Tempered in Water

by HitokiriOTD

The difference of a second can mean life or death to a shinobi. How would Uzumaki Naruto's life change if such a difference had occurred? Above the red waves, Naruto's path is forever altered.

4. Ripples

Tempered in Water

Chapter 4 / Ripples

By HitokiriOTD

The distant twinkling of stars dominated Naruto's vision. The moon was obscured by a dark, indistinct mass of clouds. Occasionally the clouds would break, and for a moment gentle silver rays of light would illuminate the land below. Naruto lay on the roof of the Takanagi home, his arms folded behind his head. He stared up at the dark night sky, taking no notice of the chill wind that combed invisible fingers through his messy hair.

"What am I doing?" Naruto sighed. It was a question he had asked himself many times in the past few hours. The fallout of the incident with Haku, only a few hours past, seemed to become increasingly complex as he thought about it. Kakashi-sensei had sent him to watch over the injured nukenin, but he had somehow ended up making her some sort of follower or something. Naruto still wasn't sure how that had happened. What would Kakashi-sensei make of things? He didn't even want to think about Sakura-chan's reaction, and who knew what Sasuke would think.

Even worse were the reactions he knew she would receive in Konoha, should she follow him home. A nukenin trailing after that Naruto? He doubted that she would be received warmly, but he had no idea what he could do to change that. What would she do in Konoha anyway? Naruto had no idea. But that was just the beginning of the worries that had begun to consume him. Being responsible for another human being was an incredibly heavy responsibility. It also terrified Naruto. He was only twelve years old and for most of his life, he had been alone. He was completely at a loss in regards to what he was supposed to do.

But it's my responsibility, Naruto thought. I can't back down now, not after all of the things I said to her. It wasn't the first time his reckless mouth had gotten him into hot water, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. However, it was the first time that the trouble was so significant. There were no scolding authority figures or sneering adults, no punishments or rebukes, just an overwhelming responsibility that he had no choice but to bear—after all, he had already accepted it.

Still, it made him uncomfortable. He had always dreamed about the day that someone would look up to him, respect him, and realize his worth. Now there was a pretty girl who seemed to have done just that. But Naruto knew, deep down, that it wasn't what he wanted. He hadn't truly earned her respect; he wasn't worthy of her devotion. Somehow he had ended up filling the void Zabuza had left in Haku's heart, but that was not what Naruto wanted. He was Naruto, not Zabuza. But it can't be helped, he thought unhappily. Not so soon after that no-brow died.

There was a break in the dark mass of clouds overhead. The moon shone brightly down upon the Wave Country. "She called me 'Naruto-sama,'" he murmured aloud. It was a happy thought, and after a moment Naruto grinned. Even if I haven't earned it yet, it's kind of nice. "Naruto-sama," he said again, almost giddily. It was a heady reminder of what lay at the end of the road to Hokage. He would earn the respect of Konohagakure.

One day, I'll be worthy of being called 'Naruto-sama,' he thought determinedly. Naruto raised his right arm from behind his head and thrust it skyward, his hand curling into a fist. "And one day," he declared, "they'll call me Hokage-sama."

---

Kakashi watched Sakura and Sasuke as they left towards the bridge with Tazuna. Sasuke had quite firmly declared that he had finished his recovery and demanded to be allowed to resume his duties. Kakashi knew that Sasuke's injuries still pained him—the stiffness in his movements was as plain as day—but the boy's eyes had shone with grim determination and his mouth had been set in a stubborn line.

If he wants to spend his day escorting a drunk, sweaty old man, who am I to argue? Kakashi shrugged philosophically. Personally, he could think of many, many better ways to spend his day. Most of those involved Icha Icha Paradise in some way, but still, at least it didn't involve old drunk men.

Drunk young—and preferably pretty—women, however… that was a different story. Kakashi dearly wished he could have at least one mission involving such a creature at least once before he died. So far he had no such luck, but perhaps one day the heavens would shine upon him. In the mean time, he had the acclaimed—in certain circles, at least—Icha Icha series, his imagination, and three not-so-cute students to torture for his amusement. Kakashi took a moment to sigh wistfully as thoughts of hot drunk women circled his brain. He then shook his head, regretfully banishing his ecchi thoughts in favor of duty.

Now that two of his three not-so-cute students had vanished from his line of sight, Kakashi turned his thoughts to his third student. I guess I should check up on Naruto now, Kakashi thought reluctantly. Icha Icha Paradise, he thought longingly. Without any truly pressing duties, all he wanted to do was relax and read. Besides, he body still ached from the after effects of chakra exhaustion. Surely he deserved a break, right? Unfortunately, Kakashi knew that duty did not wait. Still, Kakashi thought deviously, there is a way to do both. He had refrained from doing so since they had entered the Country of the Wave, but there was no reason to hold back now with the main threat to their mission gone.

It was a sight very foreign to the Wave and very familiar in Konohagakure no Sato. Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, strolled casually through the dusty dirt roads of the town. He deftly navigated through crowds of people and around various obstacles—an impressive feat, considering that his single uncovered eye was engrossed in the pages of a bright orange book. Of course, his display of shinobi deftness was detracting by his giggling, blushing demeanor.

His perverted chuckles and open appreciation of pornographic literature brought Kakashi a fair share of bizarre, and often outraged, looks. The frequent glances and whispered comments had no affect on Kakashi. He had long since mastered the ability of ignoring such accusing stares, allowing them to slide off of him like water off of a duck's back. Or Sasuke's head, Kakashi snickered, inordinately pleased by his wit.

It probably took him longer than it should have to reach the Takanagi home, but Kakashi was in no hurry. When he reached the home-turned-clinic, he paused outside. He listened carefully for a moment, channeling chakra into his ears to boost his hearing. After a few moments, he nodded to himself in satisfaction. There was nothing obviously wrong. Of course, that only meant that if something was amiss the perpetrator was simply skilled enough not to leave obvious cues.

Kakashi entered the residence, making no attempt to mask his presence. If enemies had infiltrated the house they would have already been alerted to his presence. Despite his paranoid thoughts, he wasn't particularly surprised to find Kanako busy in the kitchen. He wouldn't have been very surprised if enemy shinobi had tried to ambush him at the front door either, but there were certain things that jounin learned to take in stride. A quick stop to say hello rapidly turned into an involved conversation with Kanako and Jyushiro.

Kakashi did not bother to knock. He entered the room casually, appraising the situation as he did so. There were no signs that a violent confrontation had occurred in the room, despite the bloodied knife and yukata that Kanako had shown him. Haku sat serenely on the hospital bed, her back propped up against the headboard. She looked alert and clear-minded, and her eyes had instantly begun studying him as soon as he had entered the room. Naruto was slumped in a chair against the far wall, and he looked up drowsily as the jounin entered.

Kakashi studied Naruto for a moment. The boy was clearly tired, given his bearing and the dark shadows under his eyes. Naruto's right hand was wrapped in bandages. The sight gave Kakashi a sense of déjà vu. It hadn't been long ago since Naruto's left hand had been bandaged in a similar fashion. He smiled faintly. In hindsight, it seemed like Naruto's wounding by the Demon Brothers and his subsequent hand injury was a lucky thing.

It had been that wounded hand that allowed Naruto to find the courage to stand up to Zabuza. It was a lesson Kakashi couldn't teach, one his students each had to learn on their own. The ability to face death without panicking, to confront overwhelming odds and not turn their backs… it was something his team was just discovering. Naruto had learned it during Team 7's first confrontation with Zabuza. Sakura had yet to achieve it. Sasuke's hatred and trauma made him resistant to it in his own way.

"Yo," Kakashi greeted his student casually.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto replied tiredly.

"Good morning," Haku murmured, seemingly polite and earnest. Kakashi's eyebrows rose behind his hitai-ate. He didn't sense any hostility from the girl, but that just made it stranger. After all, he was the one who had killed Zabuza, so it was definitely odd that she would greet him with civility.

"Tired?" Kakashi asked Naruto, his head tilting slightly. Naruto grunted. "Did something happen last night?" Kakashi's tone was expectant.

Naruto blinked before laughing nervously. His uninjured hand came up and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Kakashi sighed inwardly. He's so obvious. One of these days I should teach him how to hide his reactions better. It was good for Kakashi that Naruto was so easy to read, but it was definitely a negative in the long run for Naruto's career as a shinobi. "Well… just a bit," Naruto admitted.

"Just a bit?" Kakashi echoed, cocking his head to the side inquisitively again. Naruto abruptly found his sandals very fascinating. He shot a quick, uncomfortable glance at Haku, only to see the girl smiling at him. The boy blinked.

"Naruto-sama stopped me from making a serious mistake last night," Haku informed Kakashi nonchalantly.

"Hmm…?" Kakashi made a questioning noise. Haku continued to smile, giving nothing away. She has a lot more control over herself than Naruto, Kakashi noted, though he wasn't particularly pleased by this fact. It soon became apparent that she was not going to say anymore, nor did it look like he would get an answer from Naruto anytime soon. After a moment another thought occurred to him.

Naruto-sama? Kakashi boggled on the inside. That someone would refer to Naruto in such a manner seemed outright bizarre to Kakashi. For a moment he turned his gaze back to Naruto. Yep. Still the same Naruto. Naruto had apparently forged a very strong impression in the kunoichi's mind, but Kakashi couldn't figure out how. He had a strong suspicion that it had to do with the prior night's events, but until he knew exactly what had happened he wouldn't know for sure. "Naruto, what happened to your hand?"

"Ah… this?" Naruto shrugged. "I had an accident with a kunai," he said blandly. Now Kakashi was doubly suspicious. Since when did Naruto use that kind of tone?

"An accident, huh?"

"Yep," Naruto replied, his tone suddenly cheerful, "an accident."

Kakashi sighed inaudibly. "Naruto," he began, injecting authority into his voice, "when my students get injured, I need to know what happened." Naruto frowned, shame mixing with rebellion in his expression. "Since a former enemy nin is involved, it makes it even more critical for me to know." He somewhat regretted making a point about Haku's status like that, but he felt that Naruto needed to be reminded that they had been enemies only a short while ago. It was not wise to place so much trust so quickly in your foes, former or not.

