why would I give him to the likes of you?!"

"Shut up!" The bully clenched his fist and looked down at the pup, smirked, and then tossed the dog into the sea.

"Potchi!" Inari screamed and struggled against the boy's grip.

The dog yipped and struggled to stay above the water, splashing frantically.

"That's because you wouldn't hand him over quietly." The bully laughed. "Now, I could care less about that dog!" He looked at his friends with a short nod. "Hey, let him go."

They released Inari finally, who narrowed his eyes and stepped towards the oldest boy. "What have you done?! Are you trying to kill my Potchi?"

"Heh. He's your special mutt, right?" The boy crossed his arms. "Then save him, quick."

Inari trembled and he clenched his fists.

"What's the matter?" The boy scowled. "It's okay with you if he dies?"

Inari slowly turned and walked to the edge of the dock and watched the dog yapping and struggling. "Of course I'm not okay with him dying..." He bit his lip. "He's my only friend! But..."

"Look! He can't even dog paddle, even though he's a dog!" The boy chuckled and stepped closer to Inari.

Inari closed his eyes tightly and held back tears. "Sorry, Potchi... but... I can't swim..."

"Hey! If you're his owner, dive in after him!" The older boy smirked and kicked Inari off of the dock and into the water.

Inari kicked and gasped for air desperately as he struggled.

"This is bad, Akane." One of the other boys approached the edge of the dock and glanced at the leader. "What if he can't swim?"

"S-Save me!" Inari pleaded as he kicked in the water and cried.

"Leave him be." Akane put his hands on his hips.

"But..."

The older boy scowled and gripped his friend's collar tightly. "Then why don't you go save him if you like?"

"I don't want to die!" Inari flailed gasped. "Somebody save me!"

The small dog swam by his owner, yapping as he headed to the shore and completely ignored Inari.

"Potchi!" Inari coughed as he watched the dog get farther away and eventually reach the shore, where he shook the water from his fur and walked away.

"I digress, but..." Tazuna sighed briefly and clasped his hands together as he spoke. "Potchi learned how to dog paddle then."

The Ninja stared at him blankly, blinking slightly.

"Shooting Star escaped!" Akane pointed to the shore. "Get him!"

The three boys ran down the dock to the shore to follow the dog as Inari slipped below the water.

"I can't breathe..." Inari watched the sunlight through the surface above as he sunk down.

Inari awoke next on dry ground with the sun blazing down on him.

"Are you awake, boy?"

Inari sat up quickly to see a man sitting beside a fire cooking fish. He turned to Inari with a smile. "I gave those kids a good scolding." He held up one of the skewered fish. "Here, eat!"

Inari blinked slowly at him in stunned silence. "Is this... God?" He leaned forward and his eyes widened slightly. "Did you save me?"

"Just eat. Start with that." The man chuckled and held out the fish to Inari.

Inari nodded and took the fish gratefully, tearing into it once he realized how hungry he was. After some time, he explained everything to the stranger.

"I see. You were betrayed by your dog, too..." The man sat cross-legged and watched the boy eat ravenously. "In my country, dogs are creatures that have a keen sense of loyalty..." He paused and scratched his cheek. "Well, you did betray your dog's trust first, so there's nothing you can do about that."

Inari stopped chewing and his smile fell and his eyes rested down at the fish. "I was so scared and I couldn't move... I wanted to save him... But I have no guts, so..." Inari sniffed and began to cry.

The man smiled gently and rubbed Inari's head gently. "That's right. Of course a kid your age would be scared. But, you know... Just remember this."

"Huh?" Inari wiped his face and looked up at him.

"If you're a man, choose a lifestyle you won't regret." He lowered his arm to rest it on his knee. "For things I truly hold dear to myself, I'll protect them until the very end with both these arms. Even if it's tough, or sad, I'll stick it out. Even if it looks like I might lose my life!"

Inari stared up at him in admiration, smiling at the man as he flexed his arm and patted his muscles.

"His name was Kaiza and he was a fisherman who'd come to this land from another country in search of his dreams." Tazuna continued, replaying old memories in his mind. "After that, Inari really took to Kaiza. It may have been because Inari lost his real father when he was too young to remember anything. But, he was very attached to Kaiza. They were like father and son... It didn't take Kaiza long to become a member of the family."

Naruto smiled as he listened with his head rested on his arms.

"And," Tazuna went on. "He was a man this town needed."

