A/N: Hey everyone! I'm sorry I keep editing the chapters and stuff...I've caught quite a few mistakes so I wanted to fix them. Sorry for the inconvenience! Anyway, arghhh this chapter took me forever to write out because I got kind of stuck. I don't have any experience writing action so...-___- the action in this might be terrible/lame! Haha. I hope you guys can bear with me. Hopefully, I'll get better as time goes on.
Also, several readers have been asking me the same question and I want to make it clear that there will be a time jump like there is in the manga. So yeah, you guys won't have to read about 12 year olds falling in love with each other or anything haha...I just needed to start it off the way it did in the manga because I needed to set the foundation for a few things :)
In addition, over the past few weeks, I kept getting notifications that people added this story to their story alerts or to their favorites list...or they added me to their author alert. Thank you so much! I was very surprised since I only have a prologue and two (well, now this is the third one) chapters up, but I guess people are interested in seeing what direction this story takes. I'd like to thank you guys for showing interest in my fic...I'll work very hard to create an interesting story ^^! I hope that you guys can take out the time to review because even though I look over the chapters multiple times, I don't always catch mistakes until later (or I might not ever catch them) and I always want to see what I can work on or what people liked about the chapter because it's very helpful...or even just a few words is very encouraging :)
In any case, if you have any questions or commentary, feel free to review. I will answer each and every review :)!
Once again, thank you for everything! Now, let me present you with the third chapter! *dun dun dunnnnn*
-applesandtea
Chapter 3
"Naruto-kun, hurry up!" Izumi called out, cupping a slender hand to her mouth. "We're going to be late if you don't come and eat."
Naruto yelled something indistinguishable before running to the table Izumi was sitting at, laughing as she saw him half-dressed. He unceremoniously shoved an arm into a sleeve while he held his chopsticks in between gritted teeth. "Ishokay, Kakashi-shenshei wohbederyet."
Izumi leaned her head on one arm, amusement playing on her lips. "Naruto-kun, I can't understand what you're saying..."
He removed the chopsticks out of his mouth as he settled down to eat. "I said that it's okay because Kakashi-sensei won't be there yet. He's always late..." His blue eyes brightened as he saw the simple meal in front of him. "Ah, Izumi-chan, this looks so good...Itadakimasu!" With a child-like, enthusiastic grin, Naruto dug into his bowl of rice.
For several minutes, they sat in comfortable silence. Neither felt the need to talk; it was as if the other's company was enough. A few weeks had passed since Izumi's arrival, and almost every day since she moved in, they ate breakfast and dinner together at either of their apartments. It had been difficult to adjust to Konoha at first. She terribly missed her oldest brother, the only person she could say she truly cared for, but eating and spending time with Naruto made the emptiness she felt without Makoto lessen.
Izumi peered down at the old table, her eyes trained on the deep grooves on the surface as she smiled softly. It made her happy whenever they ate together. Mealtimes now were drastically different from the ones she had back in her village, which were joyless, routine events. She wondered if Naruto felt the same way. It must have been lonely to return to an empty apartment every day after training to eat meals by himself in silence. Nothing but darkness would have greeted him on those days he came back to his apartment late at night. There was no one at home to welcome him with a warm meal and to ask him how his day went. But things were different now.
Although Naruto was cheerful and optimistic, Izumi somehow knew deep inside that he felt alone at times. He never showed this in an overt way, but she subconsciously knew that their loneliness was similar although she had no basis for this feeling. However, not once did she feel alone in the past few weeks thanks to Naruto. She could only hope that he felt the same; it was the least she could do for him.
"Naruto-kun..." Izumi started off quietly. She was still staring at the wooden table, her head bent. "Thank you so much for everything."
"Eh? Why are you acting weird all of a sudden?" Naruto questioned. She hesitated before glancing upwards and she let out a laugh. His cheeks were peppered with pieces of sticky, white rice.
"You might want to wipe your face," she said. "You got rice all over yourself." She waited for him to do so before speaking again. "I don't know how to really express this," she said hesitantly.
Naruto scrunched up his face. "Express what? Just spit it out."
"Thank you for taking care of me these past few weeks. Thanks to you, Konoha feels like…I mean…" She grew flustered as she fumbled around for the right words. "It feels like this is my home…that this is where my friends are. It feels like this is where I belong."
"Eh, but I didn't do anything really…" Naruto scratched his head, embarrassed by her words of gratitude.
She smiled softly, her dark eyes averted to the bowl in front of Naruto. "You did. You've done so much for me…things you didn't have to do, but you did anyway. Like eating meals together. I originally thought that you must have done it out of politeness or pity. I was the new girl with no friends in town after all." She looked out the window, deep in thought. "It feels nice…kind of like it should be part of an everyday routine…as if this is how things always have been." She spoke the last few words softly, almost dream-like, as if she was speaking more to herself than to Naruto.
