Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.
Chapter 10 - Illusion
In a forest clearing near the home of Tazuna the bridge builder. Kakashi and his team were near three tall trees that stood close to each other. The day was clear, and the temperature was rising.
"We will now begin the training," Kakashi said, using his crutches for support.
"Finally!" Naruto said, he couldn't wait for proper training.
"But before that, let me once again talk about chakra the base for the ability as a ninja," Kakashi said.
"At a time like this?" Sasuke asked with closed eyes.
"Sensei, we already know what chakra is," Naruto pointed out.
"Like Naruto said, and we already know how to use techniques," Sasuke added.
"No. you guys aren't able to use your chakra completely," Kakashi replied.
"Excuse me?" Naruto asked with non-believing eyes.
"Just listen up. Moulding chakra means to extract energies from both the body and the spirit, then mixing them up together in your body. And the amount of each energy will differ from the type of technique you wish to execute. In other words, the mixing or ratio will be different. You are not able to use your chakra effectively. Even if you are able to mould a large amount of chakra, if you cannot control the balance, your technique will only be half as effective or not executed at all. Wasting energy will create a weakness of not being able to last in a fight for a long time," Kakashi explained to his team.
The three all stared at him, "So? What should we do?" Naruto asked.
"You're going to learn how to control it. With your body. You must go through rigorous training where you put your life on the line," Kakashi said seriously.
The three Genin stared intently at Kakashi. "What are we going to do?" Sakura asked.
Kakashi closed his eye. "Hm," he looked up to the sky and tapped his chin, "Climb a tree," he said.
"Climb a tree!?" Sakura asked loudly.
'Seriously?' Naruto thought, it was a silly build up to the exercise.
"That's right. But it's not ordinary tree climbing. You're going to climb without the use of your hands," Kakashi told them.
Sakura had a dim look on her face, "How do we do that?" she asked.
"Just watch," Kakashi said as he formed the Ram hand seal and flowed chakra to the bottom of his feet. He then hobbled to the nearest tree and started to walk up it, climbing it vertically.
"He's climbing the tree vertically with just his legs," Sakura said shocked of what she saw in front of her.
Kakashi was now hanging upside down on a thick branch, "This is how. Gather chakra at the bottom of your feet and make it attach to the tree trunk. Something like this is possible if you use chakra," Kakashi said.
"Wait a minute. How can we become strong by doing this?" Sakura asked.
"Now we get to the main topic. The main purpose of this exercise is to accumulate the right amount of chakra to the right location. The amount of chakra for this tree climbing exercise is quite subtle. And the most difficult place to concentrate chakra is behind the feet. In other words, if you are able to master this technique, you can learn any kind of jutsu. In theory that is. The second purpose of this exercise is to maintain your moulded chakra.
Most of the time, ninja mold their chakra during battle. In that situation, it is even more difficult to maintain that chakra. But… it's not like anything is going to happen even if I give this lecture. I need all of you to learn it with your bodies," Kakashi explained as he threw three kunai in front of each Genin.
"Use those kunai to mark where you were able to climb up to with your current ability. Then try to make a new mark above that mark. You guys aren't good enough to climb by walking, so run to give yourself a boost, and get used to it. Got it?" Kakashi asked.
All three nodded, Kakashi noticed that Naruto had a huge smile on his face and giggled.
'Why is he so giddy?' Kakashi wondered. He then watched all three Genin form the Ram hand seal, they moulded their chakra and flowed it to their feet.
Sasuke and Sakura ran on ahead and climbed their respective trees, Sasuke climbed up a third of his tree, ten feet high and his left foot broke the bark off and he flew back. He flipped and landed gracefully. Sasuke was determined to try again but succeed this time.
"This is easier that I thought!" Sakura said. All three boys looked up and saw Sakura sitting on a branch with a happy grin, looking down on her teammates.
"Oh? It looks like the best one who is best at controlling their chakra is Sakura. The girl!" Kakashi said with an eye-smile. He looked down and saw Naruto was staring at his kunai. "Naruto, why haven't you tried yet?" he asked.
Everyone looked at Naruto. Naruto dropped his kunai, it dug into the ground. Walking to the tree where Kakashi was, Naruto climbed it up slowly and calmly and went to the branch where Kakashi was. There he went underneath and stood upside down beside his sensei, in perfect control. "Oh no! I was wrong. The best one controlling their chakra is Naruto. The Boy!" Kakashi said with shock.
The other two weren't doing much better. Sakura was wide-eyed. Sasuke was gritting his teeth and looked at Naruto, 'How many times is it now that Naruto has surprised me! I can't believe I have been fooled by him for so long, he's clearly better than what he showed when we were in the Academy,' he thought with some annoyance.
Sasuke clicked his tongue and looked away from the two, 'I wanted Sasuke-kun to compliment me. Why does it always turn out like this?' Sakura thought sadly.
"Sakura, your chakra control is splendid. And Naruto, for your large chakra reserves, I didn't know you had such great control either. Maybe the Uchiha clan isn't as great as I thought," Kakashi teased.
Sakura pointed her finger at Kakashi. "Shut up Sensei!" she shouted angrily.
Kakashi looked at Sasuke, 'Sasuke has an incredible amount of chakra hidden in him that Sakura can't even match. If this training goes well for him, it will become a treasure for him,' he thought.
Kakashi turned his head and leaned into Naruto's ear. "When did you learn that? Kotaro taught you already, didn't he?" he asked quietly.
Naruto nodded and leaned over to Kakashi. "Years ago. I can water walk Sensei. I thought he would've told you this," Naruto told him.
Kakashi started to go back through his memories and then it hit him, 'He did tell me! After the bell test! How can I forget about that detail? First Zabuza and now this. I've been so off lately… Ah whatever, at least the other two needed it,' he thought as he and Naruto walked off the tree.
Forest Clearing
Hours have passed since Team Seven started their chakra control exercise of tree climbing. Sasuke was the only one who had yet to climb to the top. It didn't help that he wasn't making it easy for himself. From the very beginning, he had picked the tallest tree he could see and stuck with it. Sasuke believed the harder the challange, the better the reward.
"Oi Sasuke," Naruto cried out. Naruto was traversing back to the forest clearing where Team Seven did their training. The forest was shaded and damp yet still bright at the treetops from the warm sun. Naruto hoped over a white slug that was in his path, then he lightly jogged to Sasuke.
A bird cry was heard. Naruto looked up and saw a pair of eagles swirling in a circle, high in the sky. One large and the other small. Was it a message for the future?
Sasuke who was panting hard, sitting on the ground with kunai in hand, the kunai had resin soaked edges from the long and intense training. "What do you want, Naruto?" he asked, not even looking at his teammate.
Naruto grew a tic mark, but he let it pass. "I have to mind Tazuna-ossan soon after Sakura. I wanted to see how you were doing," Naruto answered as he moved close to Sasuke.
"Hn," Sasuke grunted as he stood back up and ran up the tree, reaching just over halfway. He marked the bark and flipped and landed on his feet. "Damnit!" he growled in frustration.
Sasuke punched the nearby tree with his anger within the fist. The bark split and some blood flowed from Sasuke's left hand. Small cuts were made in his small fit of anger.
Naruto looked at the tree. "You made some good progress," he said with a genuine smile. "It's impressive."
"Shut up! I still haven't reached the top yet," Sasuke gritted out, sweat beading down his face.
"Makes sense," Naruto replied, still looking at the sheer amount of slashes that Sasuke made on the tree.
"How does it make sense? Are you calling me worthless!?" Sasuke asked with anger as he stood up again.
Naruto just looked at Sasuke, then he looked up in the sky, it was nearly late afternoon. "No. You are far from worthless ttebayo. It makes sense as you have more chakra than Sakura, much more. So, it's harder for you to control it, and I have done this before you guys. So, like I said it makes sense," he said as he walked back to Sasuke.
Sasuke calmed down after he heard those words. "So then, any tips?" Sasuke asked, with a flushed face turned away from Naruto.
Naruto stifled a laugh and patted Sasuke's shoulder. "Fine. The one thing that will help you most is to keep your mind absolutely clear. The only goal you should have is to climb this tree nothing else.
