Disclaimer: sigh... do I really have to write these everytime? Naruto's not mine, don't sue me...
Chapter 3: Primary
Finding boats to Wave country wasn't rocket science. Since the bridge's birth and Gatou's death, the small island cooperative flourished with prosperity. Tourist boats traveled back and forth every fifteen minutes and these weren't shabby, five person motorboats; these were highly maintained charter vehicles. Three teenagers, all with black hair and brilliant blue eyes, handed their tickets to the collector as he came around. Two of them were dripping wet and smelled of cheap hair dye, but he didn't say anything.
"Arg! My head. It itches!" Naruto dug his fingers into his scalp.
"Stop it." Sakura smacked his hand.
"Oww…" He pouted.
"Stop whinning, at least your not wearing contacts."
The original idea had been to go black hair with brown eyes, to try not to stand out too much, but Naruto had refused to wear contacts.
"I'm not sticking things in my eyes!" He complained.
"You have to." Sasuke commanded. "You can't hold Henge no Jutsu for a week."
"I don't care!"
It went on like this for quite some time, before Sakura and Sasuke buckled down and went cerulean blue.
"Attention all passengers, the boat will be leaving shortly. Please make sure all your luggage has been loaded and all personal items are in your possession. Thank you."
The engine grumbled beneath them like Naruto's stomach at 7 am. Large plumes of smoke billowed into a cloudy sky. Tourists gathered at the railings, waving pleasant goodbyes to families and lovers. Having no one to wave at, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura huddled together on an outdoor bench. Slowly, the boat lurched forward and began to rock on the open tide.
"Waaaaahh." Naruto whined as her rubbed his hands through his course hair. Sasuke grinned at his reflection in the metal seat in front of him and chuckled.
"What the hell are you laughing at?" Naruto glared.
"No, no, not you." Sasuke winced, although he does look pretty funny with black hair, "Look."
He turned sharply to his friends, accessing the Sharigan power in his veins.
"Whoa!" The other two gawked.
Although the contacts hid the signature Sharigan red irises, they did nothing to conceal Sasuke's three extra pupils. It was a very strange effect, the blue Sharigan.
"Dude, that is awesome." Naruto squealed.
"Do they still work?" Sakura wondered.
"Oh yeah." Sasuke grinned.
"But you can't use them, Sasuke. People will-" "I know, I know, but then that means no Rasengan for Naruto."
"Eh?" Naruto cried out in alarm. "But the Rasengan is my best attack."
"Sorry, Naruto," Sakura sighed, "but only you and Jiraiya know that technique. If someone saw you use it and word got back to Konoha, we'll have half the ANBU after us."
"I guess summoning is out of the question." Sasuke reclined lazily on the bench.
"Yeah."
They made a mental list; things they could do/things they couldn't, the latter of which was surprisingly long. Most of their techniques were unique and easy to identify. If they planned on making a living as ninja outside of Konoha, they would have to learn new techniques.
Hours passed and the boat bobbed along at an easy pace. Before long, the ship sailed into the traditional dense fog that blanketed this country.
Naruto jumped up excidedly.
"Where are you going?" Sasuke grumbled.
"We'll be able to see the bridge soon. I wanna see it."
Sasuke gave him an "Are-you-stupid?" look.
"That's stupid."
"You're stupid." Sakura stood up and looked at Naruto. "Yeah, I want to see it too."
"Whatever, I'm staying here." Sasuke mumbled and sunk into his seat.
"Oh, Sasuke!" Sakura cried exasperatedly, grabbing his hand. "Stop being such an anchor." She dragged him to the railing after Naruto.
Naruto clambered clumsily onto the rail and craned out over the water, his hand to his brow.
"I can't see it." He whined.
"Of course not." Sasuke muttered from the other side of Sakura. "We're still too far out, and there's too much fog."
Naruto bit his bottom lip and leaned further over the railing. He would have stretched farther, but a strong hand gripped the back of his dark shirt.
"Careful there kid, you wouldn't want to fall overboard." A kind voice said from Naruto's blind spot.
The stranger easily ripped Naruto from the railing and placed him back on the deck.
Naruto looked boldly up into a smiling face. At first he thought he was seeing Kabuto, circular glasses covering oddly trustworthy eyes, but when he looked twice Naruto noticed dark hair and a chin too solid for Orochimaru's dog.
"Th-thank you very much." Sakura stuttered politely.
"No problem." The man grinned. "He's a kid after all." Naruto pouted.
"By the way, Kid, where are you're parents?"
"Stop calling me 'Kid'. I'm a nin-!"
Sasuke slapped a hand over Naruto's month and dragged him away from the man.
"You trying to kill us, dumbass?" He whispered menacingly into his captive's ear. "You're going to get us caught."