When she realized that Naruto was silent, Izumi jerked back into reality, her eyes focused once more. Her cheeks were stained a pale pink and she fumbled with the napkin in front of her. "A-Ah…" she said, flustered. "I mean…that's just what I feel. O-Of course, I'm…I'm not demanding that we do this every day. Or demanding that this is how things should be. I didn't mean to say that. I mean…" She was growing increasingly embarrassed and the napkin was almost unrecognizable at this point. "I shouldn't intrude…Y-you're being…w-what I mean is…"
"It's fine with me."
"I shouldn't expect anything. I…um…I should stop…I'm sorry!" Izumi blurted out, not knowing what to say.
"Izumi, I just said that it's fine," Naruto replied calmly. "You didn't have to say sorry, you know."
"But what I said…" She didn't want him to take it the wrong way.
"I feel the same way." Midnight blue eyes met sky blue ones. She was afraid of asking what he meant. She was afraid to ask if he was saying what she hoped he was saying. "Don't you feel like this is what meals should be like? I mean, if I had a family…this is what I would wish for."
Izumi's lips felt as though they were glued together. Naruto let out a nervous laugh. "Sorry, sounds kind of stupid, huh? I mean, you already have a family and everything so you already know what it's like and stuff."
"No!" she exclaimed. Naruto, who did not expect such an outburst, jumped and nearly slipped off his chair. "You're my family."
"What?" Naruto answered. Izumi realized what she had just blurted out and chastised herself silently. What was wrong with her today? She kept blurting out things she shouldn't be saying. "Did you just say that I'm your family?" Naruto asked curiously.
There was no way around it. It wasn't as if she could pretend she never said it; she shouted it pretty loudly, after all. "Y-Yes…You're…you're the only family I have other than Makoto." Izumi uttered the last words so quietly that Naruto most likely did not hear her. She studied her fingernails with deep interest, not daring to look up. Her ears were turning bright red. Naruto must definitely think she was out of her mind. She would think so too if she were sitting in his place.
"I don't understand…" Naruto said finally. "Don't you have a family?"
"Yes, but..." Izumi clenched her hands into fists as she stared at her lap. "Maybe it's wrong to say this... and maybe the image I have of a family is unrealistic and idealistic, but I always thought that you were always supposed to feel that you belonged and that you were loved if you were in a family." Her lips twisted up into a bitter smile. "Maybe I've been reading too many novels, huh?"
Naruto hesitated. He did not know what to say; it wasn't as if he had any prior experience. "No..." he said finally. "You're right." His voice resonated with confidence. "I might not have experience, but that's how I feel like with Iruka-sensei. That counts for something, right?"
He walked to the other side of the table before placing a warm, callused hand on her shoulder. Naruto felt her muscles contract underneath his palm as she became rigid. Her breathing came in shallow, but almost inaudible gasps. When she spoke, her words sounded strained and came out in a rush. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken out of line. It wasn't my place to do. Please don't punish-"
"What's wrong, Izumi-chan? Why are you acting like this?" Naruto's soft voice was thick with concern. He moved and tilted his head, trying to catch her gaze. He froze as he saw her dark blue eyes dilated with fright. "What did you mean by punish? What are you saying?"
He removed his hand, and Izumi flinched in response to the sudden movement. Something clicked in Naruto's mind as he finally understood what was happening. "Izumi-chan, snap out of it. Please…I'm not going to hurt you!" His voice was sharp like a shard of glass. As she winced at his loud outburst, he spoke again. "Please believe me…" His words were soft now, almost pleading.
It was as though Izumi was unaccustomed to physical contact. No, he mused, it was more like she was not used to physical contact that did not lead to pain. If someone were to have heard his thoughts at this very moment, he or she would have been surprised to hear the resolute tone of Naruto's inner thoughts. After all, Naruto was known for being a bit dense. But this…this was something that he understood rather well. However, he wasn't completely sure that he was correct.
"Izumi-chan, did you think I was going to hit you?" he asked her, almost dreading her answer.
She turned her head slightly away from him, her gaze averted. She was avoiding his question, but this was all he needed to confirm his thoughts. Nevertheless, Naruto felt a ripple of shock pulse throughout his entire body. Why? Why would she think in such a way? "Why?" he blurted out softly. "I would never hurt you."
"I-It's nothing." She sucked in a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. "Please…do not continue this conversation."
"Ne, it's something to do with your family…right?" he asked cautiously.
Izumi's face drained of any remaining color, leaving her skin waxy. "W-What?" she asked, disconcerted.
"I don't know what's going on, but this isn't what a family should do to you," he spoke firmly.
