Hirohito drank his soup in silence. The wound on his back stung, and he struggled to hold in the tears building in his eyes. They sat around the table in Tazuna's house, eating the dinner his daughter, Tsunami, had cooked. It didn't feel real. In his mind, he was still at the river, watching Zabuza fight his sensei. The soup bowl blurred, and he felt the tears, cold as steel, sliding down his cheeks and into his soup. He felt vaguely remorseful for ruining it, but then he once again felt the pain of Zabuza's sword slicing through his flesh, and the tears and the soup and the notion of being better all seemed irrelevant. All that mattered was one thing: if they encountered Zabuza again, they would all die.
"You're all just gonna die, anyway!" A sharp, young voice cut through the silence, and Hirohito looked up. The boy was standing on a chair, his lips and hands quivering, but his eyes hard. "You should just leave!" Hirohito hung his head again. Even the kid realized how worthless he was. He took another bite of the cooling soup, and stayed as silent as possible, telling himself that they'd leave in the morning. It would all be fine. He'd never have to see Zabuza again.
"You really want us to abandon you?" Sakura asked, standing and slamming her hands on the table. Hirohito flinched. "I'm scared. Of course I am. This is my first time out of my home village, and we fought a jonin-level ninja. I know I'm not strong enough to fight, so I run away. I tell myself it's not worth it, that I'll never improve, so I never train. I always run from the things that scare me. Do you know how much I want to run right now?" Sakura was crying, her hands fisted and shaking, and she was angrier than Hirohito had ever seen her.
"So go!" the kid shouted, "There's nothing you can do, anyway."
"No way! How dare you tell us to run! We're shinobi, you ungrateful brat, and no matter how scared we are, it's our job to protect the innocent. I won't leave." Hirohito stared at Sakura, stunned. A few seconds passed before she flushed entirely red and she sat back down in her chair, hiding her face in her arms. Sasuke scoffed, the first noise he's made since dinner began, and got up to exit the room. Hirohito joined Sakura in slumping on the table, knowing that there was no way they could leave now. They were definitely screwed.
Naruto leaned on the handrail of the small boat, staring absently at the setting sun. It was orange and dull, and the rough waters distorted it's reflection, leaving only scattered traces of orange light on the waves. They had changed their destination from the ruins of Uzushiogakure to the capital of the war-torn Mizu no Kuni, and now they sailed directly away from the sun. Naruto had never believed in fate or in omens, but this departure felt ominous. He heard Jiraiya's footsteps climbing the stairs from the hull, but kept his gaze on the sea. He didn't want to face his sensei right now. He didn't want to hear the truth, not yet. He wanted to let the biting ocean breeze steal away all his fears, and live in ignorance for just a little longer. Because he knew that once his fears were confirmed, he'd never be able to go back.
"Gaki." Jiraiya leaned on the railing next to him. Naruto sighed, knowing he shouldn't have expected his sensei to leave him alone.
"What do you want?" Naruto asked, turning his head to look at Jiraiya.
"The mission I have been given is very dangerous, Naruto. I need you to understand that if you come with me, you may never come back," Jiraiya said, his serious tone strangely unreadable.
"I don't have all that much to go back to,"
"Naruto, I'm being serious."
"So am I. I chose the life of a shinobi for myself, fully aware of what the consequences could be. It would be worse to return to the village alone." Naruto turned back to the water, ending the conversation. Jiraiya huffed unhappily, but made his way back to down the stairs to his cabin. Naruto stayed on the deck late into the night, watching the moon rise and fall.
Mizu no Kuni was a country shrouded in fog. The ground squished unpleasantly underfoot, and the damp air made it uncomfortable to breathe. The capital towered above the marshy landscape, a metal fortress taller than any building in Konoha. The city was built entirely of steel, and the windows were small and thick to keep out the humidity. The uninviting aura the city held added to Naruto's unease.
"Sensei… what exactly are we doing here? Shinobi aren't supposed to mess with the affairs of other nations."
"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Naruto." Jiraiya was crouched beside Naruto in the bushes, observing the meager flow of people in and out of the city gates.
"So?"
"So we're infiltrating the capital of Mizu no Kuni," Jiraiya stated with his usual flair, grinning at Naruto.
A/N: So here is the second part of chapter 5! There will probably be one more part before the next chapter. I think I'll stick to this system because I will feel less pressure to create full chapters, and will hopefully be able to post more often. My life is very busy right now, but I haven't abandoned my stories, so I will try to post whenever I can. I hope you are all still enjoying Sage's Apprentice, and remember to leave a review to encourage me to keep writing!
Oh, in case you were curious I did not win the WEBTOON contest I entered. It's unfortunate, but it was a good experience. If you want to draw comics, you should enter it next year as well. It's free to participate, and it's a wonderful learning experience.
– Ayame