The Hidden Countries;

Chapter Three

Odd ninja and a worthy tale

Rose wanted to throw a brick – a very heavy brick. She didn't know who the intended target would be. Maybe every single person around her, would they all deserve her wrath just for existing? She was just bored really, and a bored Rose was not a good Rose.

It had been a week since she had started her full on stalking on the white haired ninja. In that week, she'd learnt many things about this universe and she was sure that the other ninja just thought she was an idiot. Even Naruto thought she was stupid – and considering how stupid she'd learnt that boy could be this was saying something.

The small ninja, had been training for the entire week. Rose, Kakashi and Sakura spent the entire time guarding the bridge builder. Well, Kakashi and Sakura did – Rose for most part just sat there sleeping. It wasn't her fault that there was nothing to do. Although she had been learning about the Ninja's Chakra usage, Rose still wasn't sure if she should use her magic in any situations that she might find herself in or not, should she let them know she didn't in fact have chakra? It was confusing.

Rose was also still confused about everything that was happening. It was slightly overwhelming really. The world was so much different than her own one had been, with these ninja, their chakra and odd customs... Not to mention that Rose was still slightly confused with how they spoke Japanese of all languages... maybe there as a form of connection there? When everything was over should she check into Japan, or was this all an odd sort of coincidence?

None of this mattered in the long run, not to Rose. She was just waiting out for when the white-haired male would put his life at risk and she could save it. This turned out to be harder than it first looked to be – the reason? The ninja was in no danger what-so-ever.

If things kept going on as it had been than Rose would simply have to abandon trying to repay him. Rose knew if she did this than it would come back and bite her in the arse but Rose was beginning to think that she had no choice in the matter.

She had been talking to Ron and Hermione and the two were apparently very close to locating the destination of the snake summoning scroll.

When they found it, the plan was for the three to go a acquire it, the only thing that was slowing them down was Rose's need to settle the debt first. Although with the rate things were going she'd just abandon ship – and hope to never see him again. Go back to England and hope that she can't be followed... Not the smartest thing she would have done but... It would be more productive then where she was now.

She was sitting on the white haired ninja's back with his pink haired student Sakura. He was doing push-ups, with one finger. Rose didn't mind helping him – she lived to help people out but...

"196... 197... 198..."

It was getting slightly ridiculous... How in the name of Merlin was he managing to do so many push-ups with herself and Sakura on his back with one finger? She knew she was light but really...

The bridge builder was watching on with mild fascination, Rose guessed that the push-up thing was not normal. Even here.

"I've been meaning to ask you," The bridge builder said his eyes not leaving the white-haired ninja's form. "You know I duped you, but... why did you stay?"

Rose's eyes drew together in confusion what was the old man talking about? Why did he stay? wasn't that his ninja mission? Then again Rose did have no idea how anything worked here – as a result everyone in the house thought she was an idiot. Even Naruto – who was more idiotic than Goyle was at times but he was as brave as she could get which made her like the blonde.

"To know what is right and choose to ignore it is the act of a coward," He began still doing his push-ups. "Those are teachings of some of our previous Lord Hokage. True Shinobi do not merely dance to a tune of whoever pays the piper."

It was kind of wise, the words but Rose was still questioning... What was this mission the ninja were on? She had thought that they were just protecting the old man but they had made it sound like the ninja weren't meant to be doing it.

Rose was not stupid. A bit ignorant of how things worked here, but she was far from stupid. She needed to figure out how this place worked completely in like the two more days that Ron and Hermione had given her before they said they would have found the scroll. She had two days and her odds were not looking the best.

(:~THC~:)

Late on that night, Naruto and Sasuke stumbled in looking like they had just done a triathlon fifteen times over. They were both leaning on each other for support like they could berley stand upright. Rose knew now that they had been walking up trees with chakra – something that Rose was certain that she and her friends did not have.

"Well... look whose back, looking like something that cat has dragged in," Tazuna said good-naturedly, with a smile.

Sasuke scowled at the bridge builder as he and Naruto sat down and had food placed in front of them, which Naruto almost instantly began to inhale. Sasuke on the other hand seemed to want to converse with his teacher.

"We both have made it to the top of our tree."

"Good work you two," Kakashi responded with an eye-smile. Rose really wondered how he did that – could she get him to teach her before her next two days were up. "Starting tomorrow, you two can help Sakura protect Tazuna-San."

"So..." a giggly Sakura began, "my advice helped?"

