Chapter 2: The Journey Begins...
In an attempt to get an early start Yamiko and Aruko awoke with the sun to begin the day with their morning chakra training. They had only been in the Leaf Village for a week and since the first day Aruko's lessons had become risky survival training and "What If's" questions to get them to plan for certain life-threatening situations.
Security in Leaf Village had become tighter as well. Shinobi at every entrance and a few Hidden Door and Snail shinobi disguised as villagers in order to try and over-hear gossip of future attacks.
There had been no other attacks on Aruko's lessons but they knew it would not last long. The Jounin that had gone away on their mission had not been heard from yet though they didn't expect the mission to go by so quickly.
"You know, Yami, and really expected that first day to go just as smoothly as all the other days. Why did they have to attack on our first day?"
"I guess with Kakashi leaving they underestimated to new, young, female, jounin and her Anbu escort."
"I suppose so. Why do guys always assume they are more powerful than girls?"
"Because they usually are."
"Well that sucks..."
Aruko and Yamiko walked to the ledge of the Hokage monument. They channeled their chakra into their feet and began their morning excersize, to walk down the face of the monument. They were about a mile from the bottom when they saw someone approach.
"Morning, Baasan Tsunade!" they chimmed happily to the woman.
"What have I told you about calling me that?"
"That we should do it as often as possible?" Yamiko looked upward innocently. Tsunade sighed.
"Who'd have thought two children as weird as that could become ANBU and Jounin... They haven't changed a bit since they arrived six years ago." Tsunade said to herself with a smile.
Yamiko began to squirm around, "Look, I'm dancing on a Hokage's nose!"
"You moron!" said Aruko with a laugh. Yamiko gave Aruko a little shove, knowing she was a little bit afraid of heights. Aruko stumbled forward, flailing her arms but froze when her foot met the rock again. She stood up straight and cleared her throat, "I'm alright..."
"Who's the moron now?" she smirked.
"Shut up..."
Tsunade waited annoyedly until the two of them had placed their attention back on her before she spoke.
"You two have a new mission."
"WOOHOO! We will be right down!" the two of them raced each other down the monument and in front of Tsunade as fast as they could, eagerly awaiting the case.
"Alright, you two will take your Genin to your village."
"Our village?" the two girls exchanged glances, "Why?"
"I have already arranged it with the Kanikage. The three of them will be much better protected in Snail and Door. Our forces are weakening day by day. There will definitly be more spies and assasins on the way so you must all be on gaurd."
"Why do we have to take all of them? Itachi is after Naruto and Orochimaru is after Sasuke, so why Sakura too?"
"ALL THREE of them were left in your care. You will not leave one behind unprotected."
"Alright, alright."
"Sheesh! We just got here and we already have to go back!"
"I understand. You leave in three days."
"Yes ma'am. We will do our best."
Aruko and Yamiko met Naruto and the others at the Ichiraku Ramen to tell them the news.
"Hey kiddies, guess what? You all get the next three days off to pack!"
"Pack for what?" asked Sakura.
"For a trip to our village? Doesn't that sound like fun?" said Aruko, trying to make the trip sound as casual as a short stroll through the woods.
"Why?" asked Naruto, slurping the bowl of Ramen that Yamiko had bought him.
"Uh... Educational experience. We will be staying there for a while, just while when we came here six years ago!" said Yamiko.
"Stop lying... We are going there for protection, aren't we?" Sasuke asked coldly.
"Well, there's a way to put a damper on our plan, thank you, Sasuke." Aruko sighed, "Yes, we are going to our village for extra protection. When we get there you will continue with your training as always, everything will go as normal. You will have a chance to get aquainted with the locals if you wish. These are orders from the Hokage herself."
"WHAT! We don't need protection!" shouted Naruto at Aruko, abandoning his bowl. Aruko got up from her seat and slammed her palm on the table, cracking it slightly. Yamiko inched to the side.
"Listen, Naruto, we don't have time to play games! This is a war and we ALL need protection right now! You eat your ramen, go home, and pack! We will see you all at the crack of dawn by the entrance of the village in three days!" Yamiko blinked at Aruko's sudden mood swing.
