The couple of hours were spent traveling down the road towards Tazuna's house. Tazuna turned down a small road to a small house, quickly making his way to the door so he could open it for the Naruto clones to bring Kakashi in. But before the old man was able to open it, a younger woman burst through and ensnared him in a loving hug.

"Thank goodness you're safe! I was so worried!"

Tazuna let out a chuckle, breaking away from the woman's embrace. "I'm quite alright, Tsunami. These ninjas are quite strong for their age."

The woman known as Tsunami smiled at the genin before seeing Kakashi being carried by the two clones. "Quickly, bring him!"

The lead clone nudged his head towards the door and led the other clone inside the house. Tazuna, Sakura, and Sasuke followed suit, Naruto stayed outside for a moment and examined the house. The outside of the home, despite the size, was nice. He couldn't say much though. His apartment wasn't even half the size of the house in front of him. Hell, his room on the mountain wasn't as big as his entire apartment.

As the blonde entered, he examined the house further. The inside was much nicer than the outside would have you think by how it looked. He navigated himself through the house to the kitchen where the others already were, the clones had placed Kakashi on a couch in the room just beyond the kitchen.

Tsunami made sure Kakashi was set up correctly and comfortably before coming into the kitchen and serving everyone with a cup of tea. Then she sat down herself next to Tazuna.

"Now that everyone is all settled, I guess we can introduce ourselves. I'm Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter. Thank you so much for keeping my father safe and bringing him all the way back here."

Sakura smiled brightly, Sasuke nodded, and Naruto responded for the team.

"There's no need for thanks. It's our mission."

Tsunami nodded and smiled. She did look for the genin for a moment before a questioning look came on her face. "I have to say though, I'm surprised to see how young you three are. You must be strong since you've made it this far."

Tazuna chuckled before looking over the genin himself. "You'd be surprised."

For the next couple of hours, Team Seven talked with Tazuna and Tsunami. It was mostly Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke would throw in their comments sporadically. Sakura went on about her home life and childhood, telling about how her parents were too overbearing about her being a ninja but supported her regardless. She left out the part about her being bullied for her forehead but continued to say she had a happy childhood.

Sasuke was tight lipped when the topic of their childhoods and past was given to him. The Uchiha simply gave a grunt and turned his head away when the others looked to him. Tazuna and Tsunami both knew of the incident and would not press the subject onto the boy. Sakura grew tense but was quickly relived when Sasuke didn't respond.

Naruto looked up from his somewhat blank stare and noticed all eye were on him now. It was his 'turn' to share. Despite Sasuke being tight lipped about his past, Naruto's past was the one that was bathed in mystery. Sakura was all ears while Sasuke kept his eyes trained on the blonde.

He let out a sigh. "I don't suppose I can get out of this?"

"C'mon Naruto," Sakura whined, "we don't know anything about you."

"Aren't teams supposed to be built on trust? Telling your secrets is one of the best things you can do to build that trust." Tsunami said.

Sakura nodded furiously and turned back to her teammate.

Naruto let out another sigh. "What do you want to know?"

"Where did you come from?" Sasuke blurted out. "I don't remember seeing you around the village until we started our classes at the Academy. It was like you were made from thin air."

Sakura waited intently for Naruto's response, she was glad to hear that she wasn't the only one who noticed.

"That's because I was never in the village until I was six-years-old."

"What do you mean? Where were you?" Sakura questioned.

Naruto looked at Sakura in her eyes. "Elsewhere." There wasn't much room for discussion.

"Who were you with? Were your parents- "

Something flared up behind Naruto's eyes and Sakura could see it. It caught her attention so much so that she stopped mid-sentence, her words dying in her throat. The other three noticed Sakura's hesitation and looked at Naruto closer. His pupils were struggling to grow, like growing to slits.

"Parents…" Naruto stared blankly for a moment before shaking his head, his eyes returning to normal. "I didn't have parents. They…died a long time ago."

Sakura leaned in closer to the blonde. "T-They died? Who did you live with? Who took care of you?"

His mind flashed Jiraiya, his nails digging into the wood of the table. "Caretaker." He said through gritted teeth.

Sasuke noticed the clenching jaw. "Who's the Caretaker?"

Naruto's response came in the from of low growl. "Sannin…" Naruto shook his head to the left, then to the right, before suddenly standing up. His chair fell back from the sudden jerk. "I need to go."

Naruto quickly rushed out of the house and into the forest.