Izumi's lips turned upwards as she let out a hollow laugh. "You're right. That's not what they're supposed to do." Her smile was so rigidly placed that it made her look pained. Her gaze was still on her lap. "But this isn't a fairy tale. Things don't always work out the way they should or the way we want them to be."
Naruto remained quiet. He did not want to prod any further into the matter when it was clearly making her extremely uncomfortable. Silence rang in the air before he spoke again. "Izumi, you can trust me. You know that, right? I'll listen to whatever you have to say. Don't think you're burdening me."
Izu-chan, please…I'll listen to whatever you need to tell me. Don't think you're burdening me.
Makoto's words echoed in her mind. Her heart twisted at those familiar words. "You sound like Makoto-niichan." Her quiet laughter was tinged with wistful sadness.
Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder again, but this time, she did not shy away. He gave her a wide grin. To Izumi, it felt as if that smile alone brightened up the room and her entire world. "Ne, what else would you expect from your nii-chan right here?"
"What?" she laughed incredulously as she looked at the short boy next to her.
"Oh, come off it. Don't you think I'm kinda cool? I'm really big brother-like, aren't I?" he asked in a tone that almost sounded boastful. He placed his hands on his hips before thrusting out his chest as he attempted to look manly and strong.
"Eh, Naruto-kun, what are you doing? You look so silly…"
"Hey!" He thrust an index finger at her face, nearly poking the tip of her nose. "Don't call your brother silly!" A fox-like scowl played across his features as he shouted. "I'm your older brother. You should show me some respect there, Izu-chan!"
His stomach emitted a loud, grumbling groan and Naruto's face grew red. Izumi's smile widened. "Ne, Naruto-kun…you say that you're an older brother, but it seems as though I have to always take care of you," she teased.
"S-Shut up," he said, flustered. "As if I would…I mean…psh…"
She scooped up a bit of rice before shoving the spoon in between his lips, making him nearly choke. "Ow!" he yelped before he succumbed to a fit of coughs. "You…!" He took a hold of the spoon, removing it from his mouth.
"Ne, Naruto…why are you shouting loudly so early in the morning?" A figure entered the room and the two of them glanced at him.
Kakashi walked over to their table now, glancing at a carton of milk lying on the countertop. "You shouldn't leave these things out, Naruto…" His eye caught the black ink printed on the top portion of the carton. Ah, so it seemed that Naruto paid attention to expiration dates now, he mused as he slipped the carton into the refrigerator.
He turned around and as he caught sight of the meal on the table, his eyebrow rose. So maybe this was why Naruto paid attention to expiration dates. No, it was more correct to say that someone else took care of those things for him. A small smile played on his lips. No wonder he couldn't find Izumi in her apartment.
"Kaka-sensei," Naruto called out. "What are you doing here?"
"It might not seem like it, but I do care whether you're dead or not," he deadpanned. "So I have to check up on you once in a while to make sure you're not on the floor dead due to food poisoning."
Before his rambunctious student could react, Kakashi turned to Izumi. "Izumi, I had to check up on you too because Hokage-sama worries about you since you live alone, but it seems like you're doing fine."
"Ah, yes! I'm doing fine. Please tell Hokage-sama not to worry about me. I come over here a lot, or Naruto-kun comes to my apartment. I don't feel lonely at all." She shook her head from side to side vigorously.
Kakashi gave her a long look. Something in Izumi had changed within the past few weeks and as he continued to gaze at her without any emotion, he realized what it was. She looked happier and he knew that it was mostly thanks to the blond ninja next to her. He bent forward slightly as he gave her a kind smile, his eye curving up into a half-moon. "That's good to hear. I think Hokage-sama would be glad to hear that."
He straightened up again. "Well, now that I checked and both of you are breathing, I expect you both to be at the bridge no later than eight. Don't be late, okay?" His eye was still curved.
"Augh!" Naruto yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at his teacher. "Why are you telling us not to be late?! You're the one who's always late, sensei!"
Kakashi's expression did not change. He was still smiling at Naruto as he spoke. "Naruto, if you're late, I think you'll really regret it," he said cheerfully. As Naruto froze like a marble statue, Kakashi took this opportunity to walk away. "Ja ne." With a whirl of wind, he was gone.
"Bah, that Kakashi-sensei…I bet he's going off to read his stupid book and he'll come later than us," Naruto grumbled. "But let's hurry up, Izumi-chan. We don't want to get punished, right?"
"I told you!" Naruto exclaimed. "I'm right, aren't I, Izumi-chan? I told you he'd be late!" He groaned as he leaned his back against the railing, spreading his arms like a bird across the wooden surface. "We didn't need to rush our way here. I mean, even if we took our time, he'd still be later than us," he complained to the air above him. "We've been waiting here for an hour."
Sakura sighed. "That's not anything new, Naruto. He's always late," she responded listlessly as she peered down at the calmly moving water underneath her. Her bubblegum pink hair was gently tousled by the wind, but she ignored the locks tickling her cheek.
