That night during dinner, Sasuke returned supporting Naruto who was grinning like a happy fool. Both boys looked worse for wear having trained nonstop.
"So, you're finally back!" Tazuna commented. "Looking like something the cat dragged in!"
"Heh... Both of us... We made it to the top of the tree," Naruto told us and Kakashi and I shared a happy look.
"Good!" Kakashi said. "Naruto, Sasuke, starting tomorrow you two can help Sakura protect Mr. Tazuna."
"Yes, sir!"
"For now, why don't you both eat?" I suggested motioning to the empty seats.
"Whew... well, I'm dirty, sweaty, and really worn out from all of the work on the bridge today..." Tazuna said with a grin of his own. "But construction is almost complete!" Once the boys sat down, Naruto immediately put his head on the table.
"Father, you and Naruto are two of a kind. Please don't work yourselves to death!"
"Yep," Kakashi agreed while I lightly laughed at the words. No one, except Naruto, seemed to notice the youngest boy beginning to cry/
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked him.
"WHY DO YOU WEAR YOURSELF OUT TRYING? NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRAIN, YOU'LL NEVER BE A MATCH FOR GATO'S THUGS! YOU ACT ALL COOL, AND YOU TALK ALL TOUGH BUT BIG STRONG GUYS LIKE THAT ARE ALWAYS TOO MUCH FOR PEOPLE WEAKER THAN THEY ARE. THEY'LL DESTROY YOU!" Inari shouted standing up and slamming his fists on the table.
"Shut up!" Naruto ordered. "I'm not you, and I'm not going to lose!"
"JUST WATCHING YOU TICKS ME OFF! YOU GO RUNNING YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW A THING! THIS ISN'T YOUR TOWN! AND YOU DON'T KNOW A THING ABOUT ME. YOU'RE ALWAYS CLOWNING AROUND AND HAVING FUN. YOU DON'T KNOW A THING ABOUT SUFFERING OR LONELINESS OR WHAT MY LIFE IS LIKE!" I stared down at the table. Didn't know suffering and loneliness, huh?
"So... you figure it's noble to star in a melodrama and treat everyone around you like guests at your pity party?" Naruto asked him finally looking up from the table. "It takes a really big man to sit around and cry... you brat! You big baby!" The boy just stared at Naruto while a fresh wave of tears ran down his face. No one said anything as Naruto rose from his seat and went for the door.
"Naruto! You went too far!" Sakura scolded.
"Sakura," she looked at me, her angry expression lessened. "Leave him be.
Later that night, as Sakura and I got ready for bed she finally spoke up.
"Sage..." I looked up at her.
"What is it?"
"What Inari said about Naruto..."
"I can't tell you how, but Naruto know what suffering and loneliness better than anyone I know," I told her.
"Why?" she asked me and I smiled softly.
"Because he had no one." Something seemed to flash through her mind and she looked down. "He had no family to take care of him when he was growing up, no one to praise him when he became a ninja. While Mizukii and Nicolas don't have their father in their life, they still have us and mom. They'll never have to be alone in the world."
"Who is their father?" she asked me and I just sighed.
"You know I won't tell you, Sakura. Why do you keep asking me?" I asked her.
"Why won't you tell anyone?" she countered. "How can it be so dangerous for me to know?"
"I'm not talking about this with you, Sakura!" I told her sternly. "If I don't want to tell you, you shouldn't push me to do so. You need to learn when not to ask questions." With that said, I crawled into bed and attempted to sleep for the day tomorrow.
The next morning, everyone except Naruto was ready to go to the bridge to protect Tazuna.
"Well! Please take care of Naruto," Kakashi asked Tsunami. "He's worn himself out. I doubt he'll be able to move for the rest of the day."
"We're off, Tsunami," Tazuna told her and we followed him away from his daughter.
"Bye."
"WH-WHAT THE HELL...?" Tazuna yelled when we arrived at the bridge and saw his men dead at the end of the bridge. "WHAT HAPPENED?" Tazuna asked running to one of his men. "WHAT... COULD HAVE...?!" The man he lifted up slightly was still clinging to life and I moved to his side to see if I could help him.
"M-monsters..." I shared a look with Kakashi before the mist grew thicker.
"They're coming!" The four of us surrounded Tazuna and prepared for Zabuza and his partner's attack.
"Master Kakashi is this...? That man we met... his "Hiding in the Mist Technique... isn't it?" Tazuna asked us. I noticed Sasuke shaking again next to me.
"Been a while, Kakashi, Sage..." we heard from the mist. "And I see you've got those brats tagging along, just like last time. And the little boy is trembling again, poor thing..." Clones of Zabuza surrounded us and I saw Sasuke smirk at the clones.
"I'm shaking with eagerness for a rematch!"
"Go ahead, Sasuke." Sasuke used his speed to quickly take out the clones around us and they all splattered and turned back into the water they came from.
"Well! My water doppelgangers were obviously no match for you!" I turned to see Zabuza and the masked nin to my left. "It seems that brats have matured quite a bit into worthy rivals... eh, Haku?"
"Indeed!" I glared at the pair in front of Sasuke and prepared for a fight.