Tazuna's Home: Later…
"We're finally here." Tazuna opened the door to his home. "Please, make yourselves comfy."
The house wasn't big and was poorly decorated; however, it had that homey feel to it.
"Now that we're here, we must continue the debrief." Kakashi instructed.
"I thought we already debriefed in the forest." Goku commented.
"That was because I didn't want to go over what happened at the end out there." Kakashi voiced. "We'll take a moment to relax before getting down to it."
"Alright." The bridge builder nodded. "There's a small dormitory upstairs that you all can use to unwind. I'll let Tsunami know you have arrived and tell her to join us."
With their brief rest, Hinata took the liberty of making tea. Once she arrived with it, Kakashi, Naruto, Goku, and Neji expressed their gratitude while Sasuke said nothing. The Hyuga heiress took no offense since she knew her teammate rarely showed emotion.
Some Time Later…
"Alright, what's this about?" Everyone was gathered in the room which prompted Tazuna to speak up. "You took down one of Gato's more powerful ninja assassins, so we should be safe for a while."
"What about that boy with the mask?" Hinata questioned.
"He's a member of Kirigakure's elite tracking unit." Kakashi informed. "Those masks are only worn by the ANBU. They destroy the corpses of Missing-Nin, leaving nothing behind. The Shinobi body contains many secrets of their village.
If other ninjas were to find and retrieve the body, the people from the village would be in great danger. For instance, if I were to die at the hands of an enemy, they would try to analyze my Sharingan. In the worst case, all my Jutsu would be stolen and used against our village.
It is the duty of Tracker-Nin to prevent them from being discovered which keeps their village safe. If a ninja betrays his village, the task of a Tracker-Nin is to hunt them down and obliterate their body. That's their specialty."
"That's exactly the problem." Neji voiced seriously. "Tracker-Nin are supposed to eliminate the corpse on the spot. No room for error."
"The tracker we met didn't do that!" Hinata realized what they were getting at. "Based on what you've just said, he should have worked on Zabuza as quickly as possible."
"Not to mention the weapon of choice was questionable." Now that they were talking, Sasuke began to realize it as well. "Senbon are generally utilized by one who intends to incapacitate. Only someone who knows where the vital organs are, could end a life with them."
"Exactly." Kakashi nodded. "None of this makes sense."
"What are you rambling about?" Tazuna asked. "Your lot demolished that assassin."
"Here's the truth." Kakashi declared. "Zabuza is still alive."
The news shocked everyone, even those who were starting to have a general idea.
"Kakashi Sensei, you checked him yourself and said his heart stopped beating!" Naruto shouted.
"His heart did stop, but that was only a temporary state." Kakashi explained. "Trackers must know every detail about the human body. Keeping their enemy alive, even when they don't seem like it, is easy for them.
First, he carried Zabuza's body away, even though it was much heavier than he was. Second, he used senbon which have a precise effect but are hardly fatal. From these two factors, we can conclude that the ANBU wasn't going to destroy Zabuza; he was trying to save him."
"Come on, aren't you overthinking this?" Tazuna asked once again.
He didn't know why he asked. These ninjas were usually right about these things; however, he couldn't help but hope there was a chance they were wrong. Who could blame him? He had already risked their lives two times since they departed Konoha.
All he wanted was to see his bridge finished, but not at the cost of the children's lives. He could tell himself it was for the greater good, but deep down he knew he would never believe it. Especially after the girl's words to him.
"At the encounter of suspicion, a ninja prepares quickly, for hesitation leads to disaster." Kakashi responded. "While you all proved your strength in that last battle, any time we can spend training, is time we should use."
"I'm all in." Naruto declared. "Now things will get better, believe it!"
"I don't believe it, and nothing is going to be good."
Everyone turned to see a boy with dark brown hair wearing a white fisherman hat. This was Tazuna's grandson who frowned while looking at the Shinobi with deep distrust.
"Inari, where have you been?" Tazuna asked as the little boy made his way towards him.
"Welcome home, grandpa." Inari declared as he hugged his grandfather.
"Inari, that was very rude." Tsunami placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. "These ninjas brought your grandpa home safely."
"Don't worry." Tazuna laughed. "I'm rude to them too."
Inari turned around to look at the ninja, then to his mother. "Mom, don't you see? These people are going to die! Gato and his men will come wipe them out!"
Naruto stood up and pointed a finger towards him. "What did you say, brat? Listen up, do you know what a super ninja is? That's me, only a lot better. I'll be Hokage one day! This Gato, Blato, or whatever is no match for a real hero like me!"
"Fairly sure Kakashi's the 'better than a super ninja' while Neji would be a 'super ninja'." Goku pointed out.