"Naruto wait!" Sakura chased after him.

Sasuke let out another grunt before joining in the chase. He stopped momentarily and turned back to Tazuna and Tsunami. "I apologize for my teammate." Then left the house.

Naruto jumped from tree to tree, moving as fast as he possibly could before he tripped over his own feet and fell against the base of a random tree. He breathed heavily, not from his running but his struggle to keep control. He was shaking from trying to keep some type of control over himself.

'What the hell? What's happening? I've never felt a pull like that.'

The blonde went through one of the controlled breathing exercises that the Sandaime had taught him to calm himself and regain control. Once he felt that pull go away and finally became relaxed, Naruto reached into the pouch and pulled out a scroll to read.

He glanced through the writing of the scroll until he found where he left off.

"The Gate of View…located in the stomach. The effects further increase speed and strength than the five gates before. Hm. No wonder the Eight Inner Gates are so legendary.'

Naruto tried to open the first gate a few years back, the Gate of Opening. The user must push all their chakra into a specified area of the body. It required unbelievable amounts of chakra control and the ability to hold the chakra into that pinpointed place. It showed Naruto just how bad he was at chakra control. He remembered the Third saying the reason for his horrible control over his chakra was because of the massive amounts of chakra he possessed. The more chakra you have, the less control you have over it.

When Naruto first tried to open the first gate, he nearly killed himself. He got frustrated by his lack of progress and channeled too much chakra to his brain. The Kyuubi said that the only reason he didn't die was because him. That was also the last time the Kyuubi had spoken to him.

"Naruto!"

The blonde looked up to see Sakura and Sasuke running towards him.

"Yes?" He asked when the two stopped in front of him.

"Are you okay?" Sakura panted.

"Yeah? Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, that little episode back there causes question." Sasuke quipped.

Naruto let out a sigh. There wasn't much chance in getting out of giving some type of answer to their questions. 'They are my teammates, after all.'

"Look, there is a lot you guys don't know about me. I understand that you want to know, I would too if the roles were reversed. But you have to give me some time. It's been awhile since I've been around people that haven't tried to kill me. I'm not really used to it."

"People have tried to kill you?" Sakura knelt to eye level.

Naruto nodded, not meeting Sakura's eyes. "…Multiple times."

Sakura blinked a few times, realizing that the blonde was not joking. The truth was written behind those blue eyes, the boy had faced death on more than one occasion. Even Sasuke noticed this and was surprised by this.

"Why…?"

Naruto opened his mouth to speak but stopped, seemingly to rethink his answer. He looked down again. "I'm not sure. It started when I came to the village and it hasn't stopped."

"Who tries to kill you?" Sasuke questioned, moving to stand next to the still kneeling Sakura.

This question, Naruto did not answer. He rolled up his scroll while he stood up. Sasuke took notice to the kanji that was drawn on the scroll when it was placed in Naruto's back pouch. The Uchiha waited a few moments for Naruto to answer but realized it was never coming.

"You're studying the Eight Gates?"

Naruto nodded. "It's something I've wanted to learn for a long time, but that's easier said than done."

Sakura had a confused look on her face. "The Eight Gates?"

"The Eight Inner Gates are specific points in a person's chakra network. The idea of the Eight Gates is to unlock those gates because they limit the amount of chakra that flows through your network. To open each gate, you have to channel most of your chakra through each point." Naruto answered.

"What does that do?"

"You'll surpass your own physical limits with each gate you open, increasing your strength and speed tenfold, all at the expense of your body. You can cause extreme damage to your body if you overuse this. Hell, if you use the eighth gate you'll die."

"Rumors say if you are fighting someone who opens the sixth gate, or higher, to run. They'll have become too powerful to stop." Sasuke added.

"That's some technique." Sakura said, shockingly. "And you're studying this, Naruto?"

The blonde nodded again. "My goal is to master all Eight Gates, without the side effects of over usage."

"Even the eighth gate? The one that kills you?" Sasuke raised his eyebrow.

Naruto's smirk was all Sasuke needed to know Naruto's answer. "You're serious?"

The smirk disappeared, and he placed his hand for his stomach, feeling the beast slightly stir within him. "You never know unless you try."

The trio made their way back to Tazuna's house just as the sun was beginning to set. They entered the house through main door and walked back into the kitchen. They were greeted by their sensei, who was seated at the table with a plate of food set in front of him.

"Yo."

"Kakashi sensei!" Sakura cheered. "You're awake!"