Sakura reminded her of a mix between Hermione and Lavender. Not that Sakura wasn't her own person or anything, but the girl was highly intelligent and had potential just like Hermione. But the girl had high stalker/fangirl tendances that dragged down what she could be like Lavender had been – more interested in boys and makeup than the falling apart of the entire world. Not those things were that bad – she exaggerated of course. She did that a lot.

"...Yes," Sasuke said his voice icily. "Err... Thanks," he practically mumbled but everyone in the room still heard him anyway.

Sakura full on beamed at the boy. Yes, she was a fan-girl though and though. She was most likely just ecstatic that Sasuke had even talked to her than what she should be worried about. This girl was a ninja? "You're welcome!"

"You know, I know how you two feel," Tazuna began with a chuckled and a hearty smile at the two boys – who were both now eating like Ron when he'd gone and missed a meal – like a savage basically. "I'm completely worn out from my days work too... But construction is almost complete."

Rose too knew how to feel completely worn out – not that she would say anything. She still didn't trust these people; she trusted them enough to be around but their profession kept her on her toes. Plus it didn't need to be mentioned.

"But please... don't work yourselves to death," the bridge builders daughter said kindly.

That was when Rose noticed that the bridge builders grandson – Inari – was crying. Why? She had no idea. But apparently Sakura had noticed the crying boy as well. "Hey, what's wrong?"

It was then that everyone else noticed that the young boy was crying, and then he started to yell. Joys.

"Why..." Inari started off muttering before he was full on yelling at his grandfather's guests. "Why must you wear yourself out trying? No matter how hard you train you'll never be able to match Gato's thugs! You all act so cool, and talk all tough, but big strong guys like that are always too much for people weaker than they are, they'll destroy you!"

Rose was mildly worried for the young boy but she was mostly offended. He hadn't been talking to her she knew this; he'd been talking with the ninja, but never the less... She for most of their fights had been weaker than Voldemort but she had always won somewhat... By some what she meant that she never died. She felt that when you had something you could work for, than you could do anything.

It was a lesson she felt that the boy needed to learn, and with great difficulty she kept her mouth shut. Letting Naruto yell at the young boy in his own anger.

"Shut up! I'm not you! I'm not going to lose!" Naruto growled at the much younger boy in irritation. He didn't like to lose – Rose could respect that even in a child that young. After all she shouldn't discount what he could do – at his age she'd defeated the darkest wizard of their age twice hadn't she?

"Just watching you ticks me off; you go running your mouth when you don't know a thing! This isn't your town!" Inari yelled back at the blond despite the tears on his face.

Naruto glared at Inari, a cold, hard stare of a child that had most likely seen too much. "So... you figure it's noble to star in a melodrama and treat everyone around you like guests at a big pity party? Man up! You're not in any place to judge! You're just a cry-baby!"

"Naruto!" Sakura cried out as Inari stormed out of the room. "That was way too harsh! He's just a kid!"

Naruto in a rare moment of not caring what Sakura thought of him, ignored Sakura and stormed out of the room. Leaving it in dead silence, prompting Kakashi to get the tragic story of Inari's father out of Tazuna.

(:~THC~:)

Rose climbed on the roof of the house – an easy feat when you added magic into the mix. She couldn't just walk up the wall like a ninja could – but she had her ways. She found Inari sitting on the roof and staring at the sky. She didn't know why she was doing this – but in her mind he was just a kid and she helped kids out. She helped everyone out – that was just who she was, a helper.

"Hey kid, can I sit here?" She asked Inari as softly as she could.

Inari looked at her with his eyes red-rimmed from crying but he gave her no reply so she just took a seat next to the younger boy anyway.

"You know that Naruto is a bit of an idiot. But what he said... It was right in a way," Rose began, earning an incredulous look from Inari.

"Listen, when I was one both of my parents got murdered right in front of me. The murder got off free, and when I was eleven and had done one year of schooling I managed to beat him. He was an odd sixty years old and very feared in my... village, but I beat him. Do you know why?"

Inari, who was looking at her wide-eyed, just shook his head. "It's because if you have something to fight for, be it people or just morale – you can win. Even if the person you're fighting is that much stronger than you are."

Inari hesitated, "I think... I need to think about it... Thank you..."

Rose smiled at the confused boy, "You're welcome."

Rose than watched as the young boy climbed off the roof and into his house via the front door, to make his way to what Rose assumed was his bedroom. It didn't matter if he was confused now – that only meant that Rose had managed to get though to him, and that was all that mattered now.

"It seems you bet me to my job."

Rose jumped violently having not noticed anyone behind her; she turned around to see a calm white haired ninja sitting right beside her. How long had he been there?

"How long were you there?"

Kakashi hummed as he leaned back on his arms his one eye focused on Rose. "Long enough. Interesting story there."