"He mentioned that he had something exciting to tell us," Sasuke spoke in a low voice.
The other Team 7 members perked up as though life entered their previously zombie-like bodies. "You serious, teme?" Naruto sounded excited.
"It's probably just Kakashi-sensei's way of getting us to arrive on time," Izumi spoke up. The effect of her words was immediate. Gloom immediately hung over them like a heavy curtain as energy seeped out of their bodies once again. Sasuke closed his eyes while Sakura and Naruto slumped over the railing. "Eh…I was just saying that as a suggestion," she offered, surprised at the dramatic reaction.
"No, it's probably true, Izumi," Sakura said tonelessly. "I bet it's babysitting the Takamura kids again."
"I'm placing my bet on that fat lady's cat again…she needs to stop traumatizing it. That bastard keeps running away." Naruto scowled. "Well, whatever it is…it's bound to be boring as usual."
All four of them let out a long sigh. When Kakashi finally arrived, he found them in the same positions they were in after Izumi spoke her thoughts aloud. "You four are looking quite happy," he noted, surprised at their bored expressions.
"Kakashi-sensei, please don't tell me we're babysitting the Takamura kids again. They're devils." Sakura held a slender hand over her forehead as if she had an oncoming headache.
"It's not. I have a better mission for you guys." Kakashi waited for the reaction.
As if on cue, Naruto perked up. "What's the mission?!"
"You'll find out soon. Just follow me," Kakashi replied simply. Without another word, he began to walk as his four students trailed behind him. Soon, they found themselves in front of the Hokage and Iruka.
The Hokage peered over his clasped hands at the group before him. "Naruto, I've heard that you've been complaining a lot about your missions," he reprimanded sternly.
"That's because you give us the stupid ones," Naruto replied grouchily. "And I'm not the only one complaining, you old geezer!"
Iruka, who had been sitting next to the Hokage, exploded. "Naruto!" The veins on his tanned forehead were popping. "Don't disrespect Hokage-sama!"
"Iruka-sensei," Naruto whined.
"Don't 'Iruka-sensei' me. Just listen carefully to what Hokage-sama has to say."
The old man merely smiled at the interaction between the two before he spoke again. His eyes traveled to Naruto's quieter counterpart. "I would imagine that you're itching for a more challenging mission as well, Sasuke."
Sasuke remained quiet, but his onyx eyes betrayed the impatience that had steadily been growing in him recently. The Hokage took this as agreement to his statement and continued. "That is why I am giving you a C-rank mission of protecting someone."
Naruto pumped a fist into the air. "Yes! Who is it? Who? Some important noble? The Fire Country lord? Ah, this is so cool!"
Izumi smiled at his reaction. It was good to see that the gloom that had hung over the rest of her teammates earlier had dissipated, and in its stead, excitement was in the air.
An old man stepped into the room, disgruntled at the noise. "You're leaving me in the hands of these brats?" he asked, disbelief knitting his bushy, white eyebrows together.
"Tazuna…" the Hokage started to say before being interrupted.
"Hey, who are you calling brats?!" Naruto asked, offended. "We're awesome ninja. You better believe it!"
Sakura watched in embarrassment as Tazuna rolled his eyes. She felt as if she would melt into a puddle at the floor and she cringed inwardly. "God, he's so annoying," she thought to herself, exasperated and humiliated.
"Not only are they brats, but they're immature too. I don't want that shortie with the loud mouth to protect me!"
Naruto let out a bark of laughter. "Shortie? Who's the shortie?" He continued to smile goofily as he looked to his left and right. The smile began to fade as he realized Tazuna was talking about him, and a look of indignant annoyance flashed across his face. "Take that back or I'll kill you!" He lunged toward the old man who looked on with disinterest.
Kakashi held Naruto by the scruff of his jumpsuit, holding tightly as his student began wriggling around like a multiple-legged insect. The Hokage put up a hand to his tired eyes. "Kakashi, I'll leave this up to you. You may go now." Still holding onto Naruto, Kakashi bowed his head slightly and took his leave.
As they walked outside, Tazuna introduced himself. "I'm Tazuna, an expert bridge builder. I expect you to protect me on my way back to the Wave Country to build a bridge." He paused, bringing a hand up to squint at the scorching sun. "I'll meet you guys at the entrance in two hours if that's fine with you."
Kakashi gave a slight nod. "We'll see you then." After Tazuna walked away, he turned to his team. "Meet me at the entrance then. Bring what you need with you and I'll see you in two hours." He lifted up a hand as farewell before walking down the road away from them.
"Alright!" Naruto grinned widely at Izumi. "Let's get home and start packing!"