Naruto folded his arms and looked away from his teacher. His face was still set in a rebellious expression. "Naruto-sama," Haku murmured quietly, drawing the boy's attention. Her face was still calm and peaceful, showing no sign of the turmoil she was experiencing inside. Seeing Naruto's teacher, the man who had killed Zabuza, pressing him so hard upset her. She was angry with the man, though she controlled that emotion with the knowledge that he was only doing his job. Kakashi was a tool of his village, just like she had been Zabuza-san's tool.

Haku was also upset because Naruto was being put in an uncomfortable situation because of her actions. Naruto had saved her life and given her a new purpose. Even now he was protecting her, hiding her shame from his own mentor. She was his tool now, which meant that she should be protecting him, not the other way around. It was that thought that gave her determination. Haku really didn't want Kakashi to know about her despair and weakness the previous night, but she also wanted to deflect his attention from Naruto. It was clear that the jounin would push until he got answers.

"It's alright," she said finally, breaking the silence that had developed after her interjection.

Naruto frowned. "But…"

She smiled reassuringly, despite the unease she felt. "It's alright," she said again.

Kakashi frowned at their interaction. One of the most important skills a shinobi could posses was the ability to look 'underneath the underneath.' Sensing and understanding the multiple layers of meaning in peoples' words and the motivations behind their actions was critical for survival in the long run. It also made for a much more effective shinobi. Right now, Kakashi could sense deeper currents of meaning behind their conversation, but he didn't understand it. It's been one night, he thought to himself. How could they have formed such a deep understanding?

Kakashi did not know of Haku's past, nor could he have truly understood even if he did know. He was one of Konoha's most skillful jounin, and he had fought and lived through the last Great Shinobi War. He had taken countless lives and he had seen many horrible things, but he had never been treated as Naruto and Haku had. Kakashi could not truly understand because he had no similar experience.

He knew the pain of being orphaned, but he did not know the pain and the despair of having an entire population focusing their hate and their scorn upon him while growing up. He had always been praised as a genius and a prodigy, so he could not truly comprehend Naruto's hurt at being scorned, mocked, and overlooked for the entirety of his ninja career. Kakashi's father had committed suicide and abandoned him at a young age, but he didn't know the pain of having his father attempt to kill him like Haku had.

"I got cut stopping her from killing herself," Naruto said quietly, his eyes meeting Kakashi's again. "That's all."

"I see." Kakashi regretted putting Naruto on the spot, especially considering that it had apparently been an emotionally trying night for the boy. Even so, it was something he had to confirm. He now had an important insight into Haku's mental state as well as the knowledge that she had not tried to attack Naruto. He turned to look at Haku. "You're all right now?" he asked.

In other words, "Are you going to try and commit suicide again?" Haku thought, not without a touch a bitterness. "Yes," she said aloud in answer to his question.

Kakashi eyed her for a few more moments before nodding. He turned his attention back to Naruto. "You should go rest. I'll guard her today."

Haku blanched. Staying alone in the same room with the Copy Ninja did not appeal to her at all. Deep down, she was both afraid of him and furious at him. If she didn't spend the day silently battling apprehension she might end up with her hands around his throat before she could consciously think about it. Either way, she didn't want to be alone with him. The injured girl gazed at Naruto, pleading him with her eyes not to leave her alone with the jounin. Naruto couldn't read her mind, but he could tell what she was thinking anyway.

"I want to stay here," Naruto told his sensei. The man hesitated. "Please…" Naruto looked at Kakashi with pleading eyes to match Haku's.

"You're obviously exhausted. What good are you as a guard in that condition?"

"She won't try to run away," Naruto retorted. Kakashi nearly snorted in disbelief, but Naruto's supremely confident tone stopped him. Even Naruto wouldn't be that confident without reason, right? A second later, he sighed inwardly. Of course he would. He's Naruto.

"You know…" Kakashi began, adopting a lecturing tone.

"I will not run," Haku interjected firmly. "I will follow Naruto-sama for the rest of my life." She met Kakashi's disbelieving stare evenly. Even Kakashi, a man incredibly adept at controlling his reactions, couldn't help but openly gape. Of course, the mask obscured it, but it was a telling indication of his level of surprise that he would show his honest reaction so openly. Inwardly he wondered, How am I supposed to react to a statement like that?

Having someone seriously call the blond genin 'Naruto-sama' was one thing, having Naruto gain an apparently devoted, life-long follower was an entirely different story. Haku was a competent and intelligent shinobi in her own right, and she was clearly experienced at the job. She was also older, more talented, and more skillful than the boy. Besides, Naruto is not exactly what you'd call a great leader right now. It just did not compute.

Naruto frowned, seeing how hard of a time Kakashi was having trying to wrap his mind around the concept. Why is it so hard to believe? Naruto wondered grumpily, temporarily forgetting his own doubts about the issue. He cleared his throat forcefully, breaking Kakashi out of his stupor.

"I… see," Kakashi managed finally. It took him a few more moments to recover his composure. "Naruto," he said when he had finally achieved his normal expression again, "since that is the case, she's your responsibility." He still did not trust Haku, and he was far from convinced that leaving her alone with Naruto, who was clearly exhausted and in no condition to fight, was a good idea. Yet, against his better judgment, he found himself agreeing.

"I know."

Kakashi blinked at how glum his student sounded. I would have thought that he'd be leaping for joy at finding someone who respects him so much. He looked at Haku to see her reaction to Naruto's tone, but if she recognized it she gave no sign of being offended. She wore a slightly eerie smile.

"It's your responsibility to make sure she doesn't escape or hurt anyone. Of course, that includes herself." He paused to see if there was any reaction to that, but Naruto just nodded. "You have to take care of her while we're here. Once we get back to Konoha, well… we'll deal with that when we get there." The jounin paused again and looked at Haku, "Will you be coming with us to Konoha?"

"Yes," Haku said, nodding in affirmation. He sighed inwardly. This is going to cause trouble, I know it. Kakashi had no idea how the Sandaime would react to this situation. He winced inwardly. If the Hokage was displeased with this, it would be on his head. He didn't even want to think about the silent temper tantrum that Sasuke would throw, and if Sasuke was angry then Sakura was angry as well. I just hope this doesn't hurt their teamwork.

"Do you understand, Naruto?" Kakashi cocked his head inquisitively.

"I understand," the boy said solemnly. He grinned brightly and for a moment the old Naruto came forward. "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi grunted in acknowledgement. He paused at the doorway and turned to look at Naruto over his shoulder. He smiled mischievously, "I'll leave you two alone now." Kakashi made a brief gesture with his hand, and even without that his tone was so suggestive that even the notoriously dense Naruto understood the innuendo.

The boy blushed and his mouth worked, temporarily at a loss for words. Haku giggled, though her cheeks were pink as well. Kakashi left with a smug smile on his face. Leaving the loud-mouthed genin at a loss for words was just plain fun. Of course, Naruto could never stay silent for long when provoked. Kakashi hadn't made it halfway down the hallway before Naruto's peeved shout erupted from behind him.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

---

Sakura crouched warily on the strong, weathered tree branch and cautiously scanned her surroundings. He was nearby. Sakura just knew it. She didn't stay on the branch for long, instead leaping forward again to the next tree. It became a rhythm.

Chakra flowed through her legs in a steady, tightly regulated stream that was punctuated by slight bursts as she performed leaps that were far outside of normal human ability. Occasionally she would eject chakra from her feet, carefully molding it so that it would stick to the rough bark of whatever tree she happened to be on at the moment. The kunoichi moved swiftly, but not without caution. Every few moments she would stop and pause, checking visually for tracks and traps, not to mention signs of an ambush.

Why are we doing this? Sakura grumbled internally. She had first become short of breath awhile ago. Indeed, it seemed like hours ago to the girl. Now she was sweating like a pig and her muscles trembled from exertion. Moreover, she was mentally tired from operating at a high level of alertness for an extended period of time. Of course, it was all Naruto's fault… and Kakashi-sensei's as well.

More than a month had passed since Team 7's clash with Zabuza and Gatou on the still unfinished bridge. But while their main adversaries were dead, Team 7's mission was not yet over. The construction of the great bridge that would connect the Country of the Wave with the rest of the elemental countries was moving at a fast clip, but it still took time. The bridge had been more than three quarters finished by the time the Konoha ninja had arrived. With the death of Gatou many of Tazuna's workers had returned to continue work. There had also been a large influx of fresh labor, as many of the citizens of the Wave came to labor on the bridge that now represented their hopes for the future.

However, even as the bridge grew closer to completion Team 7 seemed to be drifting further and further apart. Sakura didn't understand it. Sasuke-kun seemed angry all of the time. She understood that his pride had been hurt in the fight on the bridge, but it had been a month since then. Sakura worried about him. The young Uchiha had changed so much since they had come to the Wave.

He had always been an aloof, arrogant boy, but there had always been an aura of sadness and tragedy around him. Sasuke-kun's mysterious inner pain had been one of his most attractive features. Most of the kunoichi who had shared classes with him agreed that his pain was the cause of his coldness, and that the kunoichi who circumvented that would be able to see the hurting boy within. But Sasuke's demeanor had changed. He's always so angry now, Sakura thought unhappily. Even worse was that all of her attempts to cheer him up seemed to make him even more irritated. His sarcasm had grown almost malicious of late, especially when it was directed towards Naruto.

Naruto, Sakura thought. He's the problem. Naruto was largely the cause of Sasuke-kun's anger, and all he did of late was fuel it. The blond genin had become distant. Sasuke's biting insults had always brought strong reactions from Naruto, but in the past month it was like Naruto no longer cared. Seeing Naruto suddenly disregarding him had infuriated Sasuke, and the dark haired boy had thrown himself into training as soon as his injuries had healed enough.

That meant that Sakura saw Sasuke even less than usual, and she no longer had Naruto to take her frustrations out on. Naruto had also become a stranger to her. Not only were his actions of the bridge shocking and his unusual introspection unsettling, he had also taken to disappearing at random times. Usually he was with Haku.