"Is it that time of month again, Aruko?"
"Shut up and come on!" Aruko snapped and grabbed Yamiko's arm, dragging her away.
Three days passed and Yamiko and Aruko stood waiting for their genin, backpacks full of food, blankets, scrolls, weapons, other various items that might come in handy during the trip.
Sasuke was the first to show up closely followed by Sakura.
By the time the three days went by Aruko was back to her normal perky self and she was eagerly awaiting the trip to her home village along with Yamiko.
Finally Naruto came running down the stone walkway and they were on their journey at last!
"How long will it take us to reach your village?" asked Sakura.
"About three days walk and a day at sea."
"Three days walk? I'll never make it!" complained Sakura. Yamiko leaned over and whispered in Aruko's ear.
"That's why men think they are stronger than us."
"How are we going by sea?"
"Walking." said Aruko happily, "You all can walk over water right?"
"Oh, Aruko, give them a break! We could ask Ryuka to take us.
"Do you really think Ryuka would take us all that way?"
"SURE! She adores us remember?"
"Alright, alright, but it's still a three day walk."
"How did you two get here?" asked Naruto.
"We walked over the water." said Aruko, Yamiko started laughing.
"And Aruko got tired and fell right into the water! That sure woke her up!"
"Shut up Yamiko!"
***
It wasn't even an hour into their hike that they came to a fork in the road. Aruko and Yamiko looked from one path to the other confusedly
"What's wrong, Aruko-sama?" asked Sakura. Aruko smiled nervously and forced a laugh, a sweatdrop forming.
"Nothing is wrong! What makes you think there is anything wrong?"
"You don't know which way to go, do you?" grumbled Sasuke.
"Not really... No..." the three genin performed the classic group anime fall.
"YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW WHICH WAY TO GO??" yelled Naruto in a panic.
"We are going to die out here!" yelled Sakura in a panic.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, move over." Yamiko pushed Sakura over and took a stick from off the dirt floor. She stood in the middle of the fork and closed her eyes in a sort of silent meditation. After a few seconds of this she threw down the stick.
"THAT WAY!" shouted Yamiko, pointing left in the direction the stick was pointing.
Aruko sighed and picked up the stick. She examined it and looked back at Yamiko as if to ask what the hell she was doing. Yamiko strugged and slung her bag back over her shoulder.
"Alright... Left it is,"
***
Sakura had already started to complain a little but stopped after the many glares recieved by Aruko and Yamiko. They had been walking for quite some time and knew the sun was going down soon. They hadn't stopped for anything that day except bathroom breaks and for lunch they just nibbled on snacks and treats. On top of all their problems, they still didn't know if they were even going the right way...
"Good job, Yamiko" said Aruko happily.
"Is that sarcasim? What did I do?"
"No! You picked the right way. Don't you hear a waterfall? That means we are almost to the log bridge!"
"L..Log bridge? As in having to balance on a slippery log over a mile drop downward into a swirling pit of doom?" paniced Naruto.
"Oh no!... I'm sure the drop is way more than a mile... Come on then, it should be right up ahead." said Yamiko, walking forward in a perky mood.
They walked on for about half a mile until they met just what they were looking for. To their left was a large waterfall and straight ahead was a log bridge over a several mile drop into a long river of rapids. Aruko and Yamiko stepped ahead and turned to the genin.
"Alright, I guess we can put some training in here. Channel your chakra into your feet and walk along the log. It will be a little difficult since the log is slippery from all the water so be careful." said Aruko.
"Oh, stop treating them like babies. I'm sure they will be fine.... And if they fail, they meet certain doom. No biggy. Everyone ready?"
"You sure do know how to motivate a crowd, don't you, Yami?" said Aruko with sarcasim.
Channeling her chakra into her feet, Aruko went first down the log, walking casually as if it were on normal ground. Yamiko stayed behind, placing her mask on her face and watching over the others while they crossed.
Sasuke eagerly went next hoping even the slightest bit of training would help him in his quest to kill his older brother, Itachi. He walked steadily and slowly across at a nice pace and made it safely to the other side. Sakura stepped forward. She channeled her chakra, confident in her ability to do this having such skill in the tree climbing for this surely wasn't that different. She too made it across. Now it was Naruto's turn.