And, it looks like you're using too much chakra. I had the same problem as I nearly once destroyed a small tree. Just try to relax and it'll come to you," Naruto said to Sasuke.
Sasuke looked at Naruto with wide-eyes, he didn't realise that his mind and body was fogged up with his frustration. "Eh, Thanks Naruto," Sasuke stuttered, he wasn't used to this closeness.
Naruto saw that Sasuke was struggling to say his thanks, "I was wrong about you," Naruto said, making Sasuke look at him again. "I thought you were some ass-wipe that only cared for himself. Only wanted and to never give back, I thought you were selfish in every way," Naruto said as he started to walk away slowly. "I'm glad I'm wrong, cause now I have a friend in you."
"Friend!?" Sasuke gasped, he couldn't believe his ears. He thought Naruto hated him. "Are you serious?"
Naruto stopped in his tracks, "Yes, you are my friend, and I am your friend whether you like it or not. And hopefully in the future we can get to know each other inside and out. That is something that I really want now," Naruto said before dashing off.
Sasuke was gob-smacked. His body was shaking slightly before stopping, being completely still. Sasuke exhaled and inhaled, a small smile formed on his lips and he turned around to face the tree. "Friend huh? Yeah… We're friends," he says under his breath, the smile never fading, and resumed his training.
Naruto jumped to the trees and hopped through the forest and raced to the bridge. As he passed through the town, he saw all the poor children in dirty rags, looking thin, malnourished.
Naruto continued and made it to the bridge. He saw Sakura in the distance, 'I'll give her a good scare,' Naruto thought with an evil smile. He looked and saw she was sitting on the edge of the bridge, beside the rails, watching the workers.
Naruto chuckled as he started to walk on the side of the bridge, closing down on Sakura. Once Naruto was behind Sakura beyond the rails, he was about to do the deed until he heard a familiar voice. "You look bored by yourself. Where's the blond kid and the arrogant guy?" Tazuna asked.
Naruto stayed still and eavesdropped, "I don't know about Naruto but Sasuke-kun is still training," Sakura said.
"What about you?" Tazuna asked.
Sakura smiled and spread out her arms. "I'm so smart, Kakashi-sensei told me to guard you," she said with a smirk.
"Really?" Tazuna asked nonchalantly.
"Why you!" Sakura said with clenched teeth.
"HA! Tazuna-ossan, you crack me up!" Naruto chuckled out beside Sakura, already climbing the rail and masking his presence.
Sakura squeaked in fright and Tazuna was far enough to see it happen "Naruto!" Sakura said with a raised fist. She stopped as another man approached Tazuna.
"May I have a word, Tazuna?" the man asked.
"What is it? Giichi?" Tazuna asked.
From the distance, Naruto and Sakura watched the two man talk. Giichi, the worker was scared for his life. The way he talked, the way his eyes moved, shifting in all directions. Fear had taken over his body. Scared that Gatō will come and snatch his family away from him. Or worse, kill them.
Tazuna walked away with a huff. "Go home Giichi. You aren't needed anymore. Go home to your wife and kids," he said, his head shaking as he moved away from the frightened man.
Giichi had a broken expression, he then slumped his shoulders and went his way back to the Main Town.
Naruto and Sakura watched the scene with saddened expressions. "I'll take my shift now. You can do whatever Sakura," Naruto told her.
Sakura stood up with a happy face, "Right! Bye!" she said as she hurried down the bridge.
"Pssh, shes most likely going to stalk, then talk, then annoy Sasuke. Sometimes I feel sorry for him… sometimes hehe. Now, let's guard Tazuna-ossan," Naruto said, making a cross hand seal and making five shadow clones.
"I'll keep watch of Tazuna while you guys spread out and keep guard across the bridge. Eyes peeled dattebayo!" the original Naruto ordered. All the clones nodded with quick response and moving out.
The clones and the original kept their eyes on every nook and cranny, seeing if one of Gatō's goons will do anything dirty to Tazuna or the bridge workers.
The day was passing, and it was already evening, "Oi, brat. Time's up. Let's go home," Tazuna said to the Naruto closet to him. It puffed away and the original body-flickered beside Tazuna, scaring him. "You're going to give me a heart attack brat!" he shouted at Naruto.
Naruto got into a thoughtful pose with his hand under his chin. "Scaring someone to give them a heart attack to kill them eh… Not a bad idea Tazuna-ossan," he replied with a cheeky grin.
Tazuna just grumbled and turned to walk back home. "We have to pick up some ingredients for Tsunami. Come on," he said as he kept walking.
Naruto quickly caught up with him and walked on his right, a little bit in front of Tazuna. They entered the Main Town and walked through the streets. Both see men and women looking gaunt and some having signs with "I'll do anything for money" or "I will do any job" written on them.
"Thief!" was screamed out and Naruto and Tazuna watched a young boy with a small loaf of bread run into an alleyway. Naruto looked left and right and saw some of the same skinny children he saw before. His heart was sore from the images, they remind him too much of his past.
"This is it!" Tazuna said as he leads Naruto to a produce store. They went inside, after the dull greeting from the shopkeeper, Naruto looked at the shelves. Most were empty, only a few vegetables were in some.
A man entered the store wearing a long coat and a cap. He saw Naruto's packed pouches. Grinning he reached his hand out to the largest one. "I wouldn't if I were you," Naruto said, making the man freeze up.
"Even though I'm young, I can kill you in a hundred different ways. Each in less than a second. So, take this piece of advice," Naruto said calmly. "Get out."
The man ignored the advice and tried to grab the pouch anyway. Naruto instantly put him on the ground and arm-barred him, putting pressure on his joint, "Now will you believe me!" he shouted. Naruto then let's go, the man with terrified eyes ran away, holding his arm in pain.
Naruto turned around and dusted himself off, looking at Tazuna and the shopkeeper, both had wide-eyes. Naruto shrugged his shoulders. Tazuna proceeded to buy the ingredients and both left the store. They were strolling through the streets once more. "I was really surprised back there," Tazuna said, trying to break the awkwardness.
"I can't blame him. I used to be just like him," Naruto said grimly, getting a reaction from Tazuna.
Tazuna was going to ask what Naruto meant, but a young girl in dirty clothing grabbed Naruto's fingers. Naruto turned around to see the innocent face. "Give me," she said with her hands out to Naruto.
Naruto's face softened and he knelt down to her level, "Give you what?" he said with a small smile.
The girl blushed and mumbled, "Food please…" she said sadly.
Naruto sighed but still smiled at her. "Do you have friends that are also hungry?" he asked.
She wrapped her hands together and started to swerve slightly. "Yes…" she said softly.
"Bring me to them. Tazuna-ossan, we're taking a detour," Naruto said with authority in his voice. Tazuna had no objections and followed the young girl with Naruto. The girl lead then down two streets and then a town neighbourhood, were there were many children. Many looked up as soon they saw Naruto with the girl. "Wow, there are so many…" Naruto said in a whisper.
Naruto walked to the wall where there was a wooden box. He took out a scroll from his emergency pouch. 'This is filled with Kotaro-Nii's nutrient bars. They obviously need it way more than I do!' he thought as he flowed chakra on one of the seals on the scroll.
A puff of smoke came twenty-four bars appeared, four stacks of six. They were all wrapped in kitchen film. Naruto walked around the children and gave one each. The children were shocked to see food but quickly opened up the wrapper and ate the bars. Naruto gave them seconds, having much more in that sealing scroll.
All twenty-four were gone, eaten by the fifteen children who were only skin and bones. The young girl that lead Naruto to them was ecstatic and had tears forming under her eyes, "What's your name Nii-san?" she asked with happy eyes.
Naruto softly smiled, all the other children gathered around him to hear his name, "Naruto… Uzumaki Naruto," he said softly but loud enough to hear.
Afterwards, they asked questions on Naruto's life and all about him. They were jumping on their feet once they learnt he was a super-cool elite ninja. Half an hour went by and Naruto said his departures to the children, but not before receiving hugs from all of them at once. Tazuna was watching closely, his heart was lifted by the scene.
"You're a good kid with a truly kind soul," Tazuna said as he and Naruto were walking slowly from the town.
Naruto sighed, "I used to be like them. I… never want to see that kind of suffering again," Naruto said.
