(How's it going, guys? Hope you're ready for the next installment)

The next morning at Tazuna's, Sakura came down yawning, "Good morning," she looked around seeing everyone but Naruto seated at the table, "Naruto's not here?"

"He got up early and went out to train." Kakashi answered.

"Jeez I could never wake up that early on my own time." Sakura said in surprise.

"That's not surprising," Sasuke noted making Sakura drop her head in shame, "I'm going out."

"But we just started..." Sakura noticed Sasuke's plate was clean, "That was fast."

Out in the forest, Haku was out of his fake tracker outfit and in a regular robe. He was walking around picking herbs and such before he looked to a tree and spotted Naruto laying with his back against the trunk.

"It's him," he said to himself in surprise, before scoping the area, 'I don't sense any of those metal creatures around us.' Haku decided to get closer and knelt down at Naruto. He reached out looking ready to go for his neck before grabbing his shoulder and shaking it.

"You're gonna catch a cold if you sleep here. Wake up!"

Naruto groaned before waking up, "Oh, man. Must've dozed off longer than I planned," he looked at Haku curiously, "Who're you?"

"My name's Haku. And yours?"

"Naruto Uzumaki." he answered, before getting up.

"A pleasure."

"So what's a guy like you doing out here this early?" Naruto inquired.

Haku couldn't help but chuckle, much to Naruto's confusion, "Sorry, it's just so many mistake me for a girl. I'm sure you can imagine."

"Yeah. You should look into getting a haircut."

"I'll keep that in mind," Haku smiled, "So what're you doing out here?"

"I asked you first." Naruto reminded him.

"Good point. I'm out picking herbs for medicines."

"Are you a doctor?"

"Sort of. I mean I learned a few things."

"May I help you? I got the time." Naruto said.

"I would like that." Haku admitted.

So the two began picking herbs from the forest grounds, before Haku asked, "So are you going to tell me what you're doing out here?"

"I was in the middle of ninja training." Naruto answered, as he picked some herbs.

"I see. And that headband your wearing is from your village?" Haku inquired.

"That's right. I wear this headband with pride and fight for the honor of my village and all those who live in it."

"Oh. So is there someone in your village that's special to you?"

"Sure is. I got lots of people who're special to me." Naruto explained, as he thought of Hinata, Hanabi, Hiruzen, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Iruka, the maximals, and predacons to name a few.

"That's good to know. They say if you have someone important to fight for that can drive you into getting stronger." Haku explained.

Naruto hearing this felt moved by Haku's words, "Yeah. They are what pushes me to get stronger."

Haku looked in his basket, "I have enough herbs now. Thank you very much."

"No problem. You be careful."

"You too." Haku said before taking his leave.

Naruto watched smiling, "What a nice guy."

As the day moved on, Sakura continued to supervise Tazuna with Kakashi, as Sasuke continued practicing tree walking, while Naruto continued his own training with the transformers.

When nighttime came, Naruto and Sasuke entered the home, "I made it." Sasuke told them.

"You did?!" Sakura asked with joy.

"I can confirm that as a witness." Naruto admitted, as Optimus and Megatron entered.

"As can we." Optimus said.

"Even I was impressed." Megatron admitted.

"Well, congratulations, Sasuke." Kakashi commended him, "And how about you, Naruto?"

"Got a good workout in. Not a problem." Naruto answered, as Inari shot him a nasty look.

As everyone sat down for dinner with the Maximal and Predacon leaders off to the side, Kakashi spoke to his squad, "Starting tomorrow we'll all take guard and surprise the bridge's construction."

"Yes!" Naruto said with excitement, as Sasuke and Sakura looked equally pleased.

"The bridge is nearly complete, so with no distractions it should be finished by tomorrow," Tazuna explained, "Once again I can't express enough gratitude for all you've done."

"If we turned our backs we'd be no different than anyone associated with Gato." Kakashi explained.

"And that's now what we're about." Naruto put in.

Inari flinched which didn't go unnoticed especially to Naruto, "But why?" he muttered grabbing everyone's attention. He stood up and slammed his hands on the table startling them, "Why do this at all?!"

"Inari!" Tsunami gasped.

"All this stupid training doesn't make a difference! You're just butting into our business!" Inari started to vent, "Gato's got a whole army that'll beat you all to the ground! No matter how you look at it the strong always win and the weak always die!"

Megatron frowned at Inari's smart mouth, but Naruto spoke up, "Speak for yourself, kid. Because I ain't weak. And a whole army? They're just common thugs compared to my transformer buds."