He channeled his chakra like the others and stepped onto the log, a little nervous but still more confident than he thought he was. About half way along the log he heard a gasp behind him and felt something move under him.
"Naruto! Don't move!" shouted Yamiko, her heart beating rapidly, trying to figure out what to do.
"What's wrong, Yami?"
"The log is slipping!"
"WHAT?!?" Naruto became rigid at these words. He looked down at the wobbling log below him, his chakra the only thing keeping him from falling.
"Don't worry, Naruto, I'm coming!" Yamiko lept skillfully to Naruto's rescue, stepping on the log as lightly as possible in an attempt not to roll it over and have Naruto loose his focus.
"Naruto, release your hold on the log!!" yelled Aruko, obligated to stay behind with Sakura and Sasuke who were looking on nervously. Naruto was about to question her but did as he was told.
"The second he released the log of his chakra Yamiko scooped him up from behind. The sudden shift of weight caused the log to fall from under them. With a burst of energy Yamiko lept from the log and reached out to grab the ledge.
"She's not going to make it!" Sasuke yelled. He ran to the ledge and held out his hand, grabbing Yamiko's as she missed the ledge, still holding Naruto around the middle. Aruko and Sakura sprang forward and pulled Sasuke to help him. If they hadn't, they would have all fallen.
"PULL!" shouted Aruko, yanging Sasuke as hard as she could, Sakura pulling her. Yamiko dangled off the side, hand slipping from Sasuke's. "Release all of your energy!"
Slowly they pulled the two up inch by inch until they all collapsed on the ground in a tired heap. Panting and strained they all rose to their feet one by one and made sure everyone else was alright.
"Woo!" said Yamiko with a sigh, plopping down on a boulder in exhaustion, "That sure was fun!"
"Very nice, Sasuke, you did great!" said Aruko patting Sasuke on the back. He crossed his arms and smirked in Naruto's direction.
Naruto scowled to himself and sat on the ground and fumed. Aruko turned to Naruto, looked at his face, and smiled. It was just getting dark now, the bright colors quickly fading from the sky. They decided they would set camp there until the morning.
"Hey, Yami, why don't you and Sasuke go get some wood. We will camp here and build a fire." said Aruko.
"But... Won't that be dangerous? Won't the smoke and light give away our location at night?" asked Sakura.
"Congrats, Sakura-chan! You just volunteered yourself to set traps to welcome any visitors!" Aruko smiled into Sakura's confused face.
"So what will you and Naruto be doing here while we are busy with work?" Yamiko asked smuggly.
"I will be having a little talk with our friend Naruto-kun," Naruto lifted his head in confusion, Yamiko looked gravely at Naruto.
"Oh... That can't mean anything good..." said Yamiko, "Come on, Sasuke,"
"Sakura, a minute alone with Naruto-kun, if you please." Still stunned as to how Aruko tricked her into setting traps, Sakura blinked a few times and then scurried off.
"W-What did I do, Aruko-sama?"
"Nothing, Naruto. I just want to talk to you. You seem troubled. What's on your mind?" Aruko got up and sat on the ground next to Naruto.
"Well... Sasuke is always playing the hero just to make me look bad!"
"Do you really think that, Naruto?"
"Did you see the way he looked at me after?"
Aruko sat silently for a while and gazed up at the stars that were just appearing in the sky. Finally she spoke.
"Naruto... Do you know why there are so many ninjas in Leaf Village?"
Naruto was quite suprised at this question. He looked up at Aruko who was still staring at the stars. He did not know what to say. It might even be a trick question for all he knew.
"To help each other out. If every shinobi in Leaf Village worked for himself only, there wouldn't be a shinobi left. You can't always play the hero. Hell, Yami has saved me more times than I can count and I have done to same. Do you know why?"
Naruto shook his head.
"Because we are partners. We are shinobi. Yami and I are here to protect you three and we will die trying because we are shinobi, and shinobi are one. We don't do it to be heros. Now Sasuke did a good job in helping you and Yamiko but to show off to you after was not called for. Don't let him get to you. Do you understand Naruto-kun?" Aruko looked down into Naruto's blue eyes and ruffled his hair with a smile. Naruto smiled back and nodded.