"Why is that? I thought Konoha was a big and rich village," Tazuna asked, curious about the blond.
Naruto kept silent until they went over a small bridge, "I had no family. Everyone hated me, ignored me and I was hungry all the time. That is all you need to know," Naruto said as he and Tazuna walked at a much slower pace.
"What happened to make it all better?" Tazuna asked.
Naruto kept silent once again until they reached the front door of Tazuna's house, "My hero came and saved me. Changing my life forever and for the better," Naruto said with such love and passion it made the old man smile.
Tazuna opened the door to see Kakashi sitting by the table and his daughter in the kitchen. "We're home," he said.
"Tou-san, you're back. But why are you two so late?" Tsunami asked with a hand on her hip.
"Sorry, Tsunami-san. I had to do something and Tazuna stayed with me," Naruto said politely and apologetically.
Tsunami waved her hands in front of her and had a kind smile, "No, don't worry Naruto-kun. I was just slightly worried that's all," she said as Tazuna gave her the bag of ingredients and took out some sake from the shelf. Tazuna moved to sit at the head of the table, beside Kakashi.
"Ah… okay. I'm going to take a nap," Naruto said as he moved and climbed up the stairs, leaving Tazuna, Tsunami and Kakashi alone.
Kakashi kept a critical eye on Naruto. "What happened?" he asked sternly to Tazuna.
Tazuna was taken back by the force behind it, "Excuse me?" was all he could stutter before having any sip of his drink.
Kakashi laid his eye on the bridge builder, "Tell me why Naruto is depressed right now?" Kakashi asked again, gaining the attention of Tsunami.
Tazuna gulped slightly, "He told me a bit of his life…" Tazuna answered.
Kakashi turned his full body to Tazuna, despite the fatigue and pain. "Tell me everything!" Kakashi ordered.
Tsunami stopped what she was doing and sat across Kakashi, wondering why this was so important. Tazuna gulped again, "We were walking through town, and the brat saw all the effects of Gatō. The hunger, the lack of money, the pain. We then saw a young kid who stole some food. I looked at Naruto… and he looked depressed, his whole body showed it.
We then went into the shop to pick up dinner. A man tried to steal from the brat, but Naruto warned him. The guy tried to grab and run but he stopped him in less than a second. He let him go afterwards.
After I bought the stuff, I told him how surprised I was at the scene. He said he used to be just like that. I was going to ask, but a small kid, no older than Inari, came and grabbed his hand. Asked him for food. But the brat wanted to see all her friends. She leads us to a group of kids, the oldest probably is ten years old. Naruto, gave them all food, it was a large bar, the size of my hand and as thick as my finger. They wolfed it down and he gave them more. Afterwards, they all hugged him when we said goodbye.
When we were finally coming home, I told him how good of a man he is. He said the same thing as last time, saying "I was just like them" and I asked why that was. What he said, saddened me deeply," Tazuna said grimly.
Tsunami put her hand on her father's, "What do you mean?" she asked with worried eyes.
Tazuna looked at her with sorrowed eyes, "He had a terrible life, no childhood. He had to survive on his own. An orphan. He told me everyone hated him. Nobody loved him," Tazuna said as he takes a gulp of sake and slams the bottle on the table.
"The only food he had to rely on was what he caught. He was probably malnourished, and he had to rely on instant ramen cups to survive. Tsunami-chan, this kid has suffered so much. It's heart-breaking. I have no idea how he is like he is now," Tazuna finished.
Tsunami was tearing up, "What happened to change that?" she asked, gripping her father's hand, her nails digging into his skin.
Tazuna looked up to the ceiling, "His hero. He came and saved him and changed his life forever," he said with a small smile. He turned his head and saw Kakashi looking depressed as well, Tazuna could swear he saw regret in the man's eyes.
Tsunami looked at Kakashi, "Who is Naruto-kun's hero? Kakashi-san?" she asked.
Kakashi sighed deeply and rubbed his face. "I have to say this first. Naruto is a very private person despite his loud personaility. Only a few people know that information. I'm honoured that he told me himself one day. The pick pocketer, the town, the hungry children. All of that must have stirred up all his feelings, so much that he needed to vent it out in some way. He usually is tight-lipped with any of that.
All of what he said was true. Many, many things… too much has happened to Naruto in his short life. For most of his life, he lied to himself. Trying to get through every day with a beaming smile even though he was utterly depressed. Naruto as a kid had miniscule positivity and an unbelievable amount negativity surrounding him. He was all alone.
A few days after his tenth birthday… something happened to change Naruto's life," Kakashi said with a sad voice.
Tsunami had some tears were rolling off her face, her heart was aching over the horrific story of Naruto. "What happened?" she asked before covering her face with her hands, wiping off the tears.
Kakashi put his head up high. "Naruto's brother came," he stated.
Tazuna raised an eyebrow, "You both said he had no family. How can he have a brother?" he asked.
"Naruto's brother didn't know about his existence days before he found him. Technically, Naruto's brother, Uzumaki Kotaro, is his older cousin. Naruto's Aunt died but before she died she gave Kotaro some important documents and told him all about her younger sister, Naruto's mother.
Kotaro found out that his Aunt lived in Konoha and headed over there, despite his own depression by burying his own mother who died from illness. It took some time and a couple of hard nights for him, but eventually Kotaro came to Konoha.
After Kotaro found Konoha, did all the Hokage's tests to see if he was legitimate, he was told his Aunt died, but she had a son. Naruto. I don't know all the details on why they didn't meet at all but neither do they. It seemed like there was some unknown distrust between Kotaro's mother and Konoha, or even his Aunt.
The Hokage told me what happened the first time they met. They were crying into each other's arms. Kotaro declared that they will be brothers from there on and forever. Both were depressed, Naruto over his loneliness, Kotaro over the death of his mother. Both needed each other and grew stronger at the end. If you ever see them together, you can see the love they have for each other," Kakashi said with a smile under his mask.
The other two smiled, knowing the story has had a happy ending. "But Kakashi-san, does the village still treat Naruto-kun like that? And his teammates don't seem to hate him at all," Tsunami asked while wiping her face dry with a cloth.
Kakashi nodded. "Sakura and Sasuke don't know about any of the mistreatment. It is only the adults of the village and the adolescents from the time of Naruto's birth that did the disgusting deeds. I can't tell you why as it is a village secret on why everyone strongly dislikes Naruto, but Naruto's generation have no clue on it either.
Don't worry about Naruto now. The villagers and Ninja are too scared to do anything to Naruto," Kakashi said with an eye-smile.
"Why are they so scared?" Tazuna asked.
"They're so scared because of his brother. He gets very angry if someone mistreats Naruto," Kakashi said.
Tsunami leaned in. "How strong is he?" she asked.
Kakashi leaned back in his chair, "Honestly, I have no idea… I spar with him, and I have great difficulty even with my Sharingan. He always tricks you to do something so he can break your defence. Or he might just go into close combat and try to tire you out. Both he and Naruto are so unpredictable in their attacks, and both have amazing stamina. You definitely don't want either as your opponent.
Kotaro happens to take over his Aunt in that he has a very bad temper, she was well known for it. That's why nobody touches Naruto. They're scared on what his fury would do. Even if they didn't leave any clues, he would find out who did it. Naruto is the most important person to him. He would never stop his search on who did it. I would never say revenge is a good thing, but it would be impossible to stop him from destroying the one who hurt Naruto for the 'reason'. He wouldn't hold back.
Naruto is the same story. He loves his older brother so much. I'd say if Kotaro died, his entire world would crumble, just like if Naruto died, Kotaro's world would crumble," Kakashi finished with a scratch on a chin.
Both Tazuna and Tsunami smiled at the story. "I wonder what Naruto-kun's brother is like in person?" Tsunami asked.
"Well Tsunami, he's a great friend and comrade, that's for sure, but that's only to the people he likes, or at least to the people that don't piss him off.
He isn't a bad person at all, no far from it but he can be quite… harsh at times. If you make a big mistake on a mission, he won't personally attack you, but he will tell and show that it was your fault.
Kotaro can be blunt at times and always tells the whole truth, even if it means hurting you. Not physically of course, but he has made some ninja insecure with their skills. Obviously, some dislike him for this but I have seen some train harder and improve. I think he just wants people to be the best version of themselves.