Rose crossed her arms over her chest and suddenly felt slightly defensive. "It was the truth – I just like helping people."

She didn't know if she was defending herself, trying to make him believe she was telling the truth or explaining why she had been talking to him in the first place. Something about this ninja had her off guard – every time in the last week or so that she had been there, as soon as she thought she had figured him out – he said or did something completely unexpected.

He was an odd one; she was usually a pretty good judge of character and could figure a person out. But this ninja was so different to anyone else she'd met, he was a complex person and everyone else that she'd met hadn't been very complex. They'd been rather... shallow? As a result she was never sure what to say – or how he'd react to something that she would say. For some reason Rose found this slight refreshing.

Kakashi put his hand up like he was asking her to calm down or something. "I wasn't accusing you of anything... Merely stating the fact – an interesting tale."

Rose relaxed slightly, but she was still slightly on edge, "Not really, other than the fact that a madman killed my entire family but somehow can't figure out a way to kill me..."

Kakashi smiled – what an odd thing to smile at! "Other than madmen, of course... I thank you for talking to Inari for me..."

Rose looked up at the starry night forming above her, she liked the stars. "I like helping people – it's what I do."

Kakashi smiled again even though Rose couldn't see it because she wasn't looking at him, "Is that why you dropped out?"

"Hm?"

Kakashi looked up at the stars with Rose, "Why you dropped out of school?" Kakashi prodded.

Rose sighed, "Slightly, I guess. I had heaps of reasons... I had things to do – it's a long story."

"Well, I am told that I'm a good listener," Kakashi responded as he eyed a bright star.

"It isn't particularly interesting... Let's leave it at a young child wanting to help out everyone."

Kakashi just sighed and dropped the idea. Most likely realising that Rose wasn't going to tell him anything. He wasn't an idiot after all.

Rose looked at the stars again, they seemed much brighter here than in England.

:)~THC~(:

The next morning Rose, along with Tazuna, Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura made their way to the bridge. Rose was running out of ideas to save the man – maybe she could just get Ron to put him in peril and then save him from it? Would that even work, considering he wouldn't be in any real trouble?

Rose sighed as the bridge came into view, another day full of sleeping and wondering how to save a life... That was until she saw what looked like at least half of the construction crew lying practically dead on the bridge. It was horrifying.

"Oh sweet Merlin..." Rose whispered in English, earning her an odd look from the only two ninja who heard her – Kakashi and Sasuke. She had forgotten about their hearing... damn.

"What happened? Who did this? Gato?" Tazuna asked one of the men on the floor that was covered in blood.

"Mon- Monsters..." The man said groaning in his pain, blood dripping from his mouth. Rose was horrified that anyone but Voldemort and his death eaters could be so violent. Maybe it was just the way things happened here – death. It wasn't something Rose would ever condone.

"Everyone get ready... They're coming," Kakashi said as a slow white mist enveloped the bridge.

Rose was aware of Sasuke and Sakura taking defensive positions. She just continued to look on in horror at the dying man, what sort of monster? Rose was on guard – she knew this could be her chance to save Kakashi, and she would even do her best to protect the children, but still...

"Sensei? This... is it that guy from before? This is his mist technique... right?"

Kakashi berley nodded his head before the body of the man that Rose thought was dead appeared with the masked hunter-nin by his side.

"It's been awhile Kakashi," Zubuza said, an eerily creepy smile appeared on his face, creeping Rose right out... Wasn't he meant to be dead? "I see you've brought those brats from last time – even the special one..."

This part had been directed at Rose, Rose just pursed her lips and Kakashi smiled again. Why did he smile in the face of danger? It was just stupid...

"-And the little boy is trembling with fear, again." He said while laughing tartly. Rose glanced at Sasuke – he was indeed trembling.

At that moment several more Zubuzas' appeared out of no-where. They were more likely made out of water like they had been the last time but it was still extremely freaky to see doubles of the man.

"I'm not trembling in fear! I tremble... for a rematch!" Sasuke declared.

Kakashi just smiled at the young boy. "Go ahead... Sasuke."

Rose watched on in slight fascination as she watched the black-haired boy slice down each of his water-clones. She had been right when she assumed that the children in Kakashi's care could take care of themselves.

"So it looks like my water clones were no match... It seems that these brats have actually turned into worthy rivals... eh, Haku?"

"Indeed." The newly named Haku replied in an emotionless voice. Rose wondered, wasn't he meant to want to kill Zubuza? This was a slight predicament... Maybe she could save Kakashi at some point during this and not have to ditch wasting a week of her time.