"Sorry about that." Sakura apologized to the man, "He's a little short tempered."
"I can see that." The man answered rubbing the back of his head.
"Anyway, sir," Sakura continued, "We're not here with our parents."
"Is that so?" The man looked surprised. "You kids coming here for any particular reason?"
"We wanted to see the bridge." Sakura smiled brightly. "And why are you here, Mr…?"
"My name-"
"Wait." Sasuke let go of Naruto. "It's customary to give one's own name first. I am Aoi, this," He motioned to Sakura, "is my younger sister, Akane and this," He nodded to Naruto, "is my younger brother, Kirimaru."
The man smiled.
"My name is Hiroshi." He held out his hand and shook Sasuke's.
Naruto leaned in to Sakura's shoulder.
"'Aoi', 'Akane', and 'Kirimaru'?" He murmured, "Did he tell you about this?" Sakura shook her head.
"Anyway," Hiroshi said, "I'm a bridge contractor. Here on business."
"Eh?!" Naruto piped up. "More bridges are being built?"
"That's right." Hiroshi beamed. "Another one is being erected as we speak."
"That's so cool!"
"Yes, well, with the success of the first bridge, it only makes sense to build a couple more. The cool one is really the original though. I heard Tazuna-san nearly gave his life for that one."
Hiroshi propped his arms up on the boat's rail and stared out into the endless white. A large shape began to focus before them, slowly unwinding itself from the fog.
"Awesome." Naruto gaped as the bridge loomed overhead.
"Yes," Hiroshi said in a softer voice. "They say this structure single-handedly saved hundreds from starvation. It's an incredible landmark, The O-Naruto-kyo."
Naruto jumped.
"What?!"
"Pretty amazing, huh? That one bridge could-"
"No, what did you call it?!"
"O-Naruto-kyo."
Naruto's jaw dropped. Sakura and Sasuke blinked wildly.
"Are you kidding me?"
"No, Tazuna-san named it just after it was built. I think it was dedicated to some kid who protected it during construction. Strange though, I thought he would've named it after his grandson, Inari."
Naruto looked at the wood paneling of the deck. All this time, and he never knew…
"Hiroshi-jisan!"
"Watch who you're calling 'jisan', brat!"
"Whatever. You're going to see Tazuna-jisan about the bridge, right?"
"Um… yeah."
"Take us with you!"
Sasuke and Sakura shot about a foot in the air.
"Huh?" Hiroshi scratched his head.
"Please." Naruto begged. "I want to talk to him."
"Um… okay."
Sasuke and Sakura quickly grabbed him and yanked him to the side.
"Idiot!" Sakura berated under her breath. "What-?"
"Don't worry." Naruto spoke solemnly. "I won't tell him. I'm going to thank him."
"You-!" Sasuke began.
"What would you do if you were in my place, Sasuke?" Naruto glared directly into Sasuke's fake blue eyes.
"Fine, we'll go see him."
"Woohoo." Naruto jumped for joy.
"But no funny stuff!"
"Hai, hai!"
"Are you kids okay over there?" Hiroshi called.
-
The town had gone through rapid change since the last time Team 7 had been there. The streets, once packed with beggars, were filled with tourists and venders. The stores, once so barren and dusty, were crowded and boisterous. The place was completely void of its former struggles.
Tazuna's house reflected the changes most dramatically. What was a shabby stack of floors two years ago had blossomed into an elegant manor decked in a traditional style. The buildings around it mirrored the same style, emphasizing the importance of the individual who lived there.
Hiroshi pushed an intercom button by the front door.
"Hello?" A female voice answered.
"Hey, Tsunami-san. It's Hiroshi."
"Ah, Hiroshi-san. My father's been expecting you. Come on in."
The intercom buzzed loudly and they heard the click of the door unlocking. Hiroshi craned forward and pulled the door open. If the team had thought the outside had changed, it was nothing in comparison to what now lay before them. The entrance room where Kakashi had lain, recovering from his fight with Zabuza, radiated with wealth. People ran to and fro, going in and out of doors; it was less of a house and more of a high way.
"What's with all the people?" Naruto wondered aloud as he and his friends took off their shoes and stepped onto the clean tatami flooring.
"Tazuna-san also uses this place as his office. With two new bridges being built, it shouldn't be surprising that there's this much traffic." Hiroshi led the way through the mayhem. "C'mon, our business is on the second floor."
They followed him up the once familiar flight of stairs and through a sliding paper screen door. In this room, several men sat on mats around a low table, their target at the helm.
Even though his town and his home had gone through complete spit shines, Tazuna was the same old Tazuna. He seemed out of place in the rich office, with his dusty, haggard beard and tattered clothes, but, like always, it didn't seem to bother him.