We have tried telling him not to be so critical, but he can't help himself, sometimes it drives us through the roof. It is fact however that the shinobi body highly respect his skills. That's for certain. I can't say for the rest of the village. It's an associational hate when it comes to those loveable brothers.
I must ask you two to keep this to yourselves. Naruto doesn't trust Sasuke and Sakura wholeheartedly for him to reveal this part of his past, so they don't know much about him apart from his addiction to ramen amongst other things. It was hard enough for him to even speak a couple of words of it to me when I became his sensei and I say I only got to know so soon as he knew his brother and I were already good friends," Kakashi said.
"Of course! I don't want anything bad happening between Naruto-kun and his teammates. He's such a sweet and polite boy. I'm going to put extra effort into his dinner tonight," Tsunami declared as she got up and dashed to the kitchen and put on her apron in an instant, already chopping the vegetables.
Kakashi and Tazuna were surprised on the woman's enthusiasm but couldn't blame her. "I understand," Tazuna said, "I like the kid… a lot actually. Even though I thought he was a good for nothing brat who couldn't be a ninja the first time I saw him… he kept proving me wrong, time and time again. And with his story being revealed to me now, I have nothing but respect for the kid. Hell, I'd say he's a bigger man than I am and I'm five times his age," he laughed out.
Kakashi could only nod. "I would say the same thing. I'll do anything for my precious students," he admitted.
Tazuna could only laugh, "Kakashi-san, that's good to hear," Tazuna said.
The two men relaxed in their chairs, leaving Tsunami to do the dinner.
"Naruto wake up!" A familiar voice called.
Naruto's body spasmed and his eyes shot open. "Nii-chan?" he said quietly looking around the room. He sighed and rubbed his head, "What the hell was that? Must be my imagination," he told himself.
Naruto slipped out of the futon and looked at the clock. "An hour's nap. I feel so much better now," Naruto yawned out with a few stretches. He exited the empty bedroom and went down the stairs to see his team sitting by the table with Tazuna at the head. A seat was empty beside Kakashi.
"Evening everyone!" he said happily as he walked to his seat. He was about to sit down before being spun and pulled into a tight hug, "AH!" he squeaked out.
Tsunami giggled as she hugged the boy tighter and leaned into his ear, "You're such a great and handsome man Naruto… I hope you like my dinner," she said in a loving manner. She let go and dashed back to the kitchen. Naruto's face turned red as he sat down. Tazuna was shocked from the behaviour his daughter was showing and Kakashi was slightly fuming.
"I should tell my sob story more often," Kakashi mumbled under his mask.
Naruto looked up to Kakashi. "You okay Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi sighed and covered his face with his book, "I'm fine Naruto, thanks for asking," he said with no emotion.
Tsunami prepared everyone a bowl of rice and a bowl of soup. "Inari! Come down! It's dinner time," she shouted as she filled the bowls. Inari appeared from the stairs and took his place at the table, between his grandfather and Sasuke.
Tsunami pulled a chair between Naruto and Sakura at the tail of the table. She moved back to the kitchen counter to where the food was. Tsunami got all the bowls on a tray and brought it to the table. She grabbed herself two bowls of each and gave a set to herself and Naruto, "There you go Naruto-kun," she said happily as she sat comfortably on her chair.
"Thanks Tsunami-san," he said.
The others grabbed their bowls, ignoring the woman and blond boy. They were all eating their meals.
Sasuke was eating his at a quick rate. The others were surprised at the rate of food going into his mouth. He stood up with his empty bowl in hand. "Seconds please!" he asked.
Sasuke had some food go back up his throat but thankfully he swallowed it back down. Naruto saw the face of Tsunami and then the kitchen, there was no food left. "Sasuke here," Naruto said as he gave him a near full rice bowl. "You trained hard today, and this tasty soup is all I need!" Naruto said happily.
The others apart from Inari smiled at this. Sasuke took the rice bowl without hesistation. "Thanks Naruto," Sasuke said with genuine gratitude.
Sakura was astounded on what unfolded in front of her eyes. 'What happened between Naruto and Sasuke-kun? They wouldn't get along once and now they're acting as if they are… friends,' she thought as she ate her meal.
Naruto smiled and sat back down and dug into his soup. The group finished their dinner and Tsunami started to clean the dishes with Naruto aiding her. "Ah this is fun. I haven't had a meal with so many people in a long time," he said as he finished his meal.
Sakura was looking at the only hanged photo in the room, "Say, why are you hanging a torn picture?" she asked. "Inari-kun was watching this the whole time during dinner. The torn part looks like someone tore away the person who was there on purpose," Sakura said.
Inari, Tazuna and Tsunami tensed. "It was my husband," Tsunami said while she was cleaning up the dishes with Naruto helping her.
Naruto saw her face soured. 'Sakura hit a bad memory. Damn,' he thought while drying the dishes.
Tazuna sighed, "He was the man known as the hero of this town," Tazuna said solemnly.
Inari pulled out of his chair and walked away from the table. "Inari, where are you going?" Tsunami asked. Inari ignored her and left the room. Tsunami looked at Naruto, who nodded to her. She mouthed a thank you and left to go chase after her son, "Tou-san! I told you not to talk about him in front of Inari," she said with anger as she left the dining area.
Tazuna sniffled slightly. "What's wrong with Inari-kun?" Sakura asked.
"It seems like there is a reason behind this," Kakashi stated.
Tazuna kept his eyes on the table, "Inari had a father, a step-father. They were very close, just like any father and son. Inari used to laugh a lot back then. But…" Tazuna stuttered out the end with a tear falling down his face.
The team apart from Naruto looked at him. "But… Inari changed. After the incident that happened to his father. The word 'courage' was forever taken away from the people on these islands and Inari. After that day. And that incident," Tazuna struggled to finish saying as tears rolled off his face.
"That incident? What happened to Inari?" Kakashi asked.
Tazuna sighed, "To explain the terrible incident, I will need to tell you about the man who was known as a hero on this island," Tazuna told them.
"A hero?" Naruto asked as he put the kitchen cloth over his shoulder and retook his place beside Kakashi.
"It was about three years ago when the man and Inari met one another. Inari was being bullied by three rascals. They were trying to take his dog Pochi away. They were all at the docks. Eventually the main kid, Akane, threw Pochi into the sea. Inari wanted to save the pup but couldn't swim. Then he was pushed into the water.
This isn't very important, but at that moment, Pochi learnt the dog paddle. He's such a good boy.
Anyway, Inari drowned. He thought he died. Next thing he knows, he's at the coast beside a fire. A man saved him and cooked some food for him and Inari. They had a long chat. His name was Kaiza. He was a fisherman who came to this island seeking his dream. A real man's man.
Ever since the drowning, Inari started to become attached to Kaiza. He probably became attached since he lost his father before he could remember anything. He followed him around everywhere all the time like he was sort of a ball and chain. And they became just like any father and son. It didn't take long for Kaiza to become part of the family.
Also, Kaiza was a man that we needed in this town. Months ago, the dam broke. Sector B would have been completely flooded if it weren't for Kaiza. After that, the people here started calling him a hero and Kaiza became a father Inari could be proud of. Gatō turned his eye on this town around that time.
And one night, he kidnapped him, tortured and completely broke his arms into pieces. They turned blue when he was hanged up in the centre of town, the blood vessels or something must have burst all over.
Then… he was killed by Gatō's goons in front of the townspeople. Inari changed ever since that time. Tsunami and the people of this town as well," Tazuna said sadly as he sunk into his chair.
Naruto stood up and threw the kitchen cloth onto the hanger with skill at a distance. "Hm, seems like Inari needs someone to prove that heroes still exist. I'll prove it to him," Naruto said with a clenched fist.
Inner Forest
Early in the next day, Haku was gathering herbs to make medicinal burn cream and other medicine. She was wearing a pink kimono with a white sash wrapped above her waist. Her hair was loose. She raised up straight, and a bird landed on her shoulder. She gave it a smile and the bird turned its head looking at Haku. The bird flew off, Haku giggled and looked at it flying away. Then something caught her attention. A short blond boy was sitting against a tree, with a small crater in front of him.