Izumi fiddled with the straps of the sack on her back carefully, adjusting their length as she walked on the dusty street with Naruto. She glanced up now and then to make sure she would not collide into anything on her way to the entrance of Konoha. In the distance, she could make out the outlines of three figures.
"It seems like Sakura and Sasuke beat us to it. But…" Her forehead creased as she looked for another figure and was unable to find one. "Kakashi-sensei isn't there yet."
Naruto snorted. "Typical sensei. He better not be late! This is the mission I've been waiting for." They were near the gate now, and he cupped a hand to his mouth. "Oy! Sakura-chan! I'm here to save you from boredom!"
Sakura's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "What are you talking about? Who said I was bored?" Quite frankly, she was enjoying the fact that she and Sasuke managed to find time to be together without Naruto. She admitted that they only managed to exchange a few words, but Sasuke was usually quiet and she was sure that if Naruto had not come, the conversation could have gone somewhere. Maybe.
"If you're with Sasuke, then obviously you'd be bored to death. I'd be the same way. All he does is just stand there and look pretty."
"Take back what you just said, dobe," Sasuke warned.
"Which part?" Naruto asked cheekily, an impish smirk adorning his face. "Because all of them are true. You're boring and all you do is stand there and look pretty."
"Take that back," Sasuke snapped, his lip curling in displeasure.
"Wow, can't believe you're offended by it. I guess the great Uchiha doesn't like being called a bore or a pretty boy, huh?" Naruto taunted, bringing his face closer to the pale boy.
"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke said coolly.
"Teme." Sasuke stepped forward.
The two girls on the team gave each other weary looks. "Baka, stop being so annoying." Sakura rapped her fist against Naruto's head before she pulled him back, making him stumble.
"Sasuke, please calm down." Izumi lightly, but firmly touched his shoulder to move him back.
He fanned her hand away. "I'm not mad," he said, miffed as if it was ridiculous of her to say so.
"Oh, please!" Naruto scoffed, dodging a blow from Sakura's fist. "Sakura-chan, I didn't do anything," he whined to the pink-haired girl.
Izumi intervened. "Sasuke just quiet and you're loud, so maybe it just seems like he doesn't do anything. And he's not a pretty boy who stands around doing nothing. Please don't say that about our teammate."
"Bah, stop trying to defend him." He waved a hand dismissively at Izumi's comments. She returned the gesture with a stern look. Blue eyes met blue eyes in a staring contest that was only broken by a bark.
Izumi tore her eyes away from Naruto's to glance behind her, knowing that Naruto would taunt her later and say that she lost the staring contest. "Akamaru?" she called out, surprised. She quickly scanned the crowd for his human companion.
Kiba ran to her, his cheeks flushed with exertion. "Oh, good!" He brightened up. "You're still here and I made it in time. I just finished training, and Hinata, Shino, and I are gonna go eat," he explained. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "Anyway, Izumi, my sister woulda killed me if I didn't come here in time. She wanted to say hi and she says to come over soon."
Sakura looked at him curiously. "How'd you know we were here?"
Kiba grinned, his canines glinting in the sun. He tapped his nose and winked. "Smelled ya."
Sakura bristled. "Are you saying that I stink?!" She had showered right before coming too!
Izumi laughed. "No, Kiba-kun just has a keen sense of smell…it's like a dog's nose," she explained. She turned to Kiba before bending down quickly to scratch Akamaru behind his ears. "Ah, really? She wants me to come over?" she asked eagerly. To be honest, it was very awkward the first time she went to Kiba's house. She knew that he was still feeling sorry for what he had done when she arrived at his house, and the two failed at maintaining a conversation until Hana came home from work.
"Yeah, she really took a liking to you. Said that you were a nice girl and everything. Anyway, tell me when you get back, alright? I want to hear what your mission's about. Hana said that she'll make dinner and stuff…" He twisted his lips into a grimace. "I'll try to convince her to get takeout instead."
Izumi laughed at his expression, bringing a hand to hide her widening smile. "It wasn't that bad last time…"
"It was unrecognizable, Izumi. Sis is an awesome med-nin, but she just sucks at stuff like housework and cooking, you know. She tried to mend my pants once and it wasn't pretty." Kiba brought his hands up to his chest. "Don't tell her I said that. Anyway, I'm going to go now. Sensei wants me back in five minutes."
"Okay, I'll visit soon," Izumi promised.
"Atta girl." Kiba reached over and tousled her hair before Izumi patted it down, scowling at the feral boy. "Aw, lighten up, kid. I'll see ya later, Izumi!"
After Kiba turned to leave, Sakura turned to Izumi. "Huh. You're friendly with Kiba," she remarked as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Didn't see that coming."
"He's really nice…and so are his sister and his mom," Izumi responded.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything, Kakashi made his entrance. "Sorry, I-"
"You're late!" Naruto cried, cutting Kakashi's speech short.