Sakura frowned. Haku was the other half of the problem. Haku was the catalyst that had prompted Naruto's actions. Moreover, her survival unsettled Sasuke-kun. Sakura knew that Sasuke felt humiliated by the girl because she had put him down using non-lethal force for the whole duration of their fight. Her survival denied Sasuke of a sense of closure.

Haku's strange behavior after waking up was another issue that both Sakura and Sasuke had difficulty comprehending. Sakura didn't know what had happened between the strange kunoichi and Naruto, but whatever it was had led to Haku apparently deciding to follow Naruto around like a puppy. Sakura scowled, even as she absently leapt from branch to branch. She even calls him 'Naruto-sama,' Sakura thought darkly. It was absurd.

She was no stranger to insecurities. Sakura had had them for nearly all of her life. Her larger than average forehead had been a subject of open mockery by her peers until Ino had stepped in. Her unusual pink hair had also drawn comments. Chasing Sasuke and being friends with the pretty, popular, and talented Ino had never failed to prompt Sakura to doubt herself. But for the most part her sense of self worth had risen strongly during her time in the Academy.

She wasn't as skilled as Ino in the practical application of many kunoichi skills, but none could match her grasp of the theoretical. She had repeatedly proven that she was smarter than Ino and, as she occasionally admitted to herself, smarter than Sasuke-kun as well. But her self esteem had taken a nose dive during Team 7's first combat mission.

Sakura felt that she had been useless on every encounter with enemy nin so far. Even Naruto had shaped up after the attack by the Onikyodai, but she had done nothing in all three hostile encounters. Even worse was the feeling, the near certainty, that nothing she could have done would have made a difference. Sasuke's increasingly cold attitude didn't help. Usually he would simply ignore her advances, but recently he had begun to snap at her, which further eroded her confidence.

That was not an entirely new thing. What was new was that she no longer had Naruto to fall back on. Even though she had never admitted it to herself, Naruto had probably been Sakura's biggest confidence booster. Having him chase her with such single-minded determination was annoying, but it was also flattering. It increased her sense of self-worth, because it showed that at least someone felt that she was worth chasing after despite her constant rejections and put-downs—despite the fact that Sasuke made her feel worthless every time he rejected her.

But Naruto had been drifting away ever since they had fought Zabuza on the bridge. Now he spent most of his time with Haku, which left Sakura with a hollow feeling that she couldn't quite explain. It felt like something important had been taken from her… but that couldn't be right, since it was just Naruto. Occasionally though, when she was alone at night in the darkness of her room, she could admit to herself that she missed him a bit. She had never felt so lonely in all of the years since Ino had become her friend as she had in the past month.

Sasuke and Naruto were her teammates, regardless of what feelings she had or didn't have for each of them, and the feeling that they were drifting apart in opposite directions was depressing. Without Naruto around Team 7 had become gloomy. Sasuke-kun's brooding tended to dominate the atmosphere without Naruto's brightness around to counteract it. Kakashi-sensei was no help at all. Even when Kakashi felt the urge to lighten the mood, his off-color jokes and teasing tended to be even more irritating and outrageous than Naruto's own stunts.

The fact that she felt lonely with Naruto gone was a shocking revelation to Sakura. It was also one that she didn't dwell on too much. Instead, she focused her thoughts on Haku. Haku irritated Sakura. The nukenin was prettier than her, more developed than her, and more skilled than her… she seemed to be better than Sakura at everything. Moreover, she had seemingly stolen Naruto from Team 7, her apparent devotion to the boy aside. She also loomed larger in Sasuke-kun's thoughts than Sakura did, even if Sasuke's thoughts about her were far darker than Sakura would wish for herself.

Sakura felt alone and inferior; she felt like she was fading into the background. She envied Haku not only for her superior looks and skills, but also for the way she seemed to have everyone's attention. Sakura suddenly felt she understood all too well the reason why Naruto had donned his garish orange jumpsuit and taken to pranks. He had been screaming for attention through his actions, and it was something Sakura herself wanted to do for the first time in her life. For some reason, her new insight into Naruto's character just made her unhappier. It shouldn't have, since she had become curious about his seemingly contradictory nature in the past month, but it did.

Because now I understand why he acted that way, Sakura realized. I didn't before, but I do now. And now I wonder if he really deserved to be treated the way I treated him. Guilt curled uncomfortably in her chest for a moment. Being able to relate to some part of Naruto's loneliness had given her an uncomfortable insight into how he must have felt when his peers alternatively ignored him and mocked him. It's just like Sasuke-kun said, Sakura thought gloomily, I don't understand. She remembered his rebuke on their first day as genin all too clearly.

"That solitude…"

Sakura stared at Sasuke-kun's back. "What?"

"You can't even compare it with the sadness of your parents getting mad at you." There was a dark tone to his voice that Sakura had never heard before.

"What's wrong…?" Sakura raised her arm in front of her, almost as if making a warding gesture.

He looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes narrowed. "You're annoying."

Sakura's eyes grew wider, her expression both horrified and disbelieving. She could only stare numbly at Sasuke-kun's back as he walked away from her.

His words had stung her harshly, and it had been the first time that she had been able to relate to Naruto's feelings even a little bit. She had resolved to be nicer to the blond then, but when he walked by she had barely been able to force a few kind words out. His misunderstanding had destroyed any vestiges of good will she may have had towards him. Her consideration of Naruto's feelings had promptly been forgotten. Now she was in the same situation again. She had gained a bit of understanding about Naruto and his feelings and had resolved to be kinder in the future. But this time her understanding of him was deeper and she was determined not to backslide into her old behavior. Of course, that was easier said than done.

Sakura had been hunting Naruto for what seemed like hours as a part of Kakashi's new training exercise. It was essentially a game of tag, except that it had very little in the way of rules and was endlessly more frustrating. They had drawn straws to determine which of the three genin would hide. Naruto had picked the short straw and he had become 'it.' Kakashi had restricted Naruto's hiding place to a square mile, most of which was forested. Naruto had been given an hour to hide and prepare the ground, which he had done quite thoroughly. Neither Sakura nor Sasuke had fully appreciated the sheer volume of traps Konoha's most unpredictable ninja could set up in an hour.

Naruto's judicious use of Kage Bunshin had turned the training exercise into an exercise in frustration. The forest had been filled with a ridiculous amount of basic—and non-lethal—traps, and the tracks left by the Kage Bunshin had made tracking the real Naruto incredibly difficult. Instead of minimizing his presence and leaving no traces of himself, Naruto had chosen to create so many tracks and traces of his passing that it was nearly impossible to rule any out as decoys. Moreover, Kage Bunshin still roamed through the forest in small numbers, distracting Naruto's teammates.

The confusion had slowed down Sakura greatly. She didn't know where Sasuke was. Without his terse, infrequent reports over the radio she would have had no idea if he was even still participating. Still, between the two of them they had been steadily tightening the circle around Naruto, and there was little room left for the hunted boy to maneuver.

Sakura fingers were twitching in anticipation. Naruto had turned such a simple training exercise into a brutal training course, and Sakura was itching to repay him for ruining her day. Only her previous thoughts about being kinder to Naruto prevented her from dwelling on a cathartic—for her anyway—beating. Still, she would relish the moment when the time came to subdue and secure him.

"Sakura," Sasuke's voice crackled as the wireless headset came to life. She nearly lost her footing in surprise, though she was able to recover smoothly and leap to the next branch without losing much momentum.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise. "What is it?"

"Naruto," he answered in a tone of grim satisfaction.

"You've found him!?" As expected of Sasuke-kun!

"Yeah. It's not a Kage Bunshin this time. He's in grid E-6, heading southeast. Cut him off."

"Roger," she answered crisply, but Sasuke had already cut the connection. Sakura quickly checked her map and smirked. It's over for you, Naruto!

---

Sasuke pursued Naruto doggedly, utilizing his newfound chakra control to boost his speed in short bursts. Naruto grinned. He had that skill as well, and he had mastered the Suimen Hokou no Waza two weeks before Sasuke had learned it. It had taken Sasuke a single glance to learn the skill, but Naruto had put in many hours of practice over the past month. Water walking had become nearly instinctive to the orange-clad genin, and many hours of practice had given Naruto a substantial boost to his chakra controlling abilities. Naruto was also quite used to running away from pursuers. It was not hard for him to maintain a decent distance from Sasuke. The only problem was that he could not increase the distance between them easily. Sasuke's Sharingan enabled him to spot and avoid Naruto's traps and Kage Bunshin with ease.

The constant pressure exerted by Sasuke's pursuit diverted Naruto's attention from what was in front of him. Naruto didn't notice the scowling pink haired girl that was moving to intercept him from the front. Or rather he did notice, but not until a powerful right hook smashed into his jaw and sent him careening to the ground. Naruto groaned, but the sound was muffled by his swollen jaw. He twitched, only vaguely aware of Sakura and Sasuke landing on the ground nearby. It hurts… Naruto thought dizzily. His loss of awareness might have been fortunate, for he missed the sight of steel wire stretching out tautly and the almost sinister looks his teammates had donned.

Fifteen minutes later Sakura and Sasuke had arrived back at Tazuna's home, a tightly bound Naruto being carried roughly between them. Kakashi blinked at the sight before chuckling. The sudden twitching of Sakura's right eyebrow at Kakashi's amusement only served to make the jounin laugh harder. Naruto was bound and gagged tightly. The abundance of steel wire wrapped around his torso almost looked like a cocoon. Naruto's wiggling struggle only further enhanced his larvae-like appearance. Sakura and Sasuke were both clearly exhausted. They were dirty and scratched, and there was a sort of vindictive satisfaction on their faces as they watched Naruto squirm on the ground.

"Well," Kakashi said after his chuckling died down, "it looks like the training exercise was worthwhile after all." He clapped his hands together in mock delight. "But…" Kakashi continued, letting the word hang in air for a moment, "you took way too long to catch Naruto." He frowned at the two standing genin.

"But we caught him before noon!" Sakura protested. Noon had been Kakashi's time limit on the exercise. Had Naruto evaded capture until midday, he would have won.

"That's only an hour away," Kakashi replied. "That means it took you four hours to chase down Naruto." He shook his head in disappointment.