He looked like he was sleeping but his face was slightly scrunched up, as if he was having a bad dream. Haku moved closer to the blond. Haku knelt beside the blond and remembered his face, 'This is the ninja that gave Zabuza-san a hard time,' Haku thought. She moved her hand until it was very close to the throat of Naruto.
Haku was contemplating on whether or not to eliminate Naruto but she didn't get the chance. She was flipped on the ground. Naruto was on top of her. Pinning her down, tangling one his legs between her legs. His knee was at her crotch.
Naruto looked into the girl's eyes, they dark brown had no malicious intent. "I'm sorry," he gruffly said. "I thought you were an attacker," Naruto said apologetically as he pulled himself away from her and put out his hand.
She took it and pulled herself up, "You were going to catch a cold if you slept there any longer," she said with a smile.
Naruto looked at her with a softer expression, "So you woke me up huh. By the way, what are you doing out here ttebayo?" Naruto asked.
"Picking herbs," she answered.
"Herbs? Really? I don't know too much about them, but I'll help you out… um-"
"Haku."
"I'll help you Haku since I jumped on you. The name is Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto said while scratching the back of his head.
"Thanks, I need to get some to heal a friend," she replied happily.
Haku lead Naruto to where she was, her basket was left there, half full of herbs.
Naruto looked at the herbs while he sat down on the grass, "Chickweed?" he asked while picking some.
Haku was impressed, "I thought you said you didn't know much about herbs."
"I did because I don't. My Nii-chan knows all about this stuff. I experimented with fire, so he got me herbs to make remedies. This isn't the greatest stuff for burns though. Just helps it. If you want to treat burns well, go with Aloe Vera and ice. Too bad that stuff only grows in the Land of Wind," Naruto said.
Haku was nodding along, "You have good knowledge for someone that claims they don't."
"Yeah, thanks Haku-chan. You should see my Nii-chan if you want a medical opinion, guy is a smartass most of the time. So, your friend got a nasty burn? What was he doing, making a fire and caught in it?" Naruto asked.
"Something like that," Haku replied with a smile. "He got burned pretty bad, but it is healing remarkably well," Haku told Naruto.
Naruto sighed. "Why are you doing such a job in the morning?" he asked.
"Why are you outside sleeping so early in the morning?" Haku asked.
Naruto smiled, and he put his hands on his knees. "Training!" he said with a smile.
Haku's face was blank, she blinked twice. "Are you a ninja or something?" she asked. "That forehead protector is Konoha's right?"
Naruto grinned, "So I do look like one! HA, yes! I am a Konoha ninja ttebayo. Proud of it," Naruto replied.
"Wow, you're amazing," Haku said as she stared at Naruto.
Naruto's face changed to a neutral expression, "Me? Amazing? Sorry Haku, but I'm not amazing. I know a thing or two but… I still have a long way to go before anyone can call me amazing," he said seriously, but he started to laugh afterwards.
"But, why were you training?" she asked.
"I want to become stronger," Naruto answered without hesistation.
"But you look strong enough already," Haku said.
"No, I need to become stronger. So, I can become Hokage ttebayo. If I become Hokage, I can protect Kotaro-niichan and all my friends. That's why I fell asleep there ya know, lost track of time hehe," Naruto said.
Haku giggled and brought her hand to her mouth, "What's so funny?" Naruto asked.
"So, you do have someone that's important to you?" She said.
"Important would be a huge understatement!" Naruto replied.
"A person is able to become truly strong when they wish to protect someone they cherish," Haku said with a smile.
Naruto smiled as well, remembering the Hokage, Iruka, Kakashi and especially his older brother. "Yea. I understand that," he said with a big smile.
Haku stood up and grabbed her basket. "You will become stronger. Let's meet again sometime. Oh, and I'm a boy," Haku ended.
Naruto tensed. 'What! Haku isn't a girl!? But I didn't feel her… his… it's dick with my knee and she… he… it smelled like lavender. Hm…' Naruto thought hard and had one more look at the enigma. His eyes widened and then he just laughed hard. He then turned around and walked back towards Tazuna's house, "Haku-chan!" he shouted.
Haku turned around and looked at the back of Naruto, "You look better with the mask off. I'll see you later," he said as he body-flickered away from the clearing, his presence vanished.
Haku stood there frozen in place, a shiver crawled down her spine, "He knows who I am. How?" she whispered to herself. "He couldn't smell me before, my hair-do is different. It must have been the herbs. He was the one gave the burn. I underestimated him. If he knows I lied to him about my identity, then he's figured out my true identity. I don't know what he's going to do," Haku said as she bit her lower lip with worry. "Is it too much to hope he'll keep it a secret?"
Tazuna's House
"Good morning," Sakura yawned out, rubbing her eyes entering the kitchen where everyone else was.
Tsunami came over and put a bowl in front of her, "Here's breakfast Sakura," she said as she went back to the kitchen.
"Thank you," Sakura said as she began to eat her food.
Kakashi was looking at his two Genin, scratching the back his glove where a small metal plate was sewn in.
"Naruto didn't come back home last night, either?" Tazuna pointed out with some rice still in his mouth.
Sakura looked at Tazuna, "He's stupid, he's been out every night, but I have no idea what he is doing. He might be dead from excessive chakra use," she said.
"Is Naruto-kun alright? He could have been starving all night by himself," Tsunami asked with worry in her voice.
Kakashi looked up from his fingers and faced the woman, "There's no need to worry. He's a good ninja, even though at times he doesn't look it," Kakashi said with confidence.
'There's no way he could die from chakra exhaustion, he probably has more than me by now. I can't blame Sakura for saying that though, Naruto hasn't shown most of the skills he has in front of the team,' Kakashi thought as he scratched his glove again.
Sasuke interlaced his fingers and looked ahead of him, "I don't know about that. Maybe he really is dead," Sasuke said as he got out of his chair and walked to the front door.
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked out loud.
Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks but didn't turn around. "I'm going for a walk. Maybe the idiot will show up" he said. "I'll bring him home."
"But we're going to eat," she replied but the door opened, Sasuke was about to leave. She turned her head and saw that Sasuke's plate was already food free, "That was fast," she said with a shaky smile.
"AH! Dobe," Sasuke yelped loudly, Naruto appearing in front of the door after it was opened.
Naruto began to laugh, holding his stomach. Sasuke's eyebrows were twitching madly. Naruto recovered and used the door frame as support to stabilise himself "Who knew hehe… that the mighty Uchiha Sasuke would scream like a girl just from the look of his teammate. HA! I can't make this stuff up!" Naruto said as he passed Sasuke, who was giving him a death glare after the comment.
Naruto took his place on the table, beside Tazuna. "Hope I'm not late for breakfast?" he asked with a beaming smile.
"Of course, not Naruto-kun. I saved some just for you!" Tsunami said with her own smile, bringing a tray of breakfast foods. Naruto wasted no time digging into the food after he thanked the woman.
Sasuke returned to his seat, seeing that Naruto already has returned. Sakura turned Naruto "Naruto, what were you doing out there? You had us worried sick!" she said with hints of anger behind her voice.
Kakashi and Sasuke perked up, wondering on the same thing. Naruto stopped eating and wiped his mouth, "Some super special training. I'm haven't got much progress though, but I'm sure I'll figure out what I'm doing wrong!" Naruto said with glee.
Kakashi stretched his back, a loud crack was heard, "Naruto, what kind of training are you doing? I will help if you want it," he said with his lone eye looking at Naruto.
Naruto shook his head, "Thanks for the offer Sensei, but I know what to do for it… but it's just a very long process. I only started doing this training two months ago," Naruto told the group as he further delved into his little feast.
Sakura wasn't interested as her eyes were now to Sasuke's face, which is now slightly tense. 'Special training? Is this why Naruto is so much stronger than before. What is this training? Naruto… what are you doing?' Sasuke wondered as he interlaced his fingers again and covered his mouth with it.
'Two months...? That's around the same time Kotaro has left for his long-term mission. He must have left a training regime for Naruto when he was gone on his mission. I wonder what this training could be?' Kakashi also wondered.
"Naruto, just tell us next time if you are going to be training late. I don't want you sleeping out there again," Kakashi ordered loosely.