The soft shuffling of leaves behind them told them that Yamiko and Sasuke had returned and each with bundles of wood in their arms. They dropped them on the ground in front of Naruto and Aruko.
"Still alive, I see? How odd? You're the first to survive, Naruto." joked Yamiko.
"Shut up and go find Sakura-chan."
"I'm back!" yelled Sakura breathlessly as she stumbled into the small clearing.
"Are the traps all set up?" asked Yamiko.
"Nothing is getting here tonight!"
"Very good. I'll take first watch if that's alright." said Aruko. A bright flame flashed beside her as Sasuke used a fire Jutsu to light the wood ablaze.
"Looks like we are all set. Alright kiddies, we are having Ramen tonight!"
"YES!" cheered Naruto.
At about 2:00 in the morning Yamiko, having just finished her watch, walked over to the three sleeping genin with a yawn. She poked and prodded Sakura until she rolled over and rubbed her eyes.
"Sakura, it's time for your watch. Good luck."
Sakura sat up and yawned. Gaining proper vision from her tired state she got up and walked over to Yamiko. Yamiko looked up, having seen Sakura's shadow coming.
"Can I help you, Sakura?"
"Yamiko-sama... I have to ask you something..."
"Fine, make it quick. I'm sleepy and brain probably isn't functioning at it's best right now."
"Yamiko-sama... How do you know you are a true shinobi?"
"What on earth do you mean?"
"I mean... Naruto and Sasuke have grown so much since we started as genin together and... I've stayed the same... How do I know if I am really a true shinobi... like them."
Yamiko yawned and stood up.
"Sakura, did you know that blood has a very distinct smell?" Sakura was struck with slight shock at this question. What did that have to do with anything?
"That if enough is shead you can smell it for miles and still know exactly what it is..."
Sakura thought about this and shook her head.
"Then you are not... a true shinobi... Goodnight Sakura-chan..." and without another word Yamiko walked to a patch of ground near Aruko and went to sleep...
In an attempt to get an early start Yamiko and Aruko awoke with the sun to begin the day with their morning chakra training. They had only been in the Leaf Village for a week and since the first day Aruko's lessons had become risky survival training and "What If's" questions to get them to plan for certain life-threatening situations.
Security in Leaf Village had become tighter as well. Shinobi at every entrance and a few Hidden Door and Snail shinobi disguised as villagers in order to try and over-hear gossip of future attacks.
There had been no other attacks on Aruko's lessons but they knew it would not last long. The Jounin that had gone away on their mission had not been heard from yet though they didn't expect the mission to go by so quickly.
"You know, Yami, and really expected that first day to go just as smoothly as all the other days. Why did they have to attack on our first day?"
"I guess with Kakashi leaving they underestimated to new, young, female, jounin and her Anbu escort."
"I suppose so. Why do guys always assume they are more powerful than girls?"
"Because they usually are."
"Well that sucks..."
Aruko and Yamiko walked to the ledge of the Hokage monument. They channeled their chakra into their feet and began their morning excersize, to walk down the face of the monument. They were about a mile from the bottom when they saw someone approach.
"Morning, Baasan Tsunade!" they chimmed happily to the woman.
"What have I told you about calling me that?"
"That we should do it as often as possible?" Yamiko looked upward innocently. Tsunade sighed.
"Who'd have thought two children as weird as that could become ANBU and Jounin... They haven't changed a bit since they arrived six years ago." Tsunade said to herself with a smile.
Yamiko began to squirm around, "Look, I'm dancing on a Hokage's nose!"
"You moron!" said Aruko with a laugh. Yamiko gave Aruko a little shove, knowing she was a little bit afraid of heights. Aruko stumbled forward, flailing her arms but froze when her foot met the rock again. She stood up straight and cleared her throat, "I'm alright..."
"Who's the moron now?" she smirked.
"Shut up..."
Tsunade waited annoyedly until the two of them had placed their attention back on her before she spoke.
"You two have a new mission."
