Kiba figured something rather important out now that he was stuck traveling with Zabuza to this newest village. He hated the heat. And sand. And Akamaru did as too because his paws burned if he tried to walk by himself, which left him to be carried, nestled inside the backpack Kiba was carrying.

"What are we doing here?" Kiba hissed as he glared up at the old man, who didn't seem to be the least bit affected by the heat. "And why are we wearing such long clothes? It's so hot we should be wearing less clothes than usual."

"That is not how the desert works, kid." The man sighed softly, "If you were to wear less clothes, you'd burn your whole body. This way you only expose a bit of your eyes."

They were both wearing enough protection to ensure that neither would be getting any kind of sunburn. And Kiba believed it was a load of balogney and the man merely wanted to torture him and Akamaru passively. Because he'd even given Akamaru cloth to wrap up in to, supposedly, protect him from the danger that was the scorching desert sun.

"I don't trust you." Kiba huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, only to release them when the heat from his arms met with his already uncomfortably hot chest.

"I've never asked you to."

"Then why am I even with you?"

"Because having a trusty sidekick like you don't hurt."

At this Kiba glared at the man, "I told you I didn't trust you."

The man's steps never faltered as he continued to walk, although he looked down at Kiba with a smirk. "True. But you love me too much to ever betray me. So I can trust you."

The ex-Inuzuka wanted to shout at the man and tell him that he was completely capable of turning him over for profit. But, with a sudden halt, he noticed that Zabuza was, infuriatingly, correct.

He was too loyal... Stupid Inuzuka heritage! Made him be all loyal...

Akamaru barked from behind him, telling him that Stupid Mask wasn't being a completely retarded ass for the first time in forever, which made Kiba hiss at him to shut up.

"I still hate you..." The youth grumbled softly after he'd finished scolding Akamaru for speaking the truth, then glared down at the sand he was forced to tread over as he continued to walk once more.

Kiba didn't expect the man's large hand to fall on his head. But when he did, he jumped a mile high, scared Akamaru, and hissed at the man.

"What do you think you're doing?! I thought we just discussed that you needed me!"

Zabuza looked back at him with a completely unamused and disinterested look to the half of his face that could be seen, then crossed his arms, even though it was barely seen through the poncho he wore. "What in the world is wrong with you now, kid?!"

"What's wrong with me?!" The boy shouted out incredulously, then pointed at his head, "What in the world's wrong with you?! Why are you touching me!? I'll scream rape!"

At this threat, Zabuza's smirk was replaced by a sneer and he pointed at the fiery child, "Listen here, you little brat, you can't say something like that!"

"Why? 'Cause it'll make sure you get dealt the justice you deserve." The boy with the black fangs on his cheeks turned away from Zabuza with a pleased smirk, "You're the jerk that left me with Sharky and Mr. Red Eyes."

"They have normal names, you know." The man mumbled with a shake of his head, beginning to walk once more. "Anyway, it was a necessary evil. I got my money and now we're able to walk over to this newest job I found. And you've been whining about the forest scenery for a while now. You should be happy I decided to change our surroundings for a while."

Kiba had been feeling content to have riled Zabuza enough to get him pissed again. But when he noticed that the man began to move away from him without their usual angered banter, he felt disconcerted. What had Sharky and Mr. Red Eyes told Zabuza? Sure, it was nice to be able to eat and not go hungry anymore... But he kind of missed arguing with the jerk.

And it was kind of hard to call him a meanie when he really wasn't being one.

"Hey, kid?"

Kiba jogged after the man and looked up at him with a quirked eyebrow, but didn't answer him. The man continued without the boy saying anything though.

"I've been wondering for a while. Where did you learn how to track so well? Not even some intermediate leveled tracker would know some of the tricks you do. Those are things learned through years of tracking, they're not taught. Where did you learn them?"

The question made Kiba shrug, trying to keep his cool, although it brought him back somewhere he didn't want to go. "The Inuzuka Clan is very in tune with their senses... They raise their kids to be hunters for the village because of those senses."

It hurt to remember his family. It hurt to remember his village. It hurt to remember how he had been forced to give them up when his life had been forced upside down by a group of marauders. It hurt to remember how he had been cast aside by his clan the second he had returned home.

Every time he looked in a mirror, it hurt.

"Interesting family..." Zabuza commented offhandedly, but didn't say any more.

Kiba appreciated the fact that he didn't try to say anything else.

"Hey, you lousy jerks, get away from him!"

"Kiba, don't-"

But the boy was running off and lunging at a group of kids a few inches taller than him before Zabuza could stop the spitfire. And from the corner of his eye, Zabuza noted how Akamaru jumped out of his shelter to join the little boy in the fray.

With a sigh, the man shook his head and continued walking towards his informant. The boy was smart enough to know how to find him once he'd finished with his little brawl. And he was skilled and tough enough to take on a group of kids close to his age with little to no training.

"Don't mess with him!" Kiba shouted as he kicked one kid in the face, only to receive a punch to the face from another. "You'll regret that!" He hissed, turning his face so he was looking at the kid that had punched him, and smirked, displaying his sharp canines for the little bitch to see.

Just like he had expected, the kid shouted and tried to run away. But Akamaru biting him on the ankle froze him on the spot, allowing Kiba to deliver a much fiercer punch as payback.

"This guy's insane!" "Run away!" "I want my mommy!" And many more shouts came from the group of about seven or eight kids.

In a matter of seconds the bullies had all disappeared and left Kiba with Akamaru and the little boy he had come to protect.

While he had been walking with Zabuza around the hidden village of Suna, Kiba had been rather bored. Just like in the forest, there was nothing interesting in the desert. Everything had been so boring! Then they happened to pass by a playground and Kiba had found a little red haired kid walking over to a group of bigger kids. He had thought it odd, but continued to move with Zabuza.

But when the bigger kids had formed a circle around the smaller one, Kiba had stopped. Then when the stench of anger and fear hit him, the ex-Inuzuka ran off from Zabuza without any explanations.

"You okay, kid?" He asked as he turned to the little kid, who was looking up at him with wide green eyes. "Little jerks... Wish I could have hit them harder."

The little boy's eyes were extremely bright... Like... They could light up a night sky bright... Was that normal? And was the tattoo on the far side of his forehead a clan marking like his own tattoos had once been?

"Y-you're bleeding!" The kid pointed at Kiba's mouth, surprised and beginning to emanate worry.

"Huh?" Kiba asked, then raised his hand to the corner of his mouth to wipe at it. Then he looked down at it, only to find a minute trail of blood. "He hit harder than I expected!"

"I-I can help!"

"What?"

The kid's hands grabbed at Kiba's own before he could truly notice what was happening. Then, with a strength he had not expected to find in someone so small, began to drag Kiba down one of the many sandy streets.

"Where are you taking me, kid?" He asked, all the while Akamaru walked beside them with a bounce in his step.

He wasn't all that worried about danger because Akamaru was a great judge of character. Hated Sharky, tolerated Zabuza, loved Mr. Red Eyes. And if the pup was going along with the red haired kid, it meant that he posed no immediate threat.

"To my Uncle Yashamaru!" The kid squeaked out, tugging at Kiba's hands so the other would move faster. "He'll heal you right up!"

Kiba blinked at the excited little boy, but allowed him to be pulled along.

He didn't know who anybody in this place were... But going to someone's house meant food most of the times. And he was getting kind of hungry right now...

He knew he'd eventually have to go back to Zabuza, but... Oh, those eyes were big and trusting! He couldn't leave the kid alone now! It just wouldn't be right...

Eh, the old man could wait for a little while longer.

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