Naruto just nodded, "Okay Sensei!" he shouted as he finished his breakfast.
Forest Clearing
Hours later, it was already night. The sun was nowhere to be seen as the moon was high in the sky, reflecting the pure white light onto the land. Deep in the forest, there were two silhouettes standing on top of the trees.
"Let's go home," Sasuke said with a smirk.
Naruto looked at him with a wry smile, "Yeah. I'm starving," Naruto yawned out. Naruto slipped off the top and fell towards the ground at speed. Just as he was approaching the ground, he let his feet stick to the branch that was closest to the ground. Sticking, his speed decreased dramatically. Naruto than hopped to the ground, landing silently. Naruto looked to his right and saw Sasuke land beside him by jumping down different parts of the tree. Both then walked briskly to Tazuna's house, both not saying a word but were enjoying the companionable silence.
After a few minutes, Naruto and Sasuke as they arrived at Tazuna's house were about to open the front door, but Naruto put his hand up to stop them and then put his ear up to the door. Sasuke followed suit.
"They're late. I understand why Naruto is late, but Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said with a bored voice.
Naruto just sighed and Sasuke had a small smile. 'What will it take for Sakura to see that I'm not an idiot anymore?' Naruto thought sadly.
Naruto then turned the handle and went inside, letting Sasuke go in front of him. Both had dirt on them, scratch marks were evident on their hands and face. "What's with you two? You look really dirty and tired," Tazuna asked with tired eyes.
Naruto chuckled, "Just good training ttebayo," Naruto said as they moved further in the room. "Sasuke got to the top of the tree," Naruto said happily.
"Good," Kakashi said with a nod. "Naruto, Sasuke. You two will guard Tazuna-san next time as well," Kakashi said.
Both Naruto and Sasuke smiled at this and took their places for dinner. The dinner was served and quickly disappeared. There was very little conversation until to the end of the meal. "The bridge is almost complete. It's all thanks to you guys," Tazuna said with contentment.
"Don't push yourself too hard Tou-san, you're not getting any younger," Tsunami said as she took the plates off the table.
Tazuna just grumbled under his breath and looked at the ninja again. "I wanted to ask this before, but why are you still here even when I lied about the request details?" Tazuna asked.
Kakashi closed his eyes and wrapped his hands together, "Not doing the right thing when you know it's right, is a coward's way. There are no weak soldiers under a valiant leader. The Yondaime Hokage said those words," Kakashi said looking at the confused faces of Tazuna and Tsunami.
Inari looked from his plate to Naruto, who was rubbing his face with his hands and leaning forward on his chair. "Why?" he quietly said.
Naruto perked up, "You say something?" he asked, blinking his eyes to waken them up.
Inari slammed his tiny hands on the table and stood up with an angry expression on his face, "Why are you trying so hard that you end up like that? You can't beat up Gatō's men even if you train! No matter how hard you try and say those good-looking words. Weak people are going to lose against strong people!" Inari shouted at the group mainly at Naruto.
Naruto tilted his head to the side before puffing, "Shut your mouth. This is different," he said with no enthusiasm, steel was present in his voice.
Inari lost his composure, "Shut up! It pisses me off when I watch you! You don't know anything about this country, and you're so nosy! I'm different from you, someone who doesn't know any real pain and just laughs all the time!" Inari shouted, losing all control of his volume.
Naruto stared at the young boy with a sharp and deadly stare, he was holding back boiling anger, the false claims from Inari were truly angering Naruto. "Is that why you're pretending to be the main character of a tragedy, crying all the time, acting if you're the most important person?" Naruto said coldly, never easing his stare. "A stupid little boy like you that doesn't know true pain can just keep crying. You damn Cry-baby!" Naruto said with coldness at the end to emphasis his point.
"Naruto! That's too much!" Sakura yelled at Naruto. Naruto turned his face and stared at Sakura. Sakura had to move back from the sudden intense pressure that was radiating from Naruto.
Naruto stood up and left the room, before he left, "You haven't suffered like the starving children in your own country and you have no idea what hell I've been through," Naruto gritted out before he went through the front door and closing it, leaving the kitchen.
Inari was still crying at the table. Kakashi was sadly looking at the boy, he turned his head to Tazuna and Tsunami. They had expressions of disappointment and sadness, knowing the tragic past of Naruto, they couldn't compare their suffering to his.
The atmosphere was awkward. Inari left through the front door, slamming it behind him. The group who stayed breathed a sigh of relief they didn't know they had. Tsunami went back to scrubbing the dishes and everyone kept quiet.
About fifteen minutes after the outburst from Inari, Kakashi left the house to get some fresh air. He went to the dock and saw Inari sitting by the edge, holding his knees to his chest.
"May I?" Kakashi asked as he edged closer to the boy. Inari turned his head, then turned it back to where it was. 'He didn't say no,' Kakashi thought as he took his place beside the child.
"Naruto didn't say that out of spite, he didn't want to make you depressed. Naruto is… very stubborn. We heard about you dad from Tazuna-san the other day. Naruto is similar to you, but he never had his father around at all. Naruto doesn't know what parents are really. Naruto also… didn't have a single friend for most of his life. However, he's never been sulky or timid. I never seen him cry. He has one person in his heart, he wants that person to be proud of him. And he's able to put his whole life on the line for that goal.
Naruto is probably bored crying by now. That's why he knows the true meaning of being strong. Like your dad. Naruto might be the one who understands you the most. What Naruto said to you at dinner… those are probably the words he's been telling himself over and over again before his brother and him united," Kakashi said ending his piece.
Inari took in the words and his eyes widened. He brought his eyes back to the water to see his reflection, he felt the disappointment beginning to grow inside himself.
Outskirts of Main Town
Naruto was walking down the dirt road that led to the Main Town in the Land of Waves. He was angry, furious. Not at Inari anymore, that quickly passed since he knows how Inari feels. His anger was from Gatō and his corrupt ways. Gatō is the cause of all the pain and suffering in the Land of Waves. Gatō is responsible for all the innocent deaths in this poor country, and others. Naruto didn't know how far Gatō's grip is on the world, but he was sure it stretched far and wide.
Naruto had this heavy feeling ever since Tazuna mentioned the problem back on the row boat. How can this country be safe if Gatō is still around? Gatō is a rich man, it would be easy for him to either blow up or buy out the bridge. Naruto knew the bridge would only serve a temporary solution to the bigger problem. Gatō needed to go away, and go away forever. A burden that needed to be cleaned up.
"He needs to die," Naruto said solemnly.
How? That was running through Naruto's mind repeatedly. How could he, a newly made Genin take down such a figure? Naruto couldn't bring in the rest of his team into this. Kakashi would tie him up if he even suggested the idea to take down the corrupt tycoon. Sakura would hinder him, and she wouldn't even go along. Naruto especially didn't want to ask Sasuke. Sasuke needed to rest after his intense tree-climbing training and he didn't want to hurt his growing friendship with him. Asking him to help take down Gatō when he himself wasn't sure he could do it was just too much to ask.
"But if I don't do anything, we could all die, and this country would suffer much worse," Naruto said as he saw the lights from the Main Town. The lights shined brightly, a mixture of blue, yellow and red. Naruto kept walking onwards, he needed to ease his mind. Walking has always helped him clear up.
Naruto entered the town and was surprised to see lots of people around. He followed the crowd, to see what was happening. Naruto took off his Konoha forehead protector and orange sleeveless jacket to blend better with the crowd. Now he was just a blond with a black shirt, trousers, black shinobi sandals with bandages strapped around his shins and calves, covering his lower legs.
Naruto kept up with the crowd, but they were now dispersing in different directions. He was now in the centre plaza of the town. Sector A. Naruto took note of his position and looked left and right.
Naruto knew the only thing he could do right now. Gather information. Naruto went to the closest bar, entering the nearby alleyway. Naruto thought of a man in his mid-twenties with aged features, he then transformed into the older man with the use of the Henge jutsu. Breathing in and out, he altered his voice to match his appearance. It wouldn't do him much good to look like an adult but sound like a child.
Satisfied, he went into the bar and sat on a stool, right in the middle of a long row. It was the only one free, the rest were occupied with other men.