Sakura reddened. She looks like she's about to explode, Kakashi observed warily. Sakura's enraged voice was painful on the ears, and the jounin had little desire to deal with her rage. He was saved by Sasuke. "We caught him in the end, didn't we?" Sasuke glared at his teacher, as if daring him to contradict that statement.

"Well…" Kakashi made a show of deliberating about it. He was inordinately pleased to see even the normally stoic Sasuke begin quivering in anger. Clearly, Sakura and Sasuke were in no mood for his games, but it was just so fun to irritate them. His genin were so easy to tease. It was almost too easy to be fun… almost. "I suppose," he concluded reluctantly. Kakashi sighed discontentedly. "I was looking forward to our remedial training session too."

"Can we go in now?" Sakura complained. "I need a shower."

"Sure." The two worn genin trudged inside. Kakashi crouched down next to Naruto, smiling as he did so. He met Naruto's angry glare with a cheerful look. "It looks like you're the only one who needs a remedial training session," Kakashi told Naruto. The boy blanched and shook his head frantically. "You let them catch you," Kakashi retorted, "even though you had an hour to prepare the area. Obviously you need to practice your evasion skills more." Kakashi grinned maliciously and lifted the squirming bundle that was Naruto and tossed him over his shoulder. This is going to be amusing.

---

"Stupid Kakashi-sensei," Naruto muttered angrily. He was covered with scratches and shallow cuts from where Kakashi's kunai had come too close for comfort. Apparently Kakashi's idea of evasion training was to give Naruto a five minute head start before sending a pack of dogs out to chase the genin while he himself periodically flung kunai and shuriken to "keep him on his toes." It had been a grueling couple of hours and Naruto wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep. But I can't, Naruto thought in determination, because it's training time.

His determination to grow stronger demanded that he not miss a single day of training if he could help it. Naruto had been training hard all month, but clearly it had not been enough. Kakashi-sensei was right. I shouldn't have been caught. Naruto grimaced, remembering the humiliating way he had been bound. He hated being tied up with a passion. Naruto hated feeling helpless, unable to do anything, and being tied up brought that feeling in force. But his failure only motivated him to train harder. That was why he was in the forest again looking for a good spot to train, despite Kakashi-sensei's torturous training session—though it might have been more appropriate to call it a punishment session instead.

He found a good spot easily, but his limbs were weak with exertion by the time he stopped there. Naruto sighed. A short rest won't hurt, he reasoned. Naruto's energy and strength would return after a short break. That was how it had always been. He sat back against a solid tree trunk, savoring the cool, gentle breeze that blew through the woods. Branches rustled overhead and thousands of leaves whispered as the wind caressed them. Naruto relaxed as the soothing noises washed over him. Haku would like this, he thought drowsily.

Naruto had spent a great deal of time with the nukenin over the past month. He had gotten to know her better during that time and he knew that she enjoyed nature. A walk through the strangely idyllic forest on a pleasant day was an activity that she would love. I should bring her here. It was surprising at how pleasant he found the thought of showing her the forest. But then Naruto had never really had anyone to share anything with, other than Iruka.

Thinking about Iruka brought an abrupt feeling of homesickness. He missed his mentor. Naruto absently wondered what Iruka would think about the mission. What would he say when Naruto told him about the death of Gatou and several of his mercenaries? Naruto knew rationally that the older man wouldn't blame him or hold it against him, but some part of him worried that Iruka would take it as the act of a monster. After all, he had been using the Kyuubi's chakra in that fight, and it was the Kyuubi that had killed Iruka's parents. Naruto shook his head, trying to banish those depressing thoughts. Iruka-sensei wouldn't think like that, he told himself. He knows that I'm not the stupid fox. It was a reassuring thought.

But what would he think about Haku? Naruto was less certain, especially since he hardly knew what to think of that himself. Haku's injuries had healed at a fast rate and she was almost totally recovered. It would still be awhile before it was safe for her to utilize her shinobi talents, since the stress on her body might reopen the wound or cause internal bleeding, but it wouldn't be long.

Her body was healing, and her mind seemed to be healing as well. It seemed like she was recovering from the mental wounds that Zabuza's death had dealt, but Naruto wasn't entirely sure. There were moments where she seemed odd, where her behavior didn't match up, but Naruto generally only caught brief glimpses of these moments and he did not understand what they meant. She also had some other strange quirks, though he didn't know if she had always had them or had recently developed them.

Haku seemed oddly nervous around everyone but Naruto. When others came near her, she seemed almost skittish. She hid it well, but Naruto could tell, mostly because he had once been like that. It was the behavior of a victim anticipating violence. Still, he didn't understand why she behaved like that. He knew something of her past, but in the present she was a highly competent ninja. It would not be easy to inflict violence upon her and she had to know that. Kakashi-sensei was the only person in the Wave that Naruto knew who could conceivably do so and have a good chance of escaping with his life. But Naruto knew that Kakashi-sensei would never do so as long as she wasn't a direct threat, and Haku was definitely smart enough to know that as well.

Besides, why was he the only one she didn't act like that around? Her behavior just didn't add up. She also seemed to think that he would disappear and never come back if she let him out of her sight. Getting away to train during the day was, in the words of his lazy classmate Shikamaru, troublesome. Haku was almost clingy. Naruto did not know what to make of that. The closest behavior he had seen was the way Sakura, Ino, and the other kunoichi of their year had behaved towards Sasuke, but that wasn't quite right either. Now that she was recovering she seemed to want to follow him everywhere in order to keep him in her sight. He could still get away with going out alone since she still was not in perfect health, but soon that would not be an excuse.

It was surprisingly wearing to have someone want his company so much. Sometimes it nearly brought him to tears that someone could want him to be around that much. Other times it just wore on his nerves. Naruto had yearned for warm companionship and company for most of his life, but in that time he had gotten used to being independent. He had never had to worry about anyone else before, nor had anyone ever been reliant upon him. It was something he had craved, but the reality of it was different from his dreams. Naruto was ecstatic that he now had such a bond, but the limitations it placed on him chafed. Still, he couldn't run away from it. I promised.

Promises were important to Naruto. He had failed so many times to live up to his own promises to improve. Few people had ever made any promises with Naruto, and even fewer had kept their word. Naruto knew intimately the shame that came from failing to uphold a promise. Likewise he was also closely acquainted with the disappointment and pain that came from others failing to uphold their promises with him. Naruto's determination to uphold his promises to others came from his own negative experiences. However, there was one incident that truly stuck at the heart of the matter.

Naruto had sworn in front of his teammates that he would not be a burden, that he would not run away or need saving. Yet, in their first encounter with Zabuza, Naruto had very nearly broken the oath he had sworn on the pain of his left hand. He had nearly fled from the battle like a coward, too intimidated by the nukenin to do anything but quiver in fear. Naruto had come very close to abandoning his teammates and Tazuna to what had seemed like certain death.

Even worse was the realization that they seemed to have expected him to do just that. He was a coward in their eyes, and his word meant less than nothing. It was that experience that had truly served to solidify the determination within him. He would show them that his promises meant something, that he was not simply a cowardly braggart. I will not go back on my word, he had sworn inwardly with fierce resolve.

There was no warning, no feeling of killing intent, just the faint whisper of a taut chain slicing through air. Naruto leapt to his feat and pulled out a kunai, but it was too late. "What!?" Naruto exclaimed fearfully. Bladed chains dug into his flesh and blood began to seep through his clothes. He struggled frantically to move, opening more wounds in the process, but the chains had wrapped firmly around him and he was pinned to the tree. He looked around frantically, but there was nothing in the clearing. Suddenly there was something at his right ear, the dark familiar sound of a voice muffled by a water respirator.

"The second one," was the dark-cloaked ninja's grim pronouncement.

Naruto's eyes widened in shocked recognition, "You're the…" The chains tightened with explosive force. Naruto barely had time to scream. The tree toppled and a cloud of sawdust and dirt was kicked up in its place.

"Heh," a second shape scoffed. "No one saved you this time." Like the first ninja, his lower face was covered with a black water respirator. Unlike the first, he wore no cloak, and the dirty brown camouflage of his uniform contrasted greatly with the gleaming metal of his gauntlet. He looked to his partner, "Our revenge for our defeat and the death of Zabuza-sama has begun. Only three more to go, right?" He frowned when his partner did not respond. "Aniki?"

"No," Gouzu, the elder of the Onikyodai, growled. He tensed, his eyes scanning the area. "He's not dead."

"What? But he's…" Meizu, the younger Demon Brother, trailed off. His eyes widened as he beheld the finely sliced log. He scowled, "Kawarimi."

"Idiots." The Onikyodai turned sharply in unison towards the direction the mocking voice had come from. Uzumaki Naruto grinned at their obvious anger from his tree-top vantage point. "You're too slow," he mocked again. Inwardly he was cursing. It was true that he had been far too inattentive of his surroundings, but it was also true that the two nukenin were faster than him. Weren't the ANBU supposed to have picked these two up? Naruto wondered anxiously.

It was only due to luck and pure desperation that he'd been able to use the Kawarimi no Jutsu in time. His mind worked frantically. He now knew enough about his strengths and weaknesses to know that he could not take on two chuunin, especially two chuunin with such finely honed teamwork, and win in a direct fight. So I'll have to get sneaky, he thought grimly.

Gouzu and Meizu had not taken kindly to Naruto's taunts. They were closing quickly on his position… alarmingly quickly. Naruto brought his hands together. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! He leapt from the tree-top along with more than a dozen Kage Bunshin to meet the brothers' charge. The chain snapped and whirled through the air. Four Kage Bunshin exploded in puffs of smoke. Six more collided violently with the Onikyodai in midair, while Naruto and two other clones dropped past them. I'm behind! Three kunai, then six sailed up at the Demon Brothers' unguarded backs. The brothers turned smoothly in unison, using each other to turn in midair, and suddenly the six Kage Bunshin that had attacked them were between them and the kunai. "Shit," Naruto cursed. The Kage Bunshin exploded and the kunai fell back towards the earth, their momentum canceled. I need space, he thought frantically as the brothers began to race down the tree. Two Kage Bunshin swiftly charged up the tree trunk.