"W-We've got trouble, Kaiza!" A man burst through the front door as the rain pelted down outside. "The river dam has broken from this rain! At this rate, District D will be consumed!"

Kaiza quickly got up from the table where he sat with Inari. "What?!"

"Dad!" Inari clenched his fists and stared up at Kaiza.

"Inari, go out back and get some rope!"

"Okay!"

Inari fetched the rope, and the three of them rushed to the dam as the wide-open gate allowed the flood through. A crowd had gathered nearby to watch the broken dam and monitor the water levels.

"It's no good!" One man shouted above the storm.

"The only thing we can do is attach a rope and pull!" Another watched the rushing river in horror.

"Don't talk nonsense!" An older man scolded. "How are we going to attach a rope?! We'd die if we went into such a furious current!"

"But if we drag our feet and do nothing, District D will be annihilated!" The first man argued. "What should we do?!"

"I'll do it!" Kaiza stepped through the crowd and all eyes turned to him.

"Kaiza!"

"Don't be foolish! Even you wouldn't be able to do it!"

"Dad!" Inari bit his lip and watched Kaiza carefully.

"Don't worry." Kaiza patted Inari's head and bent to look him in the eye. "Your dad's unmatched. Your dad loves the town you're from, so..."

Kaiza tied a rope tightly around his waist and stood at the edge of the railing, looking down into the rushing river below. "For things I truly hold dear to myself..." He leapt into the water, swept away by the current but swam with all his might to the other side. "Even if I lose my life... I'll protect them to the end, with both these arms!"

Inari stood at the railing to look down at Kaiza. "Dad! Hang in there!"

Kaiza reached the gate and pulled himself onto the top, pausing only to catch his breath before he attached the rope to the barrier.

"He did it!" One man cheered.

"The rope's attached!"

"Okay, everyone pull!"

Everyone in the crowd each grabbed a section of rope and pulled until the dam was finally sealed and they celebrated with a round of whooping cheers.

"From then on, the people of this land called Kaiza a hero, and he became a father that Inari could be proud of." Tazuna smiled faintly, then he frowned and the creases in his forehead deepened. "It was around that time when Gato set his sights on this land. And then... one night..."

Inside of a warehouse, Kaiza had tied to a bamboo post as a man beat him repeatedly with another bamboo staff.

"I heard that you're going to protect this town with those arms..." Gato chuckled to himself as he watched the assault with a smirk. "I dare you to!"

Two large brutes stepped forward with wooden hammers and grinned, then brought them down on Kaiza's arms as he cried out in pain.

A crowd gathered on the opposite side of a chain-length fence as Gato's men tied Kaiza to a large crucifix with smug expressions.

"Listen up!" Gato addressed the crowd. "This man resisted through force, the policies of the Gato corporation and has disturbed the order of this nation. Therefore, he'll now be executed!"

The crowd held their breaths and only watched in silence, many turning to look away from the businessman.

"I just hope that such trivial matter will never occur again." Gato stared out at the crowd with his brows furrowed in a warning.

"Dad!" Inari clutched the fencing with tears streaming down his face.

"Stop, Inari!" One man scolded the boy in a hushed voice.

Kaiza cracked open one swollen, bruised eye and managed to smile faintly at Inari and meet his eyes.

"Do it." Gato ordered one of his men, who drew his sword.

"Dad!" Inari cried harder, his voice barely above a whisper.

The mercenary smirked and brought the sword up, pointing its tip at Kaiza before striking his target and killing him in a single blow.

"Dad!" Inari screamed as his eyes widened at the blood, sobbing harder. "Didn't you tell me... that... you'd protect... me and all the people of this land... with both your arms? Dad... you liar..."

"Ever since then... Inari has changed." Tazuna concluded and let out a slow breath. "As well as Tsunami and the townspeople."

Naruto scowled into his arms, nearly trembling in anger at the story as he stared at the torn photograph on the wall. The, he stood suddenly, but tripped and fell onto his face.

"What're you doing, Naruto?" Sakura looked at the blond as he lay on the floor.

"You've had enough training for today." Kakashi glanced over at him. "You've built up too much Chakra. You'll die if you move much more than that."

Naruto struggling to push himself off of the ground with his body shaking from exhaustion. "...I'll prove it."

"Hm?" Tazuna raised a brow at the blond.

"Prove what?" Sakura asked quietly.

Naruto forced himself to a stand and clenched his fists. "I'll prove that... there are still heroes... in this world!"