"Just shut up!" Inari snapped surprising Tsunami and Tazuna, "Just looking at you makes me sick! You have no business coming here at all! Everyone here's suffered so much pain since Gato arrived. Treating everyone like dirt, while you just goof off!"

"Inari, you're stepping way out of line!" Tsunami scolded her boy, but the kid just ignored her.

"An idiot like you could never understand what anyone here has gone through!" Inari dropped a bomb he shouldn't have on Naruto, who finally had enough and shouted back.

"SILENCE!" he shouted, forcing Inari to back up while everyone looked to Naruto in shock, "I will brook no lip! Not from anyone! Not for any reason!" Megatron smirked, as Optimus was worried, "And if there's one thing I can't stand to look at is someone like you! Someone who just whines and cries like a sad sorry little victim! At least me and my team are doing something and making a contribution! And even I did die, which won't happen. I'd rather die with honor than be a cowardly crybaby who doesn't do a thing but dishonor his old man like you!"

As bad as Inari was feeling with his own self pity party, hearing what Naruto said only made him feel worse. Sakura turned to Naruto with a frown and spoke, "Naruto, you went too far!"

Naruto turned to Sakura and retorted, "Ah shaddap, Sakura!" Sakura's eyes widened in shock, "You're the last person I ever want to hear that from! Because next to this kid, you're the one that doesn't know what it's like to suffer or anything. And as long as you're riding everyone's coattail, you never will!" he stood up and spoke to the two transformer leaders, "Optmus! Megatron! We're going out!" he huffed before turning away and left.

"Naruto-" Sakura tried to stop him, only for Kakashi to grab her by the shoulder.

"Sakura! You said enough." he said sternly.

"Sensei." Sakura gasped at her sensei's tone. Optimus and Megatron got up and followed Naruto. As Megatron walked behind Sakura, he whacked her in the back of her head with his T-Rex head claw, "Ow! Hey!" before she could continue, Megatron aimed his T-Rex head claw at her looking eager to finish what Naruto started, until Optimus put a hand to his shoulder.

"Megatron! Let's go." the Maximal leader told him.

Megatron looked back at Optimus and then to Sakura before lowered his T-Rex head claw, before frowning at her. He turned and was prepared to leave, only for him to give Inari a stare before grunting at him and walked out the door.

"I'm terribly sorry here." Optimus apologized to Tazuna and Tsunami before catching up to Naruto and Megatron.

When they left, Sasuke spoke to Sakura sounding just as displeased as Naruto, "Well, Sakura, once again you made an idiot of yourself."

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"Naruto's right. It's better to die with honor than do nothing if that's meant to happen. And you really don't understand pain and suffering like those who have experienced it. And you truly won't if you keep playing backseat. Honestly, why're you even on this team?" he got up and turned to Inari, "And you. My teammate's right. You have no idea how lucky you are to have what you have. And trust me, whatever pain you've suffered, guarantee there are those who suffered worst than you did. Thank you for the meal, but I need to go too." he left the room.

Inari who looked ready to cry looked to Tsunami, "Mom?" he hoped to get some sympathy, but the woman looked down at him both disappointed and saddened.

"You? I'll talk to you later." she said sternly, much to Inari's shock.

As Tsunami walked out of the room leaving Kakashi and Tazuna with her son, Inari just started to whimper feeling as if everyone was suddenly ganging up on him. Kakashi looked to Inari, and decided he needed to know the truth.

Afterward, Inari left to sit out on the deck of his house to look out at the water. He heard footsteps and looked seeing Kakashi.

"I know your mom said she'd talk to you later, but I told her I'd do it," he began before sitting at Inari's side, "Naruto can be very harsh sometimes when someone gets personal with him, but he doesn't hate you if that's what you're thinking. This may come as a surprise to you, but when Naruto was your age if not even younger he didn't know any of his parents. And for a long time he didn't have a single friend in our village."

"Huh?" Inari asked in confusion.

"That all changed when he met the maximals and predacons, but he still never forgot the way he used to feel alone even after all this time. Trust me on this, of all the people here. Naruto knows what you're going through the most."

Inari processing this started feeling a bit guilty for mouthing off at Naruto who really didn't know him as well as he thought he did by appearances and attitude alone. Watching from the door was Sakura who overheard Kakashi, and started thinking back to her behavior awhile ago.

Meanwhile out in the forest, Naruto was fighting the combined powers of both Optimus and Megatron who weren't holding back. Naruto summoned five clones that took off fighting the two transformers along side him.

Megatron and Optimus managed to defeat the clones while shielding themselves from Naruto's barrage of Taijutsu attacks, before backing off and panted.

"Better now?" Megatron asked.

"Much better, yeah." Naruto admitted while panting.

"You really were letting off a lot of steam, Naruto." Optimus noted.