"Too easy," Gouzu sneered. The giant, clawed gauntlet on his right arm flashed forward and two more Kage Bunshin died. Naruto frowned even as he rapidly backpedaled across the clearing. Those claws give them a lot more reach than me, he realized. Naruto whirled abruptly and leaped in another reversal of direction. A clawed fist slammed violently into the ground he had just vacated. Meizu grinned darkly.

Naruto had to consciously push down the rising panic bubbling up within him. With Meizu in front of him and Gouzu behind him, he was in an extremely vulnerable position. Moreover, the long, sawed chain was stretched taut between the two brothers. It hung, an intimidating vision all on its own, on Naruto's right. Abruptly, Naruto recalled the way Kakashi—or at least, a log that had looked like Kakashi for a few moments—had been wrapped up in chains by the Demon Brothers. This formation…

Meizu saw the abrupt realization on Naruto's face. Naruto sprang left, pushing chakra violently from his feet in order to give him an edge. "It's too late," Meizu chortled. Their pray usually went in the opposite direction of the chain. Gouzu had already begun moving to cut off Naruto's escape in that direction before Naruto had even realized the trap. A dark shadow blurred into Naruto's line of sight.

Naruto ducked beneath a lethal claw swipe that would have taken his head off had it connected and darted away. But he had nowhere to go but up or down, and he realized that too late. Meizu and Gouzu completed their circle. The chains whirled in a violent circle around him as they tightened swiftly. Clearly the Onikyodai did not want to leave their prey with any time to escape. They didn't. Naruto closed his eyes tightly an instant before the chains hit. It's over.

"It's over," the brothers echoed in unison.

A thousand flying water needles slammed the chain into the ground with brutal force. Naruto could only blink in surprise as he was covered in cold water. A moment later, he gaped as the chain that had nearly ripped him into pieces shattered into hundreds of fragments. A lithe shape emerged at the edge of the clearing. Haku!

Naruto didn't know whether he was more surprised or relieved. He was immensely relieved that he hadn't died, but Haku showing up to save him at the last moment was surprising. She was clearly not dressed for battle. Her yukata was pink, flowery, and very feminine. It was quite similar to the one she had worn while gathering herbs in the woods, except that it had sleeves and a floral pattern. All in all, it looked very elegant on her, but the effect was somewhat ruined by the fluffy white indoor slippers that she wore. Her expression contrasted her outfit even more sharply. She stared at the Onikyodai with eyes cold enough to freeze the marrow in their bones. Her face was perfectly blank otherwise, set in a mask without expression.

If Naruto was surprised, Gouzu and Meizu were stunned. "Haku!" Gouzu finally exclaimed in shock. "You're alive..." He stared at the girl. Haku's a girl? Gouzu and Meizu thought wonderingly to themselves.

"Yes," she acknowledged, her voice as cold as her expression. She began to walk towards Naruto. The brothers remained in a stupor long enough for Haku to reach Naruto's side. She knelt before him, a pale hand reaching out to touch his shoulder. "Are you alright, Naruto-sama?" Haku asked, concern etched on her features. Naruto wondered at her abrupt change in demeanor, but he managed to smile reassuringly at her.

"Yeah," he replied, grinning. He paused and his smile dimmed. "You saved me," he murmured.

"I couldn't stand by and watch," she lowered her head apologetically. "I was worried about you, so I came to find you," Haku murmured, trying to explain herself. She looked anxiously at him, as if waiting to be reprimanded.

Naruto stared at her, baffled by her reaction. "It's okay," he said after a moment. He reached out to lightly touch her shoulder. "I'm grateful," he said earnestly. I said swore I wouldn't need to be saved, and I meant it. But for now I'll need help until I can grow that strong.

Haku smiled happily. Once again Naruto was confounded at how quickly the girl seemed to switch moods. Behind her, Naruto saw the Onikyodai staring at them in confusion. He frowned at them. They're starting to recover from the shock, he realized abruptly. "Haku," he murmured, gesturing behind her. She nodded and the calm, expressionless mask slid back into place as she rose to her feet. Naruto got up with her.

"Haku-san," Gouzu said cautiously, "that brat is a part of the team that killed Zabuza-sama." He was clearly still unsure of where she stood.

"How did you learn that?" Haku questioned mildly. "You two were defeated by the Copy Ninja."

The brothers winced in unison. "We were able to escape our bonds and spent several days hiding from Konoha's ANBU patrols," Meizu offered.

His older brother nodded. "When we finally made it out of Fire Country we went to headquarters, but it was empty. After that we tracked down some Gatou Company employees and they spilled the story."

"I see."

"Haku-san, why did you save this boy?" Gouzu was clearly becoming suspicious. He knew about Haku's kind nature, but even she would not show mercy to someone partly responsible for Zabuza's death. Now that he thought about it, there was no way she couldn't know about the boy's role. Haku followed Zabuza everywhere, and the former member of the Seven Swordsmen had not fought a battle without Haku being present for years.

"Naruto-sama defeated me in the battle that killed Zabuza-san," she replied tonelessly, ignoring the brothers' incredulous gasps. "But I owe him a debt that I can never truly repay. I will not let you kill him."

Gouzu and Meizu frowned angrily. "If you say that he defeated you, then it is even more important that he pay with his life!" Meizu exclaimed angrily. His brother nodded sharply. Haku would never have let Zabuza be killed unless she died first or could not help it. If the boy had truly taken Haku out of the battle, then it was possible that had she not been defeated Zabuza might still have had his life.

"I will not let you." The air seemed to grow chill around the girl. The Demon Brothers tensed.

"Please, stand aside," Gouzu pleaded gruffly. Haku's appearance, and strange priorities, confused and worried him, but he didn't want to fight her. She had been Zabuza's right hand since before Gouzu and Meizu had joined with the swordsman, and he knew very well that she was a formidable foe.

Haku shook her head slowly, her eyes never leaving the pair in front of her. "Why?" Meizu asked. "Why are you protecting him?" The boy standing next to Haku seemed to have played an instrumental part in Zabuza's downfall. Meizu couldn't comprehend why Haku would protect him. Hadn't she been the most loyal of Zabuza's followers? Wasn't she their comrade? Why would she choose to stand at that boy's side against them?

"I owe him my life," Haku answered, her eyes sharp and hard.

Gouzu sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "I see," he muttered. When he spoke again, his voice was cold and businesslike, "That's your answer then?"

"Yes."

"We will be enemies," Meizu said quietly.

For the first time, the brothers could make out a hint of emotion from Haku. "Yes," Haku agreed, a trace of sadness in her tone.

"So be it, then," Gouzu growled, forcing himself to think of Haku as just another enemy. Anger grew in him. Traitor, he labeled her with grim finality.

Haku's eyes narrowed. The Onikyodai were dangerous. While their chain-combo was their most effective technique, they were far from weak without it. Their teamwork was top-notch, chain or no chain, and they were both experienced chuunin-level shinobi. Haku inwardly frowned as she contemplated how to deal with the two.

If she could trap them within the Makyou Hyoushou, then she could finish them off easily. But dealing with both of them at once would be difficult without that, and their speed and coordination with each other would make it difficult to trap both of them at once. They were familiar with that technique, so they would not let themselves be trapped easily.

"Oi, Haku," Naruto's voice jarred her from her contemplation.

She didn't take her eyes off the Demon Brothers when she responded, "Yes, Naruto-sama?"

"I'll take the one on the left," he told her tersely. Meizu, her mind filled in. While he was the younger brother, he was just as skilled and experienced as Gouzu, and he kept his clawed gauntlet poisoned.

"But Naruto-sama…" she began to protest.

"It's all right," he told her, with firm tone in his voice that she hadn't heard since that night. It was the same tone he'd used when he had told her that he would not allow her to take her own life. "Trust me," Naruto said more gently. Her protests died in her throat.

"Yes," she murmured. I trust you. He nodded in satisfaction.

The Demon Brothers attacked first, seeking to regain the initiative that they'd lost during Haku's intervention. They need to be separated quickly, Haku thought. Her right hand drew a concealed senbon from the lining of her yukata while her left hand rapidly formed the hand seals unique to her bloodline. Streams of water erupted from the soil beneath her feet. It was a lucky thing that the Wave Country saw frequent rain—it left plenty of moisture in the soil for her to utilize.

The water droplets seemed to hang in the air for the blink of an eye before rapidly gathering together and reforming in the shape of crystalline needles. Sensatsu Suishou! Naruto watched in awe as what seemed like thousands of watery needles shot towards the charging Onikyodai with incredible speed. The brothers leapt apart in opposite directions and less than a second later the water needles violently impacted the ground, causing a cloud of dirt to rise up. Haku felt a moment of triumph. Now! Naruto knew an opening when he saw it. He immediately launched himself towards Meizu.

Haku likewise pursued Gouzu, flinging several senbon as she closed the distance between them. Gouzu block them with his massive metal gauntlet before rapidly reversing direction and lunging at Haku. The Demon Brothers were above average for chuunin when it came to speed, but Haku was faster. She smoothly ducked under the extended claw and slammed a fist into his stomach. Gouzu grunted, recoiling slightly.

While Haku's speed was exceptional, her physical power was only slightly above the average genin kunoichi's level. She was well aware of her shortcoming in that particular area, which was why her taijutsu relied on high speed combos against soft, vulnerable areas of the human body. Before Gouzu's arm had even begun to retract she had followed her first strike up with a knee to the stomach and a knuckle between the ribs. Her third hit dug into a nerve and Gouzu, still unbalanced, stumbled backward. A rising palm beneath the jaw completed her first assault and completely shattered Gouzu's composure.

Haku saw her opponent's guard momentarily broken and blurred into motion. A kick to the face against an opponent of Gouzu's level was generally too risky for her to consider due to the openings it left, but with Gouzu's guard down she decided to risk it. It connected and there was a satisfying crunch as his respirator was shattered. Gouzu flew backwards several feet and landed on his back. He recovered quickly and leapt to his feet, but it was already too late for him. Haku's hands had locked together in a complex seal formation, and cold air and chakra were leaking from her like a sieve. Dread and bile rose in Gouzu's throat. He recognized that seal

His worst fears were confirmed when Haku met his gaze, and for the first time since she arrived her cold eyes sent a shiver up Gouzu's spine. "Hijutsu," Haku murmured aloud, "Makyou Hyoushou."