They were higher ranked and had some serious skill. While Goku wanted to one day be the strongest, he knew the road to that goal couldn't be met with delusion.
"Gee, nice to know you have my back." Naruto muttered.
"There's no such thing as a hero." Inari declared. "You're just full of stupid ideas."
Naruto wanted to beat that kid to a pulp, so Neji held him back. "As a Shinobi of Konoha, you shouldn't beat down on people who merely disagree with you."
Inari took this moment to leave the room, muttering something about going to watch the ocean and being left alone.
"Sorry about that." Tazuna voiced. "Inari can be…difficult to deal with at times."
"I understand." Kakashi then looked over his students. "We will start training in a couple of hours. Until then, you are dismissed."
While most of the team took this opportunity to relax a bit longer, Naruto took off to find that kid. Upon finding him staring out at the ocean and crying over a picture of the man he called father; the blond lost all heart in arguing further. He left Inari alone.
Nearby Forest: Later…
"Alright, training starts now." Kakashi declared.
Team 7, with Neji, were somewhere in a forest not far from Tazuna's home.
"This is the next time we're training!" Naruto suddenly smiled. "You know what that means Sensei?"
"Indeed." Kakashi produced two scrolls, one marked with the kanji for wind while the other was marked with the kanji for water, and passed them to the blond. "Your task will be to learn Wind Release: Breakthrough and Water Release: Wild Water Wave."
While Fuinjutsu was a useful ability, Kakashi didn't think Naruto would get far enough, in whatever limited time they had, to produce something useful. It was best to shelf that and come back to it within the walls of Konoha.
"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed happily. "Time to start getting some cool Jutsu!"
"Sasuke, you and I will be stepping up you're training with the blade." Kakashi voiced. "It won't be enough to match someone like Zabuza, but I might be able to teach you a few things that could save your life in a confrontation with him."
"Understood." Sasuke declared.
"This leaves Goku and Hinata." Kakashi voiced. "During the times Neji isn't guarding the Bridge Builder, you two will train with him. Given I've heard his Taijutsu could see him earning the rank of Tokubetsu Jonin sooner rather than later, he'll help you both refine your Taijutsu."
"Sounds good to me." Goku declared.
Hinata nodded. "I'll do my best."
Training began, and after their encounter with Zabuza, Team 7 was determined to make the most of whatever time they had. While the Genin trained, Kakashi and Neji took it in turns to guard Tazuna. Once Kakashi felt his Genin were ready, they'd talk about how they'd all do it.
As they trained, Goku couldn't help himself from thinking about Zabuza. From what he saw, upon arriving with Neji, Zabuza was strong. Despite him being their enemy, the Sarutobi couldn't help himself from respecting that.
The Bridge: Next Day…
Kakashi was on the bridge, observing as the people were hard at work to complete it.
Tazuna ended up walking by with a heavy looking metal bar. "Where are the rest of you?"
"The likelihood of an attack at this point is low, so I'm having my Genin train while we have the time." Kakashi explained. "Neji or I will be enough in the meantime. Once the time draws nearer, we'll ensure you're properly guarded.
Tazuna nodded at that before carrying his bar over to a pile. There he was approached by a random worker.
"Tazuna, I need to have a word with you."
"What about?"
"The thing is…I've been thinking a lot about the bridge, and I've decided I've pushed my luck enough. I want out."
"What!? Are you really going to quit on me like that!?"
The worker locked his eyes into the ground. "I stayed because of our friendship, but I'm putting my life on the line everyday day I come here. Gato and his thugs will show up eventually. When they do, they'll kill you and the bridge will never get done. Oh, come on Tazuna! Don't look at me like that. Why don't we quit now while we still can?"
"No chance. This is our bridge. Our island is poor, and it will stay that way until we connect to the main land. Trade and hope won't come here on its own."
"Hope won't do us much good if we are dead."
"It's already noon." Tazuna glared at him before starting to walk. "It's time for lunch. Don't bother coming back after."
"It takes a lot of guts to do this." Kakashi thought.
Evening…
After lunch, Kakashi and Neji swapped guard duty. As such, the Hyuga accompanied Tazuna to the market. This was, by far, the poorest place Neji had ever seen in his life. The shops, if you could call them that, were nearly collapsed and had little to offer.
Civilians were out on the streets, sleeping on the curbs or begging for money. One man passed in front of them wearing a sign that said: 'I will do any job' while another was shouting 'Thief! Thief!' to a kid that was running away from him. All he held was a wrinkled apple.
"Here we are." Tazuna said, stopping at small supply store that had little to sell.
The store owner muttered a lazy 'welcome' before going back to whatever it was he was doing. There were only a few carrots here and there, some lettuce, and a bunch of onions.
"Even knowing who these people are under, I didn't expect the conditions to be as bad as they are." Neji noted to himself, sympathetically.