"Can you blame me?" Naruto asked rhetorically.

"Certainly not," Megatron answered, "The boy had it coming after all, as did your teammate."

"While I understand you were trying to get a point across, I'm not entirely supportive of how you went about it." Optimus told Naruto disapprovingly.

Naruto looked slightly guilty, until Megatron spoke up, "Oh, don't be such a boy scout, Primal. Sometimes to get a point across to the most stubborn of people, it pays to be mean."

"I just hope he reflects on it, and not just get more depressed." Naruto hoped.

"I think it's best we finish this in the morning." Optimus suggested. Naruto nodded, as the three headed back.

As they were reaching Tazuna's place, Naruto spoke, "I really needed that work out guys. Really helped calm my nerves."

"Naruto!" came a voice as they saw Sakura up ahead.

Naruto scowled and spoke dryly, "And the crisis resumes."

"I"m glad you're back, listen I have to tell you something." Sakura began, only for Naruto to walk right past her.

"I have nothing to say to you, Sakura." he said.

"Naruto, I really need to talk to you." Sakura tried to go after him only for Megatron to strike the ground in front of her with his tail arm making her back off in fright.

"Haven't you given him enough grief for once in your life?" Megatron asked rhetorically.

"I was only looking to apologize for what I said earlier." Sakura tried to reason.

Naruto looked back, as Megatorn responded to her, "A likely story."

"Easy, Megatron," Optimus calmed the predacon boss who decided to back off. Optimus looked to Naruto and spoke, "Naruto, you have every right to feel miffed at Sakura for butting into your business, but I would implore you to at least hear her out." Sakura looked at Primal surprised, as Optimus winked at her.

Naruto looked between Optimus and Sakura before sighing, "What is it?"

"I want to apologize for what I said to you. And you're right. I don't know what it's like to suffer the same way you did when we were children. Any grief I ever received was for more petty stuff. You were trying to teach Inari an important fact about what we do and life not always being fair. And I just wrote you off as the bad guy without even thinking about what you were really trying to teach him. I know I can't undo what I said, but I promise you I will never be so close minded about you and your way again."

Naruto looked at Sakura seeing she sounded sincere and honest, before answering, "Do that and maybe you'll change my mind about you riding everyone's coattail." he headed for the house with Megatron and Optimus following him. Sakura sighed in relief, as Inari watched from his bedroom window seeing him return and wondered how to talk to him next time.

As Naruto went to the guest room, his communicator beeped. He clicked on it as a holoscreen appeared allowing him to see an area in the woods, "Terrorsaur? What's your progress?"

"Waspinator, Airazor, and I have finally found Gato's dwelling." the predacon answered, as he and the other two flying transformers were flying above his compound which Naruto was able to see through the screen through Terrorsaur's POV.

"So that's where the rat's been hiding." Naruto said.

"We've run a scan of the place. Several signatures are inside," Airazor said, "Including Zabuza's."

"Perfect," Naruto said, until he saw on the screen a figure wearing a familiar outfit, "That's the fake hunter ninja. Zoom in."

Naruto watched as Terrorsaur's vision zoomed in giving Naruto a clearer shot to see the impostor's face. When he saw it was Haku he was in shock, "Haku?"

"Naruto knows him?" Waspinator buzzed from the other side.

Naruto squinted, "So he was collecting herbs for Zabuza. And I helped him."

As Haku entered, Terrorsaur spoke, "He's inside. What're your orders?"

Naruto was silent for a moment before answering, "Blow the place to bits."

The three flying transformers looked to each other, until Terrorsaur spoke, "You heard him. Let's get to work." they flew around the compound.

"Bomb's away!" Waspinator buzzed, as the three started dropping bombs down on the compound that detonated causing the whole place to cave in burying anybody inside.

Naruto looked at the destroyed compound seeing nothing but rubble and debris, "That takes care of Gato, along with Zabuza and his partner. You did good you three. Come on back." he deactivated the screen.

Optimus and Megatron walked in and heard Naruto, "So they found it?" Optimus asked.

"They did." Naruto confirmed.

"And?" Megatron asked.

"Gato and his goons won't be giving Wave trouble anymore."

"Well, at least Tazuna can work in peace now." Optimus said.

"Agreed," Naruto said with a yawn, "Well, goodnight, you guys." he turned in for the night, as the two teleported back to HQ.

At the remains of Gato's compound everything was quiet with nothing around. Then out from the rubble popped Zabuza's arm with his fist clenched.

(And that's all for now. Naruto thought he got rid of Wave's problem, but it looks like someone survived the bombing of Gato's lair. Don't miss next time, guys.)