Disclaimer: I disclaim these characters which thou art about to receive.
Author's Note: I'll bet you thought I was never going to update again, huh? Well, in your face, apparently.
Kakashi had slept through the whole of the night, not remembering much of it. He had opened his eyes in the early morning hours to be greeted by the sight of a drooling and shirtless Sasuke Uchiha propped against the wall, a drunk Tazuna passed out on the table, and a disheveled Sakura who appeared to have fallen asleep on the stairs only to be covered with the shirt Sasuke had lacked. If not for the given circumstances, the jonin would have assumed she had taken it herself.
It came to Kakashi's mind to worry about Naruto, but he didn't have the energy to stand unsupported, let alone walk up a flight of stairs. With a sloth's stamina, the Hatake's left arm touched the inert Uchiha boy, jerking him into awareness almost instantly.
"Sensei?" he asked, hawk-like eyes focusing.
"Check on Naruto." Kakashi ordered, voice quiet and drowsy. Sasuke's eyebrow quirked upwards, but he obeyed his teacher's command without question.
The sky outside was still dark in the early morning hour in which Sasuke was climbing the stairs. He was careful not to step on Sakura and crept into Inari's room with practiced expertise. Even with the space's complete absence of light, Sasuke was able to find his rival instantly.
Without disturbing Inari, the shirtless Uchiha swooped down beside the quiet Naruto.
"Dobe," he whispered, somehow thinking there would be a reply. There wasn't one, of course, but Sasuke could hear Naruto breathing. It sounded labored; not as bad as it had the night before, though. Just to be sure of his assessment, Sasuke stood there for another two minutes before darting back into the lower floor.
Kakashi had fallen back asleep in his absence, so Sasuke shook until one of his instructor's eyes opened disdainfully.
"Naruto's fine." the sullen boy whispered, causing Kakashi to nod and attempt to sit up. He failed utterly, and Sasuke didn't bother catching him. There was a 'thunk' sound, and it was just enough to wake Sakura. She made a few strange sounds when she noticed the shirt covering her, which in turn roused Tazuna and his hangover. Predictably, the next few minutes were not pleasant for anyone, and ended up waking Inari and his mother as well.
There was a boisterous breakfast that morning, consisting of meager portions and Tazuna ranting about one thing or another. The copy ninja wearily shoveled in as much food as he could take before eyeing the loud-mouthed patriarch at the table and informing him that Zabuza was still alive. He had made sure to use a casual tone, but the old man and Sakura were panicking regardless. To stop Tazuna's sputtering, he backed up his deduction with the evidence at hand.
With that little thing out of the way, Kakashi announced that even though he couldn't be doing it, persay, his students would be training. Before even allowing his pupils to argue, he grabbed a crutch that Tazuna's daughter had handed to him and ushered them outside into the chilly morning air.
The day had begun.
Any sense of time was removed from Naruto's unconscious mind. The realm of the dead held him close, unable to claim him. In short spurts, he swore he could hear the voices whisper to him again, and others, he heard muffled voices that sounded even more familiar. Hands grasped him, moved him, and he could do nothing to fight or assist them. He was helpless, but warm. In fact, he could have sworn he was just asleep. There was no nightmare; no orange-furred demon staring him down, just the sensation of being completely at peace with the world. It was like being a child, nestled deep in the blankets of a parent's bed-a comfort the Uzumaki had never known. Therefore, it was understandable that the orphan would be more than a little irritated at the manner in which he was jarred back into awareness.
Two fingers pried open his right eyelid, revealing a hazy and melancholy-looking face that Naruto immediately recognized. It took a certain amount of self-control not to shout the boy's name in irritation. They hadn't gotten along right away the first time they met, and apparently this bout would be no different.
Inari's expression reminded him of Sasuke. The sulking look didn't suit the child's frame, to be sure. It made him look sour and sick. Like Sasuke, the builder's grandson had black hair. Unlike Sasuke, however, his face was extremely round and potentially rosy. The sulking didn't suit the kid, but the crease developing on his forehead told a tale of constant sorrow.
The room the two inhabited at the moment was as familiar as Inari himself, window facing outside in front of a desk. The bedroll Naruto was using was on the floor just in front of it, rough wood snagging the cloth.
"You're awake," Inari remarked dryly, withdrawing his offending hand without an explanation or apology. The kid bent over Naruto's harried head and scowled, getting uncomfortably close to communicate the point that he was angry about something. "-you were really messed up yesterday. Serves you right for trying to fight Gato. Maybe you can tell the others that, too."