"WOOHOO! We will be right down!" the two of them raced each other down the monument and in front of Tsunade as fast as they could, eagerly awaiting the case.
"Alright, you two will take your Genin to your village."
"Our village?" the two girls exchanged glances, "Why?"
"I have already arranged it with the Kanikage. The three of them will be much better protected in Snail and Door. Our forces are weakening day by day. There will definitly be more spies and assasins on the way so you must all be on gaurd."
"Why do we have to take all of them? Itachi is after Naruto and Orochimaru is after Sasuke, so why Sakura too?"
"ALL THREE of them were left in your care. You will not leave one behind unprotected."
"Alright, alright."
"Sheesh! We just got here and we already have to go back!"
"I understand. You leave in three days."
"Yes ma'am. We will do our best."
Aruko and Yamiko met Naruto and the others at the Ichiraku Ramen to tell them the news.
"Hey kiddies, guess what? You all get the next three days off to pack!"
"Pack for what?" asked Sakura.
"For a trip to our village? Doesn't that sound like fun?" said Aruko, trying to make the trip sound as casual as a short stroll through the woods.
"Why?" asked Naruto, slurping the bowl of Ramen that Yamiko had bought him.
"Uh... Educational experience. We will be staying there for a while, just while when we came here six years ago!" said Yamiko.
"Stop lying... We are going there for protection, aren't we?" Sasuke asked coldly.
"Well, there's a way to put a damper on our plan, thank you, Sasuke." Aruko sighed, "Yes, we are going to our village for extra protection. When we get there you will continue with your training as always, everything will go as normal. You will have a chance to get aquainted with the locals if you wish. These are orders from the Hokage herself."
"WHAT! We don't need protection!" shouted Naruto at Aruko, abandoning his bowl. Aruko got up from her seat and slammed her palm on the table, cracking it slightly. Yamiko inched to the side.
"Listen, Naruto, we don't have time to play games! This is a war and we ALL need protection right now! You eat your ramen, go home, and pack! We will see you all at the crack of dawn by the entrance of the village in three days!" Yamiko blinked at Aruko's sudden mood swing.
"Is it that time of month again, Aruko?"
"Shut up and come on!" Aruko snapped and grabbed Yamiko's arm, dragging her away.
Three days passed and Yamiko and Aruko stood waiting for their genin, backpacks full of food, blankets, scrolls, weapons, other various items that might come in handy during the trip.
Sasuke was the first to show up closely followed by Sakura.
By the time the three days went by Aruko was back to her normal perky self and she was eagerly awaiting the trip to her home village along with Yamiko.
Finally Naruto came running down the stone walkway and they were on their journey at last!
"How long will it take us to reach your village?" asked Sakura.
"About three days walk and a day at sea."
"Three days walk? I'll never make it!" complained Sakura. Yamiko leaned over and whispered in Aruko's ear.
"That's why men think they are stronger than us."
"How are we going by sea?"
"Walking." said Aruko happily, "You all can walk over water right?"
"Oh, Aruko, give them a break! We could ask Ryuka to take us.
"Do you really think Ryuka would take us all that way?"
"SURE! She adores us remember?"
"Alright, alright, but it's still a three day walk."
"How did you two get here?" asked Naruto.
"We walked over the water." said Aruko, Yamiko started laughing.
"And Aruko got tired and fell right into the water! That sure woke her up!"
"Shut up Yamiko!"
***
It wasn't even an hour into their hike that they came to a fork in the road. Aruko and Yamiko looked from one path to the other confusedly
"What's wrong, Aruko-sama?" asked Sakura. Aruko smiled nervously and forced a laugh, a sweatdrop forming.
"Nothing is wrong! What makes you think there is anything wrong?"
"You don't know which way to go, do you?" grumbled Sasuke.
"Not really... No..." the three genin performed the classic group anime fall.
"YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW WHICH WAY TO GO??" yelled Naruto in a panic.
"We are going to die out here!" yelled Sakura in a panic.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, move over." Yamiko pushed Sakura over and took a stick from off the dirt floor. She stood in the middle of the fork and closed her eyes in a sort of silent meditation. After a few seconds of this she threw down the stick.