---

Naruto's battle with Meizu was not going well. He had succeeded in keeping his opponent from linking back up with his brother, but he had taken a beating in doing so. Naruto's breathing was labored and his face was pinched in effort. One of Meizu's retaliatory kicks had cracked a rib, and Naruto was feeling it now that the initial burst of adrenaline receded. His mind raced as he tried to come up with a strategy to defeat the chuunin.

The opening blows of the fight had very firmly and painfully told Naruto that he could not match Meizu in taijutsu. The older man had superior reach, strength, and speed, not to mention a formidable weapon. Even if he didn't have all of that, he was still more skilled than Naruto and he had hard-earned combat experience. So what do I do? He wondered desperately as the masked nukenin moved to press the assault again. Naruto had no long ranged ninjutsu to use against his opponent and he was totally useless with genjutsu. I have to create an opening, but how?

Meizu tore into Naruto with furious blows. Naruto dodged and weaved frantically, trying to block the blows he couldn't avoid. But even blocking was punishing due to Meizu's superior strength, and those claws were fearsome. If he cuts me, it's over! He knew from their first encounter that Meizu's claw was poisoned. Naruto would have no time to drain it should it enter his blood stream, and there would be no one to help dress his wounds this time.

He successfully avoided being cut, for the time being, and was able to connect a punch to Meizu's face—or rather, his water respirator. It broke under Naruto's fist and blunted the impact, but it distracted Meizu long enough for Naruto to create some distance between them. But even though he had avoided being cut open and poisoned, he had come out of the exchange far worse than Meizu, who did not need his water respirator anyway.

His left hand was bleeding, having been cut by the now broken face-piece. His arms were bruised from absorbing the impact from some of Meizu's blows, and he feared that his forearm had a fracture. His whole body was in pain, but the other man wasn't injured at all. It was only thanks to the long, tedious hours he had devoted towards improving his chakra control that he was even fast enough to have come this far against Meizu. He gritted his teeth. I can't give up now. I said I would take care of this guy and I will!

"You're in the way, brat," Meizu growled. He blurred into motion. He's fast! Naruto leaped into the air, hoping to maneuver to Meizu's back. His movement was arrested by a powerful blow to his stomach. Naruto cried out, but the only sound that came was a silent wheeze as the air was driven from him. He tasted blood in his mouth as he fell towards the ground. Naruto was barely able to maintain the presence of mind required to twist his body and land on his feet. He panted furiously, desperately trying to suck air back into his lungs. Naruto stood in a crouch, fighting the urge to fold up in a ball and clutch his stomach. His legs trembled as he struggled to remain on his feet. Suddenly Meizu was in front of him, the steel gauntlet glinting in the sun as he drew back his arm.

Naruto moved, but his movements were too sluggish to get out of range in time. Five massive bladed fingers tore into Naruto's side. Naruto cried out and fell to his knees. It was a desperate struggle to maintain consciousness as Naruto experienced more physical pain than he had ever known before. Blood was flowing freely from the hideous gash and Naruto feebly pressed his right hand against his side, futilely trying to slow the blood loss.

"Tch," Meizu sneered in irritation, "I missed." He looked down at the bleeding boy for a moment longer before snapping his foot out and kicking the boy in the stomach. Naruto wheezed in pain and toppled face-first to the ground. Meizu turned to look towards his brother and froze, his eyes widening. His brother's dark shape was completely surrounded by large, rectangular sheets of ice that reflected light like mirrors. "That technique…" Meizu breathed, horrified. "Aniki!" He moved to help his brother.

His movement was halted sharply and Meizu nearly tripped and fell on his face. He turned in surprise, scowling in rage as he saw a panting Naruto firmly gripping his ankle. Naruto's grin was insolent, if strained. "Heh," he panted. "It's not over yet."

"You're a nuisance, brat!" Meizu's giant gauntlet flashed towards Naruto's head, terrible claws extended. An orange blur slammed into his side at the last moment, knocking him away from the prostrate boy. "What!?" He lashed out at his attacker only to have it explode in a cloud of white smoke. "Kage Bunshin!" Meizu exclaimed, surprised. Two more shapes darted through the already diminishing smoke cloud, but Meizu was prepared this time and he made short work of them.

Meanwhile, Naruto had agonizingly pulled himself up to a kneeling position. He reached behind to feel around in his ninja tool pouch before finding what he wanted. Naruto dropped the tool when a savage kick slammed into his chest, hurling him several yards away. He landed on his back and skidded for several feet. Naruto bit his lip hard, struggling to keep from crying out in pain. Meizu stood several yards away from Naruto, in the space that he had forcibly been ejected from. The nukenin was quivering with rage. A thin line of blood trailed down his cheek. One of my clones got him. Naruto smirked weakly. "You brat," he said, his voice hoarse with rage and frustration. "When did you use Kage Bunshin?"

"Only once," Naruto told him.

"Once…?" Meizu's eyes widened as he realized Naruto's strategy.

"Right," Naruto's smirk widened. "Those Kage Bunshin were waiting and hiding the whole time." It was a gamble on his part. He had been uncertain if they could remain undetected or if they would have an opening to act, and the strain of maintaining the Kage Bunshin despite his pain was immense. His near death experience had occurred far too quickly for him to put them into play, but his gamble had paid off.

Now, it's time to start part two. He had been slowly and painfully pulling himself upright while they talked. Meizu had underestimated him, was still underestimating him, and the nukenin would pay dearly for that mistake. He brought his hands together to form the cross-seal for the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. There was a blur and a whine as air was displaced by the shadow clones. He didn't have much chakra left to waste, so he only created ten. Naruto dearly hoped that it would be enough.

All ten clones were bloody and beaten. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu evenly divided the user's chakra between each clone, but another aspect of the technique was that the clones took on the appearance and approximate physical condition of the user at the time they were created. Since he was wounded and low on chakra, the clones were far weaker than normal. It'll be enough, he thought in determination. It has to be enough.

Meizu was scowling as the clones moved to surround him. He allowed them to. He's still angry, Naruto realized with something close to glee. Angry shinobi were more prone to mistakes than calm ones were. It was exactly the kind of behavior Naruto had been praying for. Hopefully, Meizu would act the way Naruto thought he would.

The clones abruptly charged as one, and Meizu accelerated forward, making a beeline towards the real Naruto. I don't have time for this, Meizu thought angrily, frantically. His elder brother was in danger, and he needed to finish the nuisance off quickly. Meizu had faith in his brother, but even Gouzu wouldn't be able to stand against Haku for too long if the girl was as serious as she had seemed to be.

His movement was halted as an uninjured Kage Bunshin dropped from above, delivering an axe kick to Meizu's skull. The chuunin had seen the Kage Bunshin's shadow just in time and blocked the kick with his metal gauntlet. But that pause in his movement was enough. A second fresh looking Kage Bunshin, the last of Naruto's hidden reserve, had begun moving the instant Meizu had begun his charge.

It used the brief moment that Meizu was distracted by the descending clone to slip through Meizu's guard and latch onto his metal claw. Meizu struggled with it for a several seconds. The ten newly created Kage Bunshin had taken the opportunity as well and they swarmed over the chuunin, binding his movement. Naruto grinned in triumph and his hands moved to form the Ram seal, ignoring the sharp flashes of pain even moving his right arm brought him. His plan had paid off, and luck had delivered the means for him to end the fight. It was ironic that Meizu had seeded his own demise when he had kicked Naruto and forced him to drop the ninja tool he had been fumbling for.

White puffs of smoke surrounded the nukenin as he violently dispelled the Kage Bunshin one by one. "It's too late," Naruto pronounced grimly. Meizu, seeing Naruto's hands arranged in a seal formation, struggled harder to remove the Kage Bunshin clutching his limbs. Naruto focused his chakra sharply. "Boom," he whispered. The explosive note nestled underneath Meizu's feet exploded.

Naruto staggered backwards as the force of the explosion buffeted him. He swayed dizzily, but he was able to remain conscious. Slowly he began to stagger towards the fallen form of Meizu. A terrible howl erupted from the cloud of dust and dirt, the remnants of the explosion, which obscured Meizu's position. Naruto stopped, shocked. He's still alive? He pressed on again when it was clear that the howls were of agony rather than rage.

He made it to the fallen nukenin's side and stared down, sickened. Meizu's legs had been blown off, and only bloody stumps remained. Blood poured from severed blood vessels, and Naruto could see shards of bone and black patches were the flesh had been seared. Some small chunks of flesh were scattered nearby. His stomach rebelled violently at the sight, but somehow he was able to keep from vomiting, an amazing feat considering the smell of burnt human flesh that permeated the air around Naruto. Meizu screamed and writhed on the ground, clearly in terrible pain.

It's amazing that he's still conscious, Naruto observed clinically. Naruto felt numb. He was the cause of this, yet he seemed to feel nothing at all aside from being slightly nauseous. He watched the now pathetic form of Meizu writhe for several more moments, wondering what he should do. Finally, he reached into his kunai holster and drew his spare. Slowly, taking care not to jar his side, he knelt above Meizu's head in a position where the nukenin's flailing arms were unlikely to hit him.

Naruto's mind had settled into a cold, calm, thoughtless place. He knew what he had to do and he did it, with no emotion, no remorse. Meizu's screams dwindled into wet gurgles and his writhing body stilled. Blood pumped steadily from the gaping slash across his throat and a dark, wet pool formed beneath his head to match the one where his legs should have been. Naruto watched as the light faded from Meizu's eyes.

For the first time, Naruto witnessed a human die up close. Before, the Kyuubi's rage had left Naruto's memories oddly scattered and jumbled. This time, he knew he would remember the sight for the rest of his life. There was no Kyuubi, no rage, no demonic influences or emotions clouding Naruto's mind. He was just… numb.