"Sensei, don't worry. You were only late by a few minutes," Izumi said quickly.
"That doesn't excuse his behavior. This is a mission, Izumi," Naruto retaliated as he pouted.
Kakashi chose to ignore them. "Is everyone ready? Let's go."
They set off, leaving Konoha behind and a rush of excitement filled the four students. Naruto's head flicked back and forth and up and down as he stared at everything with an open mouth. Due to the close proximity to the village, everything still looked familiar. The towering trees were still the same, and the same birds as the ones in the village were chirping. However, this was Naruto's first time out of the village, and he soaked in this new, but strangely familiar environment with enthusiasm.
"Ahhhh!" he yelled out later, spreading his arms as if to hug the sky, causing birds to take flight. Tazuna jumped at the sound before glaring at the blond shinobi.
"Am I really going to be safe with this brat protecting me?" Tazuna pointed at Naruto who had run forward a few feet in front of the group.
"Eh, well…I'm a jounin so there's no need to worry. And anyway, this is a C-rank mission. You won't need extremely skilled ninja to ensure a safe passage to your country," Kakashi placated him. Tazuna merely looked away, a disgruntled expression still set on his face.
They were now far from the village. It had been a few hours since they last heard anything other than the rustle of leaves and the scampering of animals in the forest. The trees were bigger and more imposing here. The group hung close to the trees, trying to avoid the afternoon sun that beat harshly down on the road. It hadn't rained for a while, Kakashi noted. No wonder why it was so dry and warm around this area. He glanced at a puddle nearby before moving forward, not noticing a dark figure rising silently like a spirit from the depths of the shallow puddle they left behind. Without warning, it split into two, and the two shinobi launched themselves at Kakashi, trapping him with their chains as the group wheeled around.
A look of alarm flit across Kakashi's face, the only thing he was able to do before the duo tightened their sharp chains. With one final yank, the metal dug into flesh and in a split second, the body of their sensei flew into different directions, his dismembered limbs spraying a mist of blood into the air. Sakura's mouth was open in a silent scream as her green eyes widened with horror.
"One down," the one on the left announced, glee creeping into his raspy voice. A maniacal glint shone in his eye as he shifted his weight. His companion mirrored his movement.
For a second, none of them moved until both masked shinobi lunged towards Naruto, their mechanical arms whirring ominously in the air. "Two down."
Sakura let out a shrill scream, cut off only when she saw Sasuke dash forward calmly. Naruto remained motionless, fear shadowing his face.
"Naruto-kun! Get out of the way," Izumi yelled fearfully, her hand scrabbling to find a kunai in the pouch on her leg. Her hand was slick with sweat and was trembling, making it difficult for her to grasp it. She willed herself not to look at Kakashi's arm which laid several feet to her right. "Kakashi-sensei…" A lump hardened in her throat as her heart hammered wildly.
Dull thuds were heard and Izumi wrenched her gaze to stare at the scene unfolding before her. Sasuke was successful in stalling the shinobi; their chains were held against the trees nearby with shuriken, and to ensure that they were stuck, Sasuke stuck a kunai to hold the chains in place.
Izumi watched, frozen in place as her mouth remained ajar like Naruto's. Her dark eyes flit back and forth as she watched Sasuke grab a hold of the two shinobi. Before further damage could be inflicted, the two men released their chains and began to move towards the group. Izumi could feel Sakura tense up next to her.
"Sakura, we have to protect Tazuna-san." Izumi edged closer, her right arm brushing against Sakura's.
The blossom-haired girl nodded. "Tazuna-san, please stay back," she ordered as she slid into a defensive stance. Her eyes flickered with uneasiness as she saw the mechanical claw pulled back to attack.
Sasuke glanced at the two girls, his eyebrows rising up in surprise as he saw the enemy approaching them. Without hesitation, he ran, extending his arms out to shield them as he calculated what the best step would be to take. He kept his gaze on the approaching claw before snapping his head up as the claw unexpectedly stopped moving. His cool expression began to melt into one of annoyance. "What a show off…" he thought.
"K-Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura called out, breaking out into a relieved smile. "You used Kawarimi…"
Kakashi gave a nod. "Good job, you three." He turned to Naruto. "I'm sorry I was late and got you injured. Don't do anything rash. There was poison in their claws…and Tazuna-san, I need to speak to you."
"What is it?" the older man asked quietly. He refused to look up at any of them.
"It's a good thing I noticed a puddle on the ground while we were walking before. It's been sunny these past few days so I thought it was suspicious." He gestured to the two ninja he had tied up. "These are Kirigakure shinobi…I could have killed them, but I needed to find out whether they were after you or us."