"THAT WAY!" shouted Yamiko, pointing left in the direction the stick was pointing.
Aruko sighed and picked up the stick. She examined it and looked back at Yamiko as if to ask what the hell she was doing. Yamiko strugged and slung her bag back over her shoulder.
"Alright... Left it is,"
***
Sakura had already started to complain a little but stopped after the many glares recieved by Aruko and Yamiko. They had been walking for quite some time and knew the sun was going down soon. They hadn't stopped for anything that day except bathroom breaks and for lunch they just nibbled on snacks and treats. On top of all their problems, they still didn't know if they were even going the right way...
"Good job, Yamiko" said Aruko happily.
"Is that sarcasim? What did I do?"
"No! You picked the right way. Don't you hear a waterfall? That means we are almost to the log bridge!"
"L..Log bridge? As in having to balance on a slippery log over a mile drop downward into a swirling pit of doom?" paniced Naruto.
"Oh no!... I'm sure the drop is way more than a mile... Come on then, it should be right up ahead." said Yamiko, walking forward in a perky mood.
They walked on for about half a mile until they met just what they were looking for. To their left was a large waterfall and straight ahead was a log bridge over a several mile drop into a long river of rapids. Aruko and Yamiko stepped ahead and turned to the genin.
"Alright, I guess we can put some training in here. Channel your chakra into your feet and walk along the log. It will be a little difficult since the log is slippery from all the water so be careful." said Aruko.
"Oh, stop treating them like babies. I'm sure they will be fine.... And if they fail, they meet certain doom. No biggy. Everyone ready?"
"You sure do know how to motivate a crowd, don't you, Yami?" said Aruko with sarcasim.
Channeling her chakra into her feet, Aruko went first down the log, walking casually as if it were on normal ground. Yamiko stayed behind, placing her mask on her face and watching over the others while they crossed.
Sasuke eagerly went next hoping even the slightest bit of training would help him in his quest to kill his older brother, Itachi. He walked steadily and slowly across at a nice pace and made it safely to the other side. Sakura stepped forward. She channeled her chakra, confident in her ability to do this having such skill in the tree climbing for this surely wasn't that different. She too made it across. Now it was Naruto's turn.
He channeled his chakra like the others and stepped onto the log, a little nervous but still more confident than he thought he was. About half way along the log he heard a gasp behind him and felt something move under him.
"Naruto! Don't move!" shouted Yamiko, her heart beating rapidly, trying to figure out what to do.
"What's wrong, Yami?"
"The log is slipping!"
"WHAT?!?" Naruto became rigid at these words. He looked down at the wobbling log below him, his chakra the only thing keeping him from falling.
"Don't worry, Naruto, I'm coming!" Yamiko lept skillfully to Naruto's rescue, stepping on the log as lightly as possible in an attempt not to roll it over and have Naruto loose his focus.
"Naruto, release your hold on the log!!" yelled Aruko, obligated to stay behind with Sakura and Sasuke who were looking on nervously. Naruto was about to question her but did as he was told.
"The second he released the log of his chakra Yamiko scooped him up from behind. The sudden shift of weight caused the log to fall from under them. With a burst of energy Yamiko lept from the log and reached out to grab the ledge.
"She's not going to make it!" Sasuke yelled. He ran to the ledge and held out his hand, grabbing Yamiko's as she missed the ledge, still holding Naruto around the middle. Aruko and Sakura sprang forward and pulled Sasuke to help him. If they hadn't, they would have all fallen.
"PULL!" shouted Aruko, yanging Sasuke as hard as she could, Sakura pulling her. Yamiko dangled off the side, hand slipping from Sasuke's. "Release all of your energy!"
Slowly they pulled the two up inch by inch until they all collapsed on the ground in a tired heap. Panting and strained they all rose to their feet one by one and made sure everyone else was alright.
"Woo!" said Yamiko with a sigh, plopping down on a boulder in exhaustion, "That sure was fun!"
"Very nice, Sasuke, you did great!" said Aruko patting Sasuke on the back. He crossed his arms and smirked in Naruto's direction.
Naruto scowled to himself and sat on the ground and fumed. Aruko turned to Naruto, looked at his face, and smiled. It was just getting dark now, the bright colors quickly fading from the sky. They decided they would set camp there until the morning.
"Hey, Yami, why don't you and Sasuke go get some wood. We will camp here and build a fire." said Aruko.
"But... Won't that be dangerous? Won't the smoke and light give away our location at night?" asked Sakura.
"Congrats, Sakura-chan! You just volunteered yourself to set traps to welcome any visitors!" Aruko smiled into Sakura's confused face.
"So what will you and Naruto be doing here while we are busy with work?" Yamiko asked smuggly.
"I will be having a little talk with our friend Naruto-kun," Naruto lifted his head in confusion, Yamiko looked gravely at Naruto.
"Oh... That can't mean anything good..." said Yamiko, "Come on, Sasuke,"
"Sakura, a minute alone with Naruto-kun, if you please." Still stunned as to how Aruko tricked her into setting traps, Sakura blinked a few times and then scurried off.
"W-What did I do, Aruko-sama?"
"Nothing, Naruto. I just want to talk to you. You seem troubled. What's on your mind?" Aruko got up and sat on the ground next to Naruto.
"Well... Sasuke is always playing the hero just to make me look bad!"
"Do you really think that, Naruto?"
"Did you see the way he looked at me after?"
Aruko sat silently for a while and gazed up at the stars that were just appearing in the sky. Finally she spoke.
"Naruto... Do you know why there are so many ninjas in Leaf Village?"
Naruto was quite suprised at this question. He looked up at Aruko who was still staring at the stars. He did not know what to say. It might even be a trick question for all he knew.
"To help each other out. If every shinobi in Leaf Village worked for himself only, there wouldn't be a shinobi left. You can't always play the hero. Hell, Yami has saved me more times than I can count and I have done to same. Do you know why?"
Naruto shook his head.
"Because we are partners. We are shinobi. Yami and I are here to protect you three and we will die trying because we are shinobi, and shinobi are one. We don't do it to be heros. Now Sasuke did a good job in helping you and Yamiko but to show off to you after was not called for. Don't let him get to you. Do you understand Naruto-kun?" Aruko looked down into Naruto's blue eyes and ruffled his hair with a smile. Naruto smiled back and nodded.
The soft shuffling of leaves behind them told them that Yamiko and Sasuke had returned and each with bundles of wood in their arms. They dropped them on the ground in front of Naruto and Aruko.
"Still alive, I see? How odd? You're the first to survive, Naruto." joked Yamiko.
"Shut up and go find Sakura-chan."
"I'm back!" yelled Sakura breathlessly as she stumbled into the small clearing.
"Are the traps all set up?" asked Yamiko.
"Nothing is getting here tonight!"
"Very good. I'll take first watch if that's alright." said Aruko. A bright flame flashed beside her as Sasuke used a fire Jutsu to light the wood ablaze.
"Looks like we are all set. Alright kiddies, we are having Ramen tonight!"
"YES!" cheered Naruto.
At about 2:00 in the morning Yamiko, having just finished her watch, walked over to the three sleeping genin with a yawn. She poked and prodded Sakura until she rolled over and rubbed her eyes.
"Sakura, it's time for your watch. Good luck."
Sakura sat up and yawned. Gaining proper vision from her tired state she got up and walked over to Yamiko. Yamiko looked up, having seen Sakura's shadow coming.
"Can I help you, Sakura?"
"Yamiko-sama... I have to ask you something..."
"Fine, make it quick. I'm sleepy and brain probably isn't functioning at it's best right now."
"Yamiko-sama... How do you know you are a true shinobi?"
"What on earth do you mean?"
"I mean... Naruto and Sasuke have grown so much since we started as genin together and... I've stayed the same... How do I know if I am really a true shinobi... like them."
Yamiko yawned and stood up.
"Sakura, did you know that blood has a very distinct smell?" Sakura was struck with slight shock at this question. What did that have to do with anything?
"That if enough is shead you can smell it for miles and still know exactly what it is..."
Sakura thought about this and shook her head.
"Then you are not... a true shinobi... Goodnight Sakura-chan..." and without another word Yamiko walked to a patch of ground near Aruko and went to sleep...