A gentle hand rested on his shoulder. Naruto turned slightly and looked up to see Haku staring down at Meizu with an unreadable expression. Haku hardly looked like she had been in a battle at all. Her yukata was ruffled and somewhat dirty, but otherwise unscratched. The slippers on her feet were dusty and Naruto saw small blood stains, but otherwise they too were intact.

Naruto looked past her to see the dark, still form of Gouzu lying in a pool of water and blood. Haku's ice mirrors had melted and the water was seeping back into the earth, taking Gouzu's blood along with it. Gouzu's body would eventually follow. After a moment he looked back at Haku. Her hand was trembling, he noted.

"Haku…?" He was surprised at how hoarse his voice sounded.

"Gouzu bought me a mask last year during the New Year's festival," she murmured quietly. She smiled sadly as tears filled her eyes, "Meizu was afraid of cats, but I never found out why." Her head lowered and her tears began to fall freely. She looked at her hands, as if seeing them for the first time. "I… I killed…" Haku covered her face with her hands as her shoulders began to shake with quiet sobs.

Naruto stared up at her for a long moment, uncomprehending. Then, slowly, his eyes began to widen. He started at the still, bloody form of Meizu and his own hands, drenched with the man's blood. They were covered with the blood of a ruthless, murderous man, that much was true. It was also true that Meizu had been a human being, a brother, and someone who Haku valued enough to weep for. His brother was the same. Suddenly the agonizing pain in his side, the dizziness he was beginning to feel, and the rest of his wounds no longer mattered. Naruto began crying.

I killed.

Haku's faltering words summed up the agony that gripped Naruto's heart perfectly. I forced Haku to kill, he realized, and horror seemed to grip his very soul. Haku was a shinobi and she had surely killed before, but she was somehow pure despite that. The thought of such a pure girl killing for his sake hurt. His own pain meant nothing compared to that. No one should ever have to kill for my sake, Naruto thought bleakly.

Abruptly, he saw a glimpse of what it was truly like to be a Hokage, and he understood why they were so strong. A Hokage was not just an exceedingly powerful or wise ninja. A Hokage accepted responsibility for the irreversible stain that blood wrought on the soul. The Hokage bore the burden of all the lives that were taken by Konoha's shinobi, just as he accepted the burden of all the lives that were lost in service to Konoha.

He stood slowly. His own tears never stopped flowing, but his face had firmed into an expression of fierce determination. Naruto awkwardly embraced Haku, gently enfolding her in what he hoped was a comforting hug. She lowered her hands slightly, gazing down at him with teary eyes and an expression of pain and loss so deep that Naruto felt wounded just looking at it. Still, his determination did not waver.

I'll accept responsibility, he thought, and tried to tell her so. He opened his mouth, and found that words would not come. Naruto croaked, feeling a strange, burning sensation crawl up his throat. The genin closed his mouth and settled for awkwardly patting her back. His arms burned at the gesture, but then numbness began setting in. He didn't know if she understood his wordless message or what his gesture meant, but she crumbled to her knees, weeping uncontrollably.

"Naruto-sama," she whispered. Haku clutched his jacket tightly and buried her face into the fabric. He held the kneeling girl to his chest, staring up at the blue sky mournfully. Naruto's own tears fell in silence, but every one of Haku's sobs etched themselves into his memory. They both wept for Gouzu and Meizu, for all of the lives lost by their hands, for Zabuza, and for each other.

When they finished grieving Haku fell asleep against him, exhausted mentally and physically. Naruto himself was even more exhausted, but he nonetheless picked up the older girl and carried her into the shade of the trees. Pain threatened to buckle his legs with every step and exhaustion sought to pull him into unconsciousness, but he managed to make it to the shade. By the time he got there, the pain was gone. His body seemed lighter than it had ever been… almost as if he was made of air. Only his side still felt pain, a pulsing, burning pain. A thousand invisible spiders crawled over the wound, biting and burrowing as they went.

He slumped down, his back to a tree, and laid Haku down carefully. He breathed harshly, quickly, as his lungs struggled to pull in oxygen. Naruto felt weaker than he had ever felt before. His energy was draining from him rapidly, and his mind flashed between awareness and blissful darkness. Dark spots danced across his vision. My hands are red, was his last thought before he succumbed to darkness. He did not have time to wonder why that thought made him so sad.

Fool.

Naruto's eyelids flickered.

You really are weak, aren't you?

There was a flash, an impression of massive red eyes, glowing in the darkness.

I suppose it cannot be helped. I will give you another gift, for you cannot seem to do anything without my help.

A voice rumbled from the darkness, deeper than the roots of mountains, more powerful than the sea itself. The voice's tone dripped with malicious amusement.

You can thank me later, brat. A shadow moved, deeper than darkness. There was a feeling, an impression; thunder without sound. The world bled red.

---

It was Kakashi who had stumbled onto the battle site and found the two sleeping ninja. He had gone to look for Naruto after the boy did not return for his watch duty at the clinic and found that Haku was missing as well. He found far more than he had been looking for. Haku had awoken as soon as Kakashi had come within ten yards of her position next to Naruto, but Naruto would not wake up. Worried, Kakashi had carried Naruto back to the clinic with Haku tight on his heels. The Takanagi duo could not find anything wrong with Naruto. The boy had clearly been in a battle, but he had no wounds to show for it. Only his clothes seemed to bear the scars of combat. Yet he would not wake up. Kakashi suspected, and dreaded, that it had something to do with the demon within Naruto, but there was no way to confirm that.

Haku was disconsolate and refused to move from Naruto's bedside, despite the doctor's many firm protests that she needed rest herself. It was an abrupt reversal of roles, since it had not been long ago that Naruto had hovered near Haku, though the girl seemed far more agitated. Kakashi soon became convinced that she was nearing a nervous breakdown. It was only luck that Naruto woke before Haku snapped, after his second day in a comatose state. Her strange behavior was another mystery to add to Naruto and Haku's bizarre relationship.

Naruto's report about the battle with Demon Brothers was comprehensive and surprisingly coherent. He was closemouthed about what happened afterwards, as was Haku, though he had assured Kakashi that it had nothing to do with the Kyuubi. That was enough for Kakashi to drop the matter. Naruto had also asked Kakashi not to tell his teammates about the battle, which Kakashi found strange.

Naruto had handled himself extremely well in his rematch with the Onikyodai. In the end, he had defeated a chuunin level shinobi—while injured—with the use of superior tactics. Kakashi knew there had been a bit of luck involved as well, but for the most part Naruto had fought extremely well. The Naruto that Kakashi knew would have boasted about his victory for months, but Naruto was being surprisingly closemouthed about the whole affair. His subdued behavior was enough to prompt Kakashi to suspect that it was due to the fact that he had killed again, but Naruto's teacher didn't press the issue.

Sakura and Sasuke both visited Naruto, the latter seemingly unwillingly, though no one was forcing him to go. Both pestered Naruto for details about his condition and the events that had led to it, but the boy stubbornly insisted that he had had a training accident. Without any evidence left of Naruto's wounds, the two were forced to accept his word. Neither were comfortable asking Haku, who would have collaborated with Naruto's story anyway, nor did they think of pressing the doctor and his wife for information.

Kakashi deflected their questions with aplomb, respecting Naruto's wishes for once. The jounin didn't really think that Sakura or Sasuke needed to know anyway. If he told Sakura, Sasuke would inevitably find out. If Sasuke did find out what had happened, it would likely deepen his resentment of Naruto. Kakashi didn't want Sasuke to lose what little mental gains he had made since the battle with Zabuza and its aftermath. The young Uchiha had finally started to act normally towards his teammates again, after weeks of outright hostility. Kakashi had no wish to disturb Sasuke's delicate mental balance again.

Once Naruto was up and about again, he threw himself headlong into training. Kakashi was wary of teaching Naruto anything beyond the basics due to fear of fueling Sasuke's neurotic behavior. Occasionally he would offer Naruto tips to improve his chakra control, variations of the exercises the boy already knew, and he would also offer pointers for Naruto's taijutsu, but that was it. Naruto nevertheless trained almost obsessively, and it wasn't long before Haku started to become actively involved in his training sessions.

It didn't seem like she taught him much, as far as Kakashi could tell. Instead she acted as his sparring partner and helped him with his taijutsu and chakra control, but that seemed to be the extent of her involvement in his training. Mostly, she seemed to be content to observe him while he trained. To Kakashi, it soon became clear that she was analyzing Naruto's skills. While that worried him, he didn't stop her from watching Naruto train. Still, it reinforced Kakashi's resolve to watch the girl carefully for any hint of betrayal.

Naruto began to interact with his teammates during dinner once Haku was fully healed, and he also participated in the team exercises that Kakashi thought up. But a gulf had developed between Naruto and his two teammates. Naruto's experiences, his first kills, and his relationship with Haku all served to widen the gap between them. It was a subtle thing, but it was there. Sakura treated Naruto with an odd mix of cautiousness, forced friendliness, and occasionally outright avoidance. There were moments where she treated him the same as she always had, but they were few and far between.

The relationship between Sasuke and Naruto remained strained. They had always gotten along tumultuously, but now their relationship was rapidly descending towards simmering animosity, though it was more on Sasuke's part than Naruto's. Naruto was bewildered by Sasuke's increasing agitation, but he could not tolerate Sasuke's provocations and snapped back just as viciously. Haku's increasing presence around Team 7, since she seemed to have become Naruto's shadow, only further served to fuel Sasuke's ire. Oddly enough, the girl tended to agitate Sakura as well.

A month rapidly passed by Team 7, and before they knew it the Wave's great bridge was complete.

---

Zabuza-san, Haku thought wistfully, staring up at the massive blade Zabuza had been famous for. Currently the blade was buried point first in the ground above Zabuza's grave, serving as a monument of sorts to the final resting place of one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. The brilliant golden sunset cast warm rays over the blade's large, flat surface. The normally cool metal was warm to the touch, and for a moment Haku felt as if Zabuza's spirit inhabited the neck-cleaving blade. She smiled sadly at the thought. Zabuza-san would have liked that.

Gouzu and Meizu had been buried in the wooded clearing where they had died, and Haku had come from there an hour earlier, after paying them her final respects. She had been kneeling in front of Zabuza's grave for nearly three quarters of an hour. All that time, Naruto had stood behind her, respecting her silence and paying his own respects.