The bartender noticed the new customer and quickly went over. "What can I do for you mate? You want the usual or something special? Different special drinks every night, good taste, I definitely recommend them," the bartender said enthusiastically.
Naruto looked at him. He tried to act as normal as possible. "I'll just have water please," Naruto said with his most convincing voice.
The bartender tilted his head, "Water!? Are you serious mate? Come into my bar just for water, what's wrong with you?" the bartender asked.
Naruto felt a cold sweat go down his back, his cover could be blown. "Eh, you know… I have a banging headache and I had a bit too much too eat and-"
"Mate, don't sweat it! I was only pulling your leg. Haha, should have seen your face, you were like a kid in the naughty corner. I'll get your drink, just get hundred and fifty ryó ready yea?" the bartender said as he went to the tap and filled a glass to the brim with water.
Naruto handed over the money, "Thanks so much," Naruto said as he took the water and drank some of the ice-cold fluid.
"No problem… You're not from around here, are you?" the bartender asked as he looked at Naruto.
Naruto shook his head side-to-side, "No, was it that obvious?" he asked. He wondered if he need to improve his transformation.
The bartender waved him off, "Only when you spoke, your accent isn't local, so I just guessed. Where you from?" the bartender asked.
Naruto gulped, he didn't think he would get questioned like this. He just wanted to listen onto the other people. 'Just think of anywhere Naruto!' he thought quickly. "Tanzaku-Gai," Naruto answered.
The bartender looked at him in a different light, "Really!? That's cool, that's in the region with all them big castles. The Himeji region. Big tourist spot in the Land of Fire… What are you doing all the way down here in Wave, if you don't mind me asking?" the bartender asked.
"Visiting my sister. I haven't seen her at all though. It's like she disappeared into thin air," Naruto lied. He knew answering with the topic of family with stop further questions.
The bartender's body language changed from cheerful to tense, "Oh… You know, something might have happened to her," he said.
Naruto leaned in, "What do you mean?" he asked with fake concern, his acting skills were convincing.
The bartender leaned into Naruto's ear, "There's this asshole who's been trying to take over our town and country for months on end and everyone's getting sick of him. He has… killed some of our townspeople, your sister might be included. I'm sorry for telling you this, but she might still be alive… Go look for a guy named Spades.
He owns a lot of property around here, including this bar. He supposedly knows everything, and he works in this big town, but I have no idea where he is. Never met the man. He's probably your best bet to find out if Gatō had a hand with your sister's disappearance," he whispered. "That's if he's even real to begin with."
"Spades?" Naruto said, he knows he heard the name before.
"Keep your voice down! You don't want any trouble with these guys. Spades could help but the guy is just as bad as Gatō if you catch my drift," the bartender whispered sharply into Naruto's ear. "Look, finish your drink and go to the brothel nearby, I hear he owns it as well, that's your best bet if you want to find your sister," the bartender told Naruto. The bartender went off to serve others and left Naruto alone.
Naruto sighed and drank his water, 'That was close… at least I got something,' Naruto thought as he got up and left the bar, nodding to the helpful bartender. Naruto went outside and back into the alleyway. Undoing his transformation, he then climbed to the rooftop, so he could be alone.
"Where did I hear that name? It was only recently… Oh damn!" Naruto said as he took off his pouch and searched through it. A scroll with the symbol of Wave on it was there. Naruto quickly took it and opened it.
"There we go, Spades. Information broker in Wave. Thank you Nii-chan for writing this down. Wait... what's this?
He has a password in the form of riddles. His guards won't let you in if you get it wrong, really annoying but at least I haven't got one wrong yet. Riddles? God damnit," Naruto said as he read the scroll.
"Kotaro-Nii didn't put down the location on the scroll… damnit!" Naruto complained as he closed the scroll and puts it back into the pouch.
"Now I have to go that brothel," Naruto complained as he went off into the direction of red lights. Naruto quickly went through the rooftops until he saw a neon sign in the shape of a busty woman. "This has to be it ttebayo," he said as he jumped to the ground, then Naruto transformed again, back to his previous form.
As an older man, Naruto walked towards the entrance to the brothel. His heart was pounding out of his chest, he has never seen a woman naked or anything like it before. He only heard stories from his older brother about such buildings and people. Naruto had no experience with any of this.
Naruto just gulped and mentally encouraged himself to go through with this, 'For the people of the Land of Waves,' Naruto thought as he stopped in front of a burly bouncer. The man was huge and thick with muscle. His bald head and rough face made a scary image.
"Three thousand ryó admission fee, sir?" the man asked with a hard voice.
"Actually, I don't want to go in, but I need your help," Naruto said as he looked at the bouncer.
The man narrowed his eyes onto Naruto. "Alright, speak up quickly or get out of my face," the bouncer said with irritation.
Naruto stood his ground, "I need to find a man named Spades, I need his help," Naruto whispered to the bouncer.
The bouncer stayed still for a couple of moments before speaking. "Pay the admission fee and I'll give you his location," the bouncer said with the cross of arms.
Naruto sighed. 'How much money am I going to spend just to get some info,' he thought.
Naruto took out his wallet and opened it. The bouncer laughed quietly as he saw the frog wallet making its appearance. Naruto took out more ryó notes and handed it to the man. "There you go, now tell me where Spades is," Naruto demanded.
The bouncer smiled, "Enter the sewer system under the bridge in between Sectors A and C. Keep going until you see the first tunnel going to the left. Go down that tunnel and then go down to the tunnel that appears on the right. Keep going until you see a big spade suit on the wall. Knock on it three times and someone will let you in," the bouncer said as he went back to the door. "I would advise not to piss the boss off, he can find many ways to screw you over," he said afterwards.
Naruto noted the advice, and went off the bridge between Sectors A and C. "What the hell am I doing? This is just crazy ttebayo, this is not me… but I have to do this to improve our chances," Naruto said under his breath. His brain was telling him to go back to Tazuna's house, but his heart wanted to keep going.
Naruto strolled through the Main Town towards Sector C. It didn't take him long to find a bridge that connected the two large islands out of three. Naruto looked around his surroundings to see if there were any prying eyes around. Seeing that it was dark and there were very little people around, nobody giving him one eye, Naruto jumped over the rail and slid down the wall, using chakra on his feet to go slowly.
Naruto landed on his feet on the wet concrete, the river and sewage were mixing and splashing everywhere. Naruto's transformation undid itself, too much action has caused the transformation to break. Naruto sighed and then coughed hard. The stench was rotten, Naruto had to shut his nose tight with his fingers and cover his mouth with his palm. Trudging through, Naruto went under the bridge and saw the sewer tunnel. He didn't hesitate to venture inside.
Thankfully, there was an elevated path, obviously for the people doing maintenance in the sewer system but Naruto could see that it has been a while since any person came down there to clean it. The tunnel was dimly lit. Aged and cobwebbed covered light bulbs ran through the ceiling of the sewer, barely lighting the sewer tunnel. Naruto exhaled and went on ahead.
Naruto took his time as he went down the sewer tunnel, he didn't want to make a wrong turn. Naruto kept his eyes peeled. "First tunnel on the left huh? When will you pop up? Oh… there you are," Naruto said happily, seeing a tunnel that leads to the left. He didn't waste any time and went down it.
Naruto was getting sick of the change of scenery, everywhere he looked, it was a mixture of brown, yellow and green. After a minute of slow walking, Naruto finally saw a tunnel that went to the right. His patience has been weaned down so he now briskly walked through the new tunnel hoping to find a large spade suit.
It did not take Naruto long to find the large spade suit. The spade suit was black in colour with a thick white border. Naruto walked up to it and knocked on it three times. Naruto stood there waiting. He was going to knock again but stopped. A brick was pulled out and a pair of eyes revealed themselves, "Huh? It's just a kid. What do you want?" the voice barked out.
The deep voice rattled Naruto's eardrums. It seemed the sewer tunnel amplified the man's voice. 'I forgot to redo my transformation. Shit! Well, I have to go through with this without it,' Naruto thought.
"What do you think? I'm looking for information," Naruto answered. His tone was cold. It was clear as day that the young ninja was annoyed.