"I thought you'd be out for another day, at least." Naruto commented, taking at seat next to the man.

"Are you able to move much?" Sasuke questioned.

Before Kakashi could respond for himself, Tsunami answered for him.

"I forbade him from moving unless he needs to. But he's not the only one I'm worried about." The woman turned to Naruto. "Are you okay? You gave us quite a scare when you ran out like that."

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I just had an…unpleasant memory."

Sakura and Sasuke held their tongues from making any comments about what happened. It seemed to them, Naruto had a trigger if you wanted to piss him off. And if he was that strong without using his anger as a catalyst, who knows how strong he'd become.

"Anyway, I bet you three are hungry. You didn't get a chance to eat yet. I'll make something quick."

The three waited patiently for the food while Tazuna and Kakashi went back to their conversation they were having before they were interrupted.

"Now, back to what we were talking about." Tazuna said. He sighed before continuing. "It's a pretty big risk, don't you think?"

"I won't lie, there isn't much of a positive side to our situation. We may have the numbers advantage, but we don't know how strong that boy- "

"Girl. That hunter ninja was a girl." Naruto spoke up.

Sakura raised her eyebrow. "And how would you know that?"

"Her physical strength was horrible compared to mine."

Sakura grew physically agitated. "Are you saying that a woman can't be stronger than a man?!"

Naruto shook his head, keeping his collected demeanor. "No. Men are just physically stronger than woman by the fact that our bodies are made to be so. But there are women out there that can overpower any man they want. I know for one that can kill a person with a single punch."

"Now that's impressive." Sasuke commented.

"Back to our discussion," Kakashi began, "we don't know how strong that girl is. I have no doubt that Naruto and Sasuke could take her, and me Zabuza, but that would leave Sakura protecting Tazuna alone. I'm not down playing Sakura's abilities, but if something to happen to where she was the only one standing between Tazuna and either of them. Sakura wouldn't be strong enough to hold them off."

Sakura's head dropped slightly, trying to hide her disappointment. Naruto noticed this.

"I think it's safe to say that me and Naruto could take that masked ninja." Sasuke stated.

Naruto nodded in agreement. "And besides, I can use my clones to help with Tazuna's protection if need be. I'll make sure Sakura isn't left alone."

Sakura picked her head back up, seeing Naruto smiling at her slightly. Hearing that he'd spare a few clones to help her out made her feel a little better.

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "Good to hear. Now we just need to figure out Gatō's loca- "

"There's no point in trying to fight Gatō. You're all going to die, anyway."

Naruto raised his eyebrow at the small boy that had just walked into the kitchen, not because of his words but because of his outfit. He was wearing green and white stripped hat with green overalls. It was strange, if Naruto was completely honest.

"And what makes you so sure about that?"

The boy glared daggers at the blonde, clenching his fists in fury. "Gatō is too strong and too powerful to be killed! You'll be slaughtered on the spot! Just run away and stop pretending to be strong because you're not!"

Naruto chuckled. "Kid, we're ninja. We accept the chance that we could die at any moment on a mission. It's honor to give your life for something bigger than yourself and letting others prosper because of your sacrifice."

"You don't get it! These people are trying to kill you! If you value anything in your life you'd run and never come back!"

"It's because we value what's important to us is why we welcome the chance of death. And I'm not the type to just hide under my covers when someone I know could be killed. I'll die before I let my comrades die."

"You have no idea what I've been through! You have no right to say anything to me! There is no such thing as a hero!" The boy bolted back the way he came. There was sounds of rapid footsteps going up a set of stairs then a door slamming shut.

Tazuna let out a sigh, watching Tsunami quickly follow the boy upstairs. "I apologize for my grandson. He hasn't been himself lately. He lost his father and completely turned himself off from the world. He's lost all hope."

"What happened to his father?" Sakura asked

"Kaiza was the hero of the city. He was the hope that kept this town alive. If something was going on, Kaiza was the one who put a stop to it. No matter the problem, he'd fix it. That is until Gatō arrived. Gatō saw Kaiza as a threat to his corporation. To show that nothing like that would stand, Gatō publicly executed Kaiza."

"What…?" Sakura gasped. Even Naruto and Sasuke were shocked.

Naruto turned his head towards the stairs, knowing the boy was up there.

"Ever since that day, nothing has ever been the same. The town lost hope. Both Tsunami and Inari changed and still haven't recovered."