Footsteps sounded behind him. Naruto turned to see his team approaching the grave solemnly. Sakura carried a flowery wreath in her hands. Naruto smiled at her and was surprised when she gave him a small smile in return. She approached Zabuza's grave slowly and stopped, hesitating. Haku turned and looked at Sakura and the wreath in her hands. "It's all right," Haku said gently, smiling at Sakura. Sakura laid the wreath on Zabuza's wooden grave marker and stepped back. Several minutes passed in silence.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said quietly, breaking the silence.

"Hmm…?"

Sakura turned and looked at her jounin-sensei with questioning eyes. "Does a ninja really have to be the way he said they should be?" Zabuza's views about what shinobi should be like had disturbed the girl. After a moment, she glanced at Haku, but the other girl didn't seem to be offended. Indeed, she still seemed to be engrossed in prayer.

Kakashi was silent for a moment, as if in thought. Sakura stood and began to walk back towards the rest of her cell. "Shinobi aren't supposed to seek their reason for existing," he said finally. "It's important that they exist as tools," he continued solemnly. "That idea exists in Konoha as well."

Naruto turned to look at Kakashi with an expression of dissatisfaction, as if he had tasted something he didn't like. "Does becoming a real ninja really mean that?" he asked unhappily. He looked down, his eyelids lowering. "That's… that's… I don't like that!" Naruto finally exclaimed, struggling to voice his discontent. Haku turned to look at Naruto, her expression unreadable.

Sasuke looked at Kakashi sidelong, "Do you think so as well?"

"Hmm…" Kakashi made a thoughtful noise. "Well, no," he answered, looking down. "That's why ninja unconsciously suffer from that idea. Like Zabuza…" Kakashi trailed off, meeting Haku's intent gaze.

Naruto turned around to face Zabuza's grave. He stared at it for several long moments. Something was bubbling inside his chest, some feeling that he couldn't explain. Naruto suddenly hated that philosophy with a passion. It's not right! That's not what I want to be… He clenched his fists. It was a feeling that had been building ever since the mission to the Wave began, and it had finally taken root in Naruto's heart. A ninja shouldn't have to be like that, he thought with determination. I don't have to be like that.

Words came to him suddenly, words that he had been lacking before, words all of his own. He could finally let that feeling out; he could express it in words so that the whole world would understand. Naruto looked up, his fists unclenching, his shoulders relaxing as the tension flowed out of him.

"All right!" he exclaimed suddenly, startling his teammates and Haku. They made questioning noises. Naruto grinned brightly at the warm golden sun. "I've decided!" Naruto explained. "I'm going to follow my own nindo. I'm going to run straight down the path where I'm not going to regret anything!" Kakashi's eyes widened and he stared at Naruto's back, shocked. After a moment he smiled warmly at the boy.

Haku was also staring at Naruto. He's so bright, she thought, awed. It wasn't just the sunlight either. Naruto's spirit was so bright and warm—Haku had never seen the like of it before. A smile spread across her face.

Goodbye, Zabuza-san.

With a final, solemn bow of her head, she rose gracefully to her feet and walked over to Naruto's side. She watched him grin with pure joy at finally having found a nindo to call his own.

I'll help you achieve your dreams, Haku silently vowed to him. I will give all of my strength to support your nindo.

---

"Thanks to you, we've completed the bridge, but it's going to be really lonely without you," Tazuna said to the Konoha ninja as they stood at the entrance to the bridge. He stood at the forefront of a large gathering of the city's inhabitants, along with his daughter Tsunami and her son Inari. Tsunami was smiling while Inari's face was set into a sad grimace as he struggled against the onset of tears.

"Take care," Tsunami told them warmly.

Kakashi smiled. "Thank you for everything."

"Tazuna-occhan, we'll visit you again sometime," Naruto said cheerfully.

Inari's expression crumpled. "You promise?" Inari asked, his lip quivering.

Naruto blinked as if just noticing Inari's sad face. He smiled. "I promise," he told the younger boy. Inari struggled to smile back, but tears were finally leaking down his cheeks. "Don't cry," Naruto scolded half-heartedly. I'm going to miss this place. He had grown attached to the town and its inhabitants. Tazuna, Inari, and Tsunami had become precious people to him over the past two months, and their home was warm and welcoming in a way his own apartment was not.

"I'm not crying," the crying boy insisted. Tazuna smiled and placed a rough hand on his grandson's head.

"But… it's all right if you're crying because you're happy," Naruto gave Inari a bright smile and turned on his heel. He started to walk away. Haku and his team turned to follow Naruto, and Inari stepped forward as if to run after him. Naruto-niichan…

Tazuna smiled as he watched Team 7 leave. "That boy changed Inari's heart, and Inari changed the hearts of the villagers," Tazuna murmured aloud. "That boy created a bridge called courage, which led to hope."

"A bridge, huh?" Giichi asked. "Speaking of which… We have to name this bridge too."

"Ah, that's right!" Tazuna exclaimed. "I thought of a really perfect name for this bridge…"

"What is it?"

"What do you think of 'The Great Naruto Bridge'?"

Tsunami giggled at her father's suggestion, "That's a nice name."

"What? Are you sure about that name?"

Tazuna chuckled. "I named it that because I hope it will never crumble… And one day, this bridge will become a super famous bridge, known throughout the world." He looked down at his grandson, who had dried his tears and was looking towards the distant backs of Team 7 solemnly, "That's my wish."

Naruto smiled as he walked away from the Country of the Wave. I'm going home! It was a happy thought. Something else occurred to him. Ramen, he drooled. Cup ramen and the stuff Tsunami occasionally made were alright, but nothing beat Ichiraku ramen. "All right!" Naruto exclaimed, unable to contain his joy at the thought of it. "Let's get home quickly so I can have Iruka-sensei treat me to ramen in celebration of completing this mission!" Naruto grinned happily, "And then, and then, I'm going to make Konohamaru listen to my tale of bravery!"

Sakura almost tripped in surprise. Naruto… It was jarring to suddenly have the old Naruto back again after he had been acting strangely for so long. But, I kind of missed it. Sakura smiled, feeling oddly happy. "Then I'll…" she trailed off. What should I do once we get home? It didn't take long for her to find an answer, "Sasuke-kun, let's go on a date when we get back to the village." Now that Naruto was back to normal, maybe Sasuke-kun would also…

"No. I refuse." Sakura drooped in defeat. She perked up again a moment later. That's much more like the Sasuke-kun I know! Inner Sakura danced with glee. Shannaro! She was used to cool refusals, and it was much better than the angry put downs that Sasuke had recently taken to delivering.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed. "I'll go on a date with you," he offered hopefully.

"Shut up, Naruto" she snapped heatedly, almost reflexively. She mentally paused after a moment and snuck a sidelong glance at the blond. Even if Naruto was back to normal, she wasn't sure how he would react anymore. Still, he seemed to take it as he always did, with a disappointed look followed by a cheerful grin.

Haku blinked in surprise at Naruto's childish behavior before smiling and smothering a giggle. It was nice to see him so happy and content, and seeing him freely interact with his teammates gave her a warm feeling. She resolved to protect that carefree smile.

Kakashi looked at his young charges and smiled. He had been worried, but it looked like his team would recover from recent setbacks and grow together again. Seeing them smiling and happy, Sasuke included, gave him hope. They'll make it, he thought proudly, together…

---

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto is the creator, and owns the rights to Naruto and all the characters and situations contained therein. This is a non-profit work of fiction.

Techniques:

Kawarimi no Jutsu – Change of Body Stance / Substitution Technique – E rank / supplementary - A basic ninjutsu technique that allows the user to switch with a nearby object, enabling the user to hide or escape while the object takes the brunt of the enemy attack.

Sensatsu Suishou – Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death – B rank / offensive bloodline technique – A ninjutsu technique, unique to Haku's bloodline, that takes nearby water and shapes it into numerous chakra-infused needles. These needles then rain down on the target all at once, often from multiple directions. Haku can use this technique with one-handed seals, which seems to be a trait specific to her bloodline (or Haku herself).

Makyou Hyoushou – Demon Ice Crystal Mirrors – offensive bloodline technique – Another technique unique to Haku's bloodline, the Makyou Hyoushou allows the user to form large, flat ice mirrors out of water in a complete dome around the target. Haku is able to meld with the mirrors and utilize the reflections to confuse the enemy. She can travel between the ice mirrors with near instantaneous speed, enabling her to attack an enemy from seemingly all directions. It's a traveling technique that utilizes the mirror reflections. Her great speed makes it seem to her as if her enemy's movement is extremely slow (it seems to affect her perception of time). It is an intensely draining technique to maintain.

Haku's Unnamed Bloodline Limit – Hyouton Creation – Haku's bloodline limit allows her to combine two elemental chakras, wind natured chakra and water natured chakra, to form ice natured chakra. Haku's bloodline enables her to create and manipulate ice from water, and it also enables her to use one-handed seals when utilizing her bloodline ninjutsu. Given the properties of the Makyou Hyoushou, it seems that Haku is able to meld herself into ice and travel extremely quickly in such a manner. She also seems to have a limited ability to directly manipulate water, given the properties of the Sensatsu Suishou.

Author's Notes:

'Onikyodai' translates to English as the 'Demon Brothers/Siblings.' 'Oni' can refer to what we would call demons and 'kyodai' translates as 'siblings', which in this case would be brothers.

'Nindo' basically becomes 'way of the ninja,' with 'nin' representing 'ninja' and 'do' meaning 'the way.'

'Ecchi' basically refers to naughty thoughts, materials, or activities of a sexual nature.

A lot of the information in my technique guide is derived from leafninja dot com.

As always, comments and/or criticism are welcome. However, if you're going to criticize, please do it in a constructive manner (in other words, don't just tell me that I fail as a writer, tell me why I fail). I'm still very much an amateur writer, so any help is appreciated.

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As with before, I was the only one who proofread this chapter, so there may be mistakes that I missed. If you see any, please point them out.

I'd like to thank everyone that took the time to read this story, and especially those who took the time to review. I appreciate it.

Thank you for reading Tempered in Water!