The man behind the wall sighed, "Fine. Riddle me this. Three playing cards are in a row. Can you name them with these clues? There is a two to the right of the king. A diamond will be found to the left of spade. An ace to the left of a heart. A heart is to the left of a spade. Now, tell what cards I have," the man said in an irritated tone.
'Seems like he doesn't like this riddle thing anymore than I do,' Naruto thought as he pondered on the riddle.
Naruto spent some time think of the word puzzle in his head, imagining what it would look like. He snapped his fingers after a minute of waiting. "Ace of Diamonds, King of Hearts and the Two of Spades," he answered, hoping he was correct.
The man behind the wall put the brick back into the spot, leaving Naruto alone. 'Did he just shut me out? I can't believe this ttebayo,' Naruto thought as he rubbed his face with his hands.
Naruto was going to turn around and leg it home but the wall in front of him revolved open, revealing a corridor dug out. "Well done kid, that was pretty quick. Now don't waste my time and get in," the man said, keeping the door open.
Naruto didn't waste the man's time and scurried in. He saw that the corridor was a dirt one, meaning that this was dug out by hand and shovel. Naruto kept going forward until there was a wooden ladder. "Only one way to go," Naruto said. He climbed up.
Naruto didn't take long to ascend to the top despite the large climb. Half way through, it changed from dirt to wood. 'Must mean that this was dug first, down to the sewer. I wonder where I am?' Naruto wondered as he reached the top. As Naruto stood back up from his climb, he was in a room with one door. He didn't know any better and knocked on it and waited politely.
"Come in," a voice called out.
Naruto turned the brass door handle in front of him and quickly entered the rom. He looked up and saw many things. It was an a dark office but well-lit at the desk. There were cabinets everywhere, some brimmed with paper, containing information and others were empty, to be filled in the future. Naruto took in the environment around him in closer detail, there were no windows, he could tell the walls were thick.
Naruto stopped himself from being distracted any further and looked directly in front of him. An aged mahogany desk, the size was unreal. Eight by four feet. There were carvings on the legs depicting flowers. Naruto could see they were roses and he was astounded by the detail. 'Must have cost a fortune!' he thought as he appreciated the piece of furniture.
"So what does a kid like you need me for? Or should I ask, why is Uzumaki Naruto doing in my office right now?" the same voice from before asked.
Naruto jumped on the spot. He stared at where the voice came from. He couldn't see any detail of the man. The chair he was sitting on was turned away from him. "How do you know my name?" Naruto asked after he gulped. Naruto stood into a defensive stance just to be cautious, his hand was hovering over his kunai holster. His fingers were twitching in anticipation.
A small laughter escaped the man's lips. "A little birdie told me. She said a super-cool elite ninja came and gave her and her friends food to eat. That there was this unbelievable amount of energy after they ate them. She said his name was Uzumaki Naruto," the man said, still not revealing himself.
'The starving children,' Naruto thought. "Why would you assume I am a ninja?" Naruto asked, curiosity was now overriding his brain.
"Why? Well that's a stupid question kid. I've kept my eyes on you and your team ever since that old drunk came back into town. You might have realised since your brought yourself here, but there is a lot more happening around here and the world then what is shown to the eye," the man said cryptically.
Naruto sighed, it seemed that his identity has been discovered. However, he senses that there is no malice or hostility behind the man's words. "So, it's safe to assume that you are Spades… The information broker," Naruto said moving three steps forward.
Silence ran through the room. The chair swung around. A man in his forties was sitting in it. Long black hair, done in a ponytail. The man wore a grey shirt which was underneath a short-sleeve haori cardigan.
Naruto saw that the man had a clean shaven face, his eyes were a hazel brown in colour, his eyebrows were thin but resided close to his eyes. The man had a loop earring in his left ear lope. Naruto thought it made the man look sleek and cool.
The most prominent features that Naruto noticed were the tattoos on the right side of the man's neck and his right arm. Cherry blossoms were found populating his neck while an strange assortment of numbers in pure black ink were tattoed on his forearm with spade suits all around them.
"Not just an information dealer, I'm much more than that. However, I am indeed the one who is called Spades. What do you need to know? Because I know everything," Spades asked as he looked at Naruto. His eyes were soaking in every detail of Naruto.
Spades eyes moved from and to Naruto and the chair in front of his desk. Naruto received the message and sat in front of the man, "You have no security. You're not afraid that I'll do something?" he asked.
Spades laughed lightly. "You're not the only one that trained in the shinobi arts. Now don't dodge my question kid. Uzumaki Naruto, what made you go and find little old me?" Spades asked with a sweet smile.
Naruto couldn't help but gulp, the man appeared to be normal enough but he was radiating this insane presence. "I just some need information," Naruto finally said.
Spades nodded and brought his hands together, "On who? I can't read your mind… But I have a pretty good guess on who it is," Spades said.
"Gatō and his goons. Anything will help," Naruto said.
"Gatō? That son of a bitch. Making my life harder than it is. And what will I get in return?"
"I don't know? I can pay you money?"
Spades pondered on the suggestion, "Nah. I have enough money. How about a favour for a favour?"
"A favour for a favour? Like I scratch your back and you scratch mine."
"Exactly, you don't look as dumb as you look kid. Gatō has been a pain in my backside for a while now. He has been pushing into my territory and been stealing my business from other clients. Also with his subjugation of the Land of Waves, my business has been losing money and the people here can't afford my unique services… I need him to go," Spades said calmly.
Naruto received the message, it was the same conclusion he reached hours prior. "What about Tazuna and the bridge?" Naruto asked.
"That bridge would be better for me, I don't need to tell you why."
"So, what do you need me to do?" Naruto asked.
Spades smiled and got out of his large chair. "Let me get some stuff before I tell you," he said as he went over to the side of the room and turned on another light. Spades began to moves boxes and some folders filled with documents.
"Did you hear that the Daimyō of the Land of Rivers got married to a new lady," Spades said, making conversation to his new little friend. Small talk was the cornerstone to all relationships.
"No."
"Well, he's fifty-seven and she's nineteen. She is already pregnant with his child. What do you think of that?" Spades asked.
'Nineteen!? That's the same age as Nii-chan,' Naruto thought. The idea of Kotaro being a soon-to-be father made him uncomfortable.
Naruto shook his head to get rid of the ideas and looked back to Spades. "I don't care… As long as they're happy, why should I care?" he said.
"Good kid. I like the way you think. There's other things happening as well in our small world. The Land of Water has calmed down just recently thankfully. I might be able to go back there. My power and dominance has waned in recent times. If that blasted civil war is all over throughout the country, I can get out of this shithole of a town.
On other news, The Daimyō of your country has fallen ill unfortunately. An all of a sudden decrease in health. My sources are telling me that he could be poisoned. His son will take up the position soon enough if he doesn't recover. It seems you can't trust family.
Ah, there's this group who have been doing more and more jobs around the whole Mainland. A mercenary group filled with missing ninja. Real dangerous folk there. I would avoid black cloaks with red clouds kid, nothing good can come from them. At least they do their jobs with an hundred percent success rate.
What else? What else? Oh, this might interest you. A new hidden village has been formed in the Land of Rice. Yeah, the Daimyō there let it form some time ago but I have no clarification on who rules it. Real secret stuff, what else do you expect from ninja though.
And finally, the cherry on top. The infamous 'Legendary sucker' has escaped her money collectors yet again. That has been going on for years yet I keep getting news on it. Makes me laugh."
"Why are you telling me all this?" Naruto asked.
Spades shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not an idiot. And I have a good memory. Kotaro was here about two months ago. You two are definitely related, aren't you? Brothers?" Spades asked as he took a box from the corner of the room and brought it to his desk.
Naruto nodded, "Yeah, that's how I found out about you-"
"Snooping through his stuff. That isn't what I expect from a little brother," Spades said, interrupting Naruto.
"He'll understand if I did it for my own safety," Naruto said.
"Whatever you say kid," Spades said as he took off the lid of the box. He then took out maps, schematics and documents from the box and laid them on the table. Spades put both his hands into the box and took out a metal contraption. Placing it on the table, he took then took out two metal cylinders. They seemed to be full.
"What's that?" Naruto asked, he didn't know what was in front of him.
Spades looked at the metal contraption and then to Naruto, "Oh this old thing… it's a bomb!"
~ 0 ~