He did not get a response from Tazuna. Kakashi continued, "If it's you, that means that this is now a more expensive B-rank mission. You must have had your reasons, but this was supposed to be my team's first C-rank mission. We are now operating outside our duties…"
Sakura's face paled. "Kakashi-sensei…that means we should go back, right? We can't handle this," she said nervously. She turned to Naruto who was uncharacteristically silent. Sweat traveled down his whiskered face in rivulets, and he was gritting his teeth to stop panting."Naruto? Hey baka, are you okay?"
Izumi spoke up, her quiet voice ringing with concern. "Kakashi-sensei, we have to get medicine for Naruto-kun." She stepped towards the blonde boy before stopping. She did not know what to do.
"Well…that does complicate things…" Kakashi murmured, stroking his chin absentmindedly.
Naruto bristled at the thought. He could not have the mission jeopardized just because of him. Sparing no further thought, he took out a kunai and stabbed his hand, wincing in pain as blood began to spray. The pain sharpened his mind, and he barely heard Sakura yelling his name over his own loud thoughts.
Why was there always a difference between Sasuke and him? It wasn't as if he didn't train hard enough. He trained hard everyday, even at home when the team's training was done. But deep inside, Naruto knew the answer. He knew that if he kept running away like a coward, it didn't matter if he had all the skill in the world. He would make sure no one found it necessary to save him. He would make sure Sasuke didn't have to save him. There was no way he was going to let Sasuke beat him anymore.
He wheeled around to face the group. "I promise…" he panted, smiling fiercely with determination despite the stinging pain. "I'll protect the old man so let's continue this mission!"
Sakura's eyebrows bunched together. "Naruto…" A hint of rare concern laced her words.
"Eh, that was very cool and it's good that you were trying to release the poison, but…anymore and you'll die from lack of blood. Seriously." Kakashi kept his voice light as he smiled at Naruto.
"W-Wh…" Naruto spluttered out. What had he done?! He was just trying to be cool for once! "No! No, sensei, save me! Shoot, I can't die like this!" He began to ramble as Sakura made her way over.
"Are you stupid?!" she exploded. Her temporary display of concern was gone. "Did you think by doing that you were cool?! Are you some kind of masochist?!" She was waving her arms around, gesticulating with anger. Naruto nervously looked away, afraid of incurring Sakura's wrath.
Kakashi wrapped his student's hand in bandages. "Looks like you'll be fine."
So the brat wasn't hurt too badly. Tazuna sighed inwardly in relief. Still keeping his eyes downcast, he spoke to Kakashi, knowing he had a lot of explaining to do. "I have to talk to you about this…"
To be honest, Tazuna could have kept the details to himself and just left it at "A man named Gatou is after me," but it would not have been fair. After all, the only reason why that brat was injured was because he was keeping things in the dark. And it was more than likely that this attack would not be the last. The least he could do was tell the whole truth. Thus, he was surprised that Kakashi still agreed to the mission.
They were walking along a path now, and his thoughts traveled back to the man who transported them in his small, rickety boat. "The lives of too many people are at stake…the men I work with, my family, my friends…and now this group of kids. But it's not like I have a choice. There's no way I can just stop building the bridge now…that's our only hope for a better future." He closed his eyes. He could only hope that they would understand what they had just signed up for. A loud scream made him wrench open his eyes. "What?! Another attack so soon?"
The blonde boy straightened up from his stance. "Ah," he tried to say suavely. "There was nothing there."
The vein in Tazuna's forehead throbbed. Or maybe it would be better if this kid did die. If they got attacked, the chances were that it was because this loudmouth attracted attention. "You…what do you think you're doing, you idiot?!"
He watched as the two girls on the team called out to the boy in anger. The pink-haired one began to lecture Naruto, as the pale, raven-haired one did the same, albeit in a more polite way.
"Naruto-kun, please quiet down. It's dangerous…" She knew that Naruto was just trying to make up for what had happened earlier in the day. "And don't throw shuriken around wildly. It might hit someone."
A nearby bush rustled, and Naruto did not heed Izumi's words of caution. "There!" He threw a shuriken.
"Naruto-kun!" Izumi reprimanded sharply as she heard the shuriken hit something.
They walked over to the area, Sakura bickering with Naruto. She swung a fist, aiming at Naruto's head. "I already said stop. Why can't you get it through your thick skull, you baka?!"
"No, no. I swear, Sakura-chan! There was something there. Honest," he pleaded as he dodged. Her fist brushed against his temple.
Reluctantly, they made their way to the trees as Naruto continued to insist on his innocence. "I didn't do it as a joke. I'm not joking! You'll see."
Sakura remained unconvinced until she saw a stunned rabbit at the roots of a tree below the shuriken. "Naruto, what have you done?!" She pointed at the rabbit and Naruto's jaw fell. "Look what you did!"
Izumi bent down, carefully holding the rabbit's body. She could still feel the faint tattoo of a heartbeat against its chest. "Oh…it's okay." Relief washed over her. She removed the shuriken from the tree trunk.