There was a silence that followed the Tazuna's words, there wasn't much to say after a story like that.

Kakashi let out a sigh. "I'll be waking you three up early tomorrow. We have things to do."

-The Next Day-

The following morning, Team Seven woke up early. Nothing Sasuke and Naruto weren't already used to, but Sakura had never woken up before six o'clock in the morning. It was certainly a shock to the pink haired girl when she was woken by her crutch bound sensei at half past four. She was left questioning why she was woken up so early because Kakashi left immediately after to wake up the two males, who were already awake.

Sakura was having a hard time focusing as she trailed her two teammates, she couldn't help herself from yawning almost constantly. But she was surprised every time she looked at the backs of Naruto and Sasuke. They both appeared to be wide awake, never letting a yawn escape their mouths.

"How can you two be so awake so early?" Sakura yawned, for seemingly the hundredth time.

Naruto glanced back to his female teammate. "I do a few stretches to wake myself up. They help me limber up for my training."

"Is that we're up so early? To train?" Sakura rubbed her eye, trying to suppress her yawn.

"It would make sense." Sasuke spoke up. "Why else would Kakashi sensei want us up this earlier a day after fighting an S-Rank missing shinobi?"

Sakura knew Sasuke's question was rhetorical and decided it was best not to answer.

The three followed the path a bit further until they came to a small opening in the many trees where Kakashi was waiting for them, leaning on his one crutch and reading his favorite book. He lowered the book and gave an eye smile to his students.

"Good morning you three. Glad to see you all woke up on time."

Sakura grumbled. "You woke me up, sensei."

"True, but I half expected you to fall back asleep and not show up until later in the morning."

Sakura grumbled to herself even more as Naruto stepped forward. "So, what are we doing out here, sensei? Especially so early?"

"Well, Naruto, we don't have much time before Zabuza recovers and comes after Tazuna again. I need to do everything I can to get you three ready for that time."

"How long do you think we have?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment before answering. "A few days, a week at the most."

Naruto shifted his neck, popping it a few times, then shifting it to the other side. "Then let's get started!" He slammed his fist into his hand.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm, Naruto, but we are starting off with something simple. The tree climbing exercise."

"Um, sensei?" Sakura spoke up. "We're ninja, I think climbing a tree isn't something we need to train on."

"Okay Sakura go climb that tree without using your hands." Kakashi pointed to the tree to his left.

"…That's not possible sensei."

"Oh really? Well that's why we are going to train." Kakashi turned to the tree he pointed at but Naruto spoke up and stopped him.

"Kakashi sensei, I already know how to do this."

The grey-haired man's lone visible eye slightly widened and turned back. "You do?"

Naruto nodded before sprinting towards the tree and continued his path up the tree, without breaking stride. His two teammates watched very intently as he ran all the way to the top of the tree, showing it took very little effort. He crossed his arms and smirked arrogantly as he stood triumphant atop the tree.

"How long have you known how to do this?" Kakashi called out, mildly impressed.

Naruto thought for a moment. "Since I was six or seven. It was in one of the scrolls that Ojiisan gave me to study from."

Sasuke grit his teeth in frustration. He could see Naruto's cocky smirk from the bottom of the tree. He also clenched his fists in aggravation as he stared at the blonde. 'I swear to kami, I'll beat the cockiness out of him one day. He thinks he's so much better than everyone else. I'll be the one to change that!'

Sakura stared up in awe. Naruto ran up that tree with relative ease, it just proved that he wasn't lying that he had mastered this at such a young age. She would give anything to have the natural talent Naruto, and Sasuke for that matter, had. She had a long way to go if she ever wanted to make it to his current level.

"Mastering this will allow you to defy gravity." Kakashi said, now standing upside down on a branch. Sakura and Sasuke's shock grew even more when they noticed this. "Focusing your chakra to your feet will make you stick to the surface of the tree, almost like a glue."

"How will this help in our fight against Zabuza and that hunter ninja?" Sasuke questioned.

Before Kakashi could answer, Naruto fell past his sensei and landed in front of his teammates. "Chakra control helps improve your stamina and help with performing jutsu. Theoretically, mastering this technique can help you master any jutsu you want…says the scroll that is."

"Correct Naruto." Kakashi crutched his way back down the tree and stood next to his blonde student. "But don't think this is an easy thing to learn, even the most skilled ninja can have trouble with this. Channel too much chakra and the tree will break, don't channel enough and you won't stick and fall. Use a kunai to mark your progress as you climb."