Suddenly, he picked up something nearing his lower back. The Hyuga turned and saw a young kid holding his tiny hands towards him. He had likely entered the store after them. He had messy black hair, blue eyes, and his face was covered in dirt.
"Please?" He begged with a smile as he closed his eyes.
Neji's heart dropped since this was sad. No mere pick pocket could get one over on a Shinobi. This kid was genuinely looking up at him, hopeful for even the smallest amount of food or money he could spare.
Neji reached into his bag and took out a small loaf of bread, which was bundled up in some cloth. "Be careful with this." He pulled back to the cloth to show the kid what was inside before quickly wrapping it. "Eat it where you will be safe."
The Hyuga handed it over.
The boy gave him a huge smile. "Thank you, mister!"
The boy then took off out the shop, doing his best to make the cloth wrapped loaf go unnoticed.
"This is how it has always been since Gato came here." Tazuna approached the Chunin. "The children suffer while the adults are too scared to stand up to him. They have lost all hope. That's why we must finish the bridge. It will bring trade and commerce.
Maybe more important, that bridge will be a symbol of courage. We must restore the spirit of our people. When the bridge is finished, people will start to believe that they can live with dignity. That's why we can't let Gato stop us."
Neji nodded before pulling out a portion of the pay from his last job and putting it in Tazuna's hand. "Then, use this to ensure yourself and those protecting you eat well." The bridge builder looked at him, surprised. "We'll need our strength to do our respective jobs well."
Tazuna nodded as he firmly clenched the money given to him.
Tazuna's Home: Evening…
Kakashi, Hinata, and Neji ate conservatory while Naruto, Goku, and Sasuke devoured the food before them. With the food Tazuna brought back, Tsunami took the liberty of cooking everyone a warm meal of rice and eggs, accompanied with some bread.
"I want some more!" The Sarutobi, Uchiha, and Uzumaki yelled in unison.
The Uchiha and Uzumaki ended up emptying their stomachs on the floor while Goku went about getting seconds.
"Be careful you two." Hinata chastised caringly. "You can't both be like Goku when it comes to food."
Not even a moment after she chastised the pair, Neji smacked the ones who threw up on the back of their heads.
"Ow, what was that for!" Naruto shouted.
While he didn't say anything, Sasuke glared at the Chunin.
"I will not tolerate the disrespect you have shown Tsunami." Neji voiced seriously. "She went out of her way to make a meal most would kill for, yet you both waste it." He activated his Byakugan. "The next time either of you do this, I will not restrain myself."
Today, he saw how people lived in the Land of Waves. Watching these two waste their food like this made him furious. The Hyuga's threat made Naruto and Sasuke realize how they were acting, and it made them feel guilty. The rest of the meal was silent and awkward.
After Dinner…
When they finished, Neji got Naruto and Sasuke cleaning up their mess while he helped Tsunami with the dishes. At one point, Hinata stood and stared at a picture of a wall. In the picture, one could see Tazuna, Tsunami, Inari, and another figure, though the last one's face had been torn.
"Tazuna, why did the man's face get torn away from this picture?" Hinata inquired.
The mood instantly darkened. Tsunami stopped cleaning while Tazuna looked at the table, not wanting to meet anyone's gaze.
"It's my husband." Tsunami whispered.
"They used to call him a hero in this land." Tazuna added in a low tone.
Inari immediately stood up and left the room.
"Inari, where are you going?" His mother asked, but the kid didn't utter a single word as he closed the door. "Father, you know you can't talk about him like that when Inari is with you!"
She then ran out to seek her son.
"I take it there's a story behind this." Kakashi commented.
"He wasn't his real father; he came into our family later." Tazuna nodded slowly. "He brought our family a lot of happiness and became very close with Inari. Back in those days, Inari used to laugh all the time. But then..." His voice started to crack as tears came out his eyes.
"...all of that ended. Inari doesn't smile or laugh anymore. Ever since that day, everything changed. The word courage was stolen from our island. We were powerless, hopeless, and Inari suffered the most. Ever since that day...Ever since that happened..."
He trailed off, the pain of the memories overpowering his will for a moment. While everyone left in the house was paying attention, Goku hadn't taken his eyes off the bridge builder.
"Do tell us, what happened to Inari?" Kakashi urged the man.
Tazuna sniffled. "First, you'll need to know about the man of the picture. The man who taught us the word courage, a hero to our land."
Naruto perked up at the word 'hero'. "A hero, really?"
"You can decide that for yourself. He came here three years ago…"
The hero Tazuna was talking about was a fisherman by the name of Kaiza. One day, three kids were ganging up on Inari and his dog Poochi. The leader of the gang claimed Poochi for himself and decided to test Inari's