"Ne, ne, Izumi-chan…you're sure, right?" Naruto grabbed the rabbit away from her, putting its face next to his. "I'm so sorry, bunny-chan…I didn't mean it…"
Kakashi's eye narrowed. The color of the rabbit did not correlate with the season. Since it was spring, the coat should have been brown, not white. He cautiously glanced around, noticing nothing out of the ordinary before his ears picked up a soft sound behind him, like a person leaping off from a branch above them. In a second, he realized what would happen. "Everyone, get down!" he barked.
Sasuke and Tazuna ducked as Sakura pushed Naruto onto the ground, shielding her head with her arms. Kakashi tugged on Izumi's thin arm, bringing her down with him as the blade spun over them. Izumi's heart was thudding wildly; if Kakashi was a fraction of a second late, she would have been sliced to pieces by now. If she had been by herself, she would not have survived.
Kakashi looked to his left at the raven-haired girl next to him. "You okay?" he asked softly.
Other than getting her clothes dirty and being visibly shaken, she was fine. "Y-Yes…" Her face was sheet white. "Sensei…thank you." If she was just a second late, however…She shook her head, clearing her mind of such thoughts. It was pointless to keep brooding over something like this.
Kakashi's eye curved up into a smile. "That's good to hear."
They took their gazes upward as the blade embedded itself against the trunk of a tree. The back of a man whose lower face was wrapped in bandages greeted them. He turned around, smirking.
Naruto's eyes lit up. This was his chance! He timed himself, the ball of his right foot pressed against the ground as he prepared to dash forward towards the enemy. He took a step forward before Kakashi's hand flew out in front of him to stop him.
"Let me handle this. This guy is on another level," Kakashi warned sternly. Naruto hesitated. Kakashi had never sounded as serious as he did now. He gave the bandaged man a wary glance.
Was he really that strong? He had thought the other two were already strong enough. He gulped, suddenly feeling out of place. Naruto shifted his gaze to Sasuke's face. "I would have thought Teme would've jumped in by now," he thought. Maybe Sasuke was right for not jumping in.
Kakashi's face pulled into a frown. "Momochi Zabuza…Well, it looks like it'll be tough unless I do this…" He reached for his hitai-ate before he paused. "You four. Surround and protect Tazuna-san. This is the teamwork in this case." He slid the forehead protector upwards. "Do not enter the fight," he ordered tensely.
"Kaka-sensei…what? Your eye…It…" Naruto said, unable to form complete sentences.
Kakashi ignored Naruto as he stared up at the mysterious figure above them. "Fight me."
"The famous Sharingan already? I'm honored," he replied in mock politeness.
Sasuke's shoulders tensed up as his dark eyebrows came together. What was going on? How did Kakashi have the Sharingan? He listened to the spluttering boy next to him, and he gave a brief explanation. "It's the Sharingan…it's one of the few types of eyes in the world that let you read and defeat all types of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu."
Zabuza chuckled. "Don't forget that it can copy techniques too once it sees them." His dark brown eyes met Kakashi's mismatched ones. "You know, I had a book with your information in it when I was an ANBU for Kirigakure…are you curious about what it said? It said that you're the man who copied over 1,000 jutsu, Copy Ninja Kakashi."
Silence fell over the four students as they soaked in the information. Naruto, Sakura, and Izumi all looked at the silver-haired jounin before them in amazement. Only Sasuke looked at him with narrowed, suspicious eyes. He did not understand how Kakashi had the Sharingan when it only appeared in a few members of his clan whom were all dead. Unless…Although Sasuke was reluctant to admit it, a seed of hope was planted inside him. He struggled to squash the hope that threatened to grow within him.
"Enough talk. I'm here to kill that old man right there." Zabuza cocked his head toward Tazuna.
The response was immediate. Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, and Izumi all began to step back, their arms brushing each other as they circled around the old man. They took out weapons, holding them tightly in their fists as they trained their eyes warily on the figure above them.
"Tch, little runts. They'll be an easy kill." The tall, spiky-haired man viewed the spectacle with little interest until his dark eyes slid over to Izumi. They lingered on her face, and Izumi stared back at the ominous figure before her. There was something that made this man seem familiar and she scrutinized his face. She noted that he was lacking eyebrows, and the nagging feeling that she had seen him somewhere flared up inside her. His eyes were fathomlessly deep and expressionless until a glint lit up his eyes.
"If I'm right, I'm a lucky man today." His voice was quiet, but retained its harshness.
"What?" Kakashi asked. Zabuza had just been preparing to jump down when he had stopped. What was he up to? He stared at Zabuza's face warily as he saw a wild grin stretch across his features.
"It looks like Kakashi isn't the only one here of interest…Mikazuki Izumi is here too, unless I'm mistaken."