Sakura and Sasuke nodded, realizing precision is the key to this. They both took out a kunai and turned to a different tree.

Kakashi watched them for moment before looking at his blonde-haired student. "Seeing how you already know this, I would go ahead and start you on something else but that would require me to be at full strength."

"It's okay sensei. I'm used to training by myself. I prefer it really." Naruto turned and headed to a different part of the forest. "Just send for me when it's time to head back."

-Hours later-

Naruto was laying on the forest floor, limbs spread out. His eyes were closed as he enjoyed the cooling breeze. He was taking a break from his training to catch his breath and to study a new scroll, but the ground was too comfortable now to grab his storage scroll.

There was a small shuffle of the grass next to him. He opened his eyes to see a girl, about his age, with long black hair and wear a pink sleeveless kimono with small plum-colored swirls, standing over him with a basket in hand. The girl's face was rather attractive, she was cuter than Sakura.

"You'll catch a cold if you sleep out here." She said sweetly.

Naruto sat up and the girl stepped back. He wanted to argue that he wasn't sleeping but he knew if she hadn't just come here he would probably be sleeping. He caught something familiar about this girl.

"Who are you?"

She smiled again, kneeling to his level. "My name is Haku."

"Nice to meet you Haku, I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

Haku kept smiling as she looked over the blond. "You're a ninja?"

Naruto smirked and nodded. "You bet!"

"What are you doing out here all by yourself?"

"I was training."

Haku smiled cutely. "It seems quite hard if you look like this by midday."

Naruto nodded. "I have to train really hard to accomplish my goal."

"What's your goal?"

"I want to become strong, really strong."

"Hm. But you already look really strong. "

Naruto shook his head. "No, I just don't want to be strong. I want to be the strongest of all. I want to prove to my home village they were wrong about me, wrong for everything they've done. And then get the acknowledgement if the one person that I hold above everyone else."

Haku stared at Naruto, examining him and his words, but covering her mouth with her hand and giggling slightly.

"What's so funny?"

"This that one person whose acknowledgement means the most to you someone you care deeply about or someone who's wronged you?"

"…No, this person hasn't wronged me. I've sworn to protect them with my life."

Haku's eyes went dull, staring blankly slightly to the side. Her childhood and past flashing through her mind. The loss of her parents. Surviving on the streets in the cold winter. All leading to the point she met him.

"When you have something you want to protect, that is when you become truly strong."

Naruto let the words sink into his young, yet experienced, brain. Those words would come to be the very foundation for Naruto as he grew up, growing into the man that would change the world. He just didn't know yet.

"I understand that very well."

The two shared a heartwarming, innocent smile. Then Haku turned to leave.

"You will become strong. Let's meet again some time."

Naruto nodded. "Of course…Oh, and Haku?" He waited for the girl to stop and turn her back to him. "Next time don't let an enemy ninja get that close to you."

The girl turned fully around, shock filling her features. "How'd you know?"

"Your scent. I remember it."

"Are you some kind of tracker ninja?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. Just a man of all trades."

Haku narrowed her eyes. "After our little encounter, I did a little bit of research on you. Despite your file being double S-Rank, it was quite easy for Gatō to gain access to it. Perfect scores on the graduation exam in Konoha's academy, yet you would skip for weeks at a time. How is it a boy, who was considered dead last, can become the strongest of all?"

"Never judge a book by its cover."

Haku suddenly turned to leave. "Remember your own words."

"I'm assuming Zabuza is still alive and that we'll see him soon?" Naruto's words were more of a statement instead of a question, knowing full well that the swordsman was very much alive.

Haku turned her head back. "Zabuza and I still have a job to complete for Gatō, that bridge builder must die."

Naruto rolled his shoulders, loosening himself, as he stood up. "I can't let that happen Haku. It's my mission to protect that old man."

"You're not strong enough to take on a person like Gatō. He may not be a ninja, but money holds a very similar power over people like chakra can."

Naruto scoffed. "You're the second person to tell me I shouldn't fight that guy. All it's doing is making me want to fight him more and more, it's getting me all excited."

Haku shook her head. "You don't understand. But you will. Gatō does not have a moral code, nothing is off limits. He will find out your greatest weakness and use it against you with no remorse. No matter who or what it is."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, recalling the story of Inari's father from the other night. If Gatō was willing to publicly kill a man for simply being helpful to his community, then what other dark things was this man capable of doing?