Naruto was in no mood to hear anything of the sort from anyone, and let Inari in on that anecdote by a light blow to the face. Well, it was light in Naruto's opinion. Inari started sniffling from the floor where he had been forced, eyeing his attacker like a dangerous criminal. It was a manipulative gesture. Needless to say, however, Naruto was not moved.
"Stop your sniveling, you little creep." the Uzumaki growled, clutching his belly and working to stand. "-we're here to help your grandfather, you could be a bit more grateful."
"You're going to die." Inari stated like a fact, still letting the occasional whimper escape his frame. He spoke the phrase with such conviction it made Naruto sick.
"Heroes don't die." Naruto retorted with forced calm, putting the bedclothes in order.
"There aren't heroes in this world!" the black-haired child wailed, very loudly in the hopes that the orange-loving ninja would glance at him. Blue eyes fell upon him, looking alternately pissed and compassionate. The two emotions warred with one another for a second before deciding on pissed. The blonde rounded on his pessimistic companion with a snarl.
"You'd better believe there are heroes! I'm gonna be one of the best!" Naruto's voice echoed all the way downstairs, causing Inari's mother to startle over the stove. The gruel she was preparing for lunch was no worse off, but her terrified, her first thoughts involving fear of a break-in. How else could the arrival of a new voice be explained? Inari didn't make friends easily. He never had, and the auburn-haired woman was not going to believe he had just turned over a new leaf.
Inari wasn't the only one in danger, either. The shortest, youngest ninja in the group had been on the verge of death when they had arrived, the little girl known as Sakura supporting him and huffing like she'd run a marathon, accompanied by Tazuna and Sasuke carrying a drunkenly-exhausted Kakashi. They had looked at his wounds and set him up in Inari's room over the span of a very hectic night, forcing her son to watch their would-be protector at all times. Together, the two would be helpless, and maternal instincts pushed her into action.
Pot in hand, Inari's mother ran up the stairs and opened Theodoratos find a sight that ultimately spelt the death of lunch. The gruel fell onto the rough wood flooring, accompanied by her jaw. There was no thug or broken window, only the wounded boy who had been almost dead twelve hours prior standing over her son, looking quite determined, albeit a bit pale.
"I can't stand cowards like you! If nobody stands up, there are no heroes, sure. You have to WORK for change, don't you?!"
"Inari!" the builder's daughter shouted, finally finding her voice. "What's going on in here?"
Inari ignored her inquiry and grimaced at his new verbal opponent. "What good is a dead hero?"
"Worthless!" Naruto yelled.
Inari blinked, confused. Had he just won? Had this visiting shinobi just seen the light of logic?
"Worthless, so you have to try harder. A real hero doesn't let something stop him, no matter what!" Naruto amended, making it very apparent that he still thought Inari's way of thinking was a load of bunk.
The bridge-builder's grandson was at a loss for words, his face livid. Without another word, he bolted out of the room, trailing gruel behind him. The next few seconds consisted of an extremely uncomfortable silence, Tazuna's daughter eyeing the Yondaime's son in confusion and bewilderment before he broke the silence.
"Here, let me help you clean this up, lady." he muttered, scooping up some of the gruel with his hands and placing it into the container from which it came. Naruto figured that it was the least he could do for her hospitality. He really couldn't bring himself to apologize. In all honesty, the apology of 'I'm sorry, but I punched your son because he was a whiny git who needs to get over his stinking self pity or I will hurt him even more' really wouldn't have smoothed things over, anyway.
It was all he could do to work hard. The act in itself was simple, but it spoke volumes about the shinobi's character. Naruto winced when he moved his abdomen too quickly, but cleaned the entire mess without complaining one bit.
The auburn woman watched the boy labor on the menial task without her having asked with incredulity. Like any common adult would be, she was pleased. Naruto hadn't the intention of buttering her up, but she found herself more likely to assist him anyway. He came across as mature, and doubtful though she might be, she couldn't withhold the location of Kakashi's makeshift training grounds from him when he asked a few minutes later. The teacher would be displeased, she imagined, that his wounded student was given lease to run around so freely while he should have rested.
She watched him hobble out of her house with morbid fascination. He was in a lot of pain, she could tell. He had asked her how he looked before leaving, but she really didn't have the heart to be honest with him. His teammates would undoubtedly send him back, possibly crushed, but he deserved to see them, even if he looked pathetic. Sakura (she congratulated herself on remembering the girl's name), would be very relieved. She seemed the most worried of the three. That wasn't a fair judgment of Kakashi since he was unconscious at the time, but as far as the other boy was concerned, he probably was putting on a tough face he forced even himself to believe. It was unsettling, but so was having deadly warriors in your house to begin with.