"Oi, Hiroshi!" He called jubilantly as they walked in. "Long time no see! You're just in time."
"That's the way of the hero, showing up just in time."
Tazuna cackled in his seat, wiped his teary eyes and looked back at Hiroshi.
"Eh? What's this?" The old man waved his hand at the three children.
"Oh." Hiroshi snapped back into social protocol. "Tazuna-san, this is Aoi, Akane, and Kirimaru. Kids, this is Tazuna-san, the man who built the O-Naruto-kyo." Tazuna glared at them through his shabby spectacles.
"You." He pointed at Naruto. "What was your name? Kirimaru?" Naruto nodded and shot a quick glare at Sasuke.
Tazuna propped his chin on his arm and looked at Naruto like an art critic in a museum.
"You look familiar… Have we met before?"
"Of course not." Naruto twitched slightly.
The old man stared at him for a few more moments before moving on.
"So, what do you want?"
Naruto took a deep breath.
"Why did you name it 'O-Naruto-kyo'?"
"Actually," Hiroshi began as he sat down with the others, "I was wondering the same thing."
Tazuna looked nostalgic for a moment; his eyes soften and disappeared, as though seeing something very far away.
"Okay, kid." He said to Naruto, "Sit down, I'll tell you."
The three joined the men and they all huddled in to hear better.
"The O-Naruto-kyo," Tazuna began, "is named after an idiot."
"What?!" Naruto jumped up and was quickly forced back down by his comrades.
"Yes, an idiot. One of the biggest idiots I've ever met. He was short and scrawny. Kind of like you." Tazuna laughed at Naruto who flushed, bit his lip and fiddled with his anger management.
"I hired this idiot," Tazuna continued, "and his friends, to protect me from Gatou's men during construction. At the time, my grandson, Inari, had lost all faith in people, but this idiot restored that. He brought hope back into our lives with a will that won't ever crumble. We pray that the bridge will stand for the villagers, what that boy stood for to Inari."
Tazuna looked solemnly at the table.
"Unforunately, that idiot and his friends died recently, so it's more of a memorial now. We named the other bridges after his friends in memoriam too; the newly constructed O-Sasuke-kyo, and our current project, the O-Sakura-kyo."
Naruto stared at the table, seeing and not seeing the bridge layouts strewn across it labeled O-Sakura-kyo. A small ache pulsated somewhere in his chest. He didn't need to look; he knew Sakura and Sasuke were feeling the same guilt.
He quickly jerked his head up.
"Tazuna-jisan!" He called across the table like a general addressing a sergeant.
"Hey Kid! Watch your manners!" Hiroshi scolded. Sasuke and Sakura gave him "What-the-hell?" looks.
"Yes?" Tazuna eyed Naruto through spectacles in that same curious fashion.
"Please, let us help with the bridge!"
Tazuna cocked a quizzical eyebrow.
"What?"
"We'll help you build it, or guard it, or something. There must be something we can do."
"… Why?"
Sasuke spoke up before Naruto could answer.
"Well, we just got here and we were looking for jobs. Right?" He grinned brightly across Naruto to Sakura who nodded and fake smiled back.
"I see." Although Tazuna heard Sasuke, he continued to stare straight at Naruto. Eye to eye, a war was being waged in the space between, a war of wills.
"Sure." Tazuna buckled under the ferocity that was Naruto's willpower. "You can help with the bridge."
Naruto laughed and looked around at his friends, who gave him looks that clearly said "hooray! But we're still going to kill you."
"You three can start tomorrow." Tazuna leaned to his left and pressed a button on the intercom. "Tsunami, would you come in here for a minute?"
A few moments later, the woman pulled back the screen door.
"Yes father?"
Tazuna address the three again.
"You said you just arrived here, yes? That means you probably have nowhere to stay. Tsunami, please set up the guest room for them."
Sasuke and Sakura opened their mouths to protest, but were cut off.
"I will see you three tomorrow."
Aurthor's Notes: Hmmm... can you smell that? it smells... cheesy!! Sorry, this chapter is so bland. Next chapter will have intense action... I hope... I don't think I can stand writing all this filler anymore... sighs... A few things: "Aoi" means blue, "Aka", from Akane, means red, and "Kiri", from Kirimaru, means yellow. Now you know why the chapter is called "Primary"! Ta-da! Also "O-Naruto-kyo" means The Great Naruto Bridge, for those who didn't know. (and jisan means, roughly, "old man") If you have any other issues with japanese terminology, I suggest you ask someone else before I end up rambling more. I would also like to point out that I post updates and story news on my bio, so check it out!
I would like to conclude by thanking everyone who reads this fic. hugs you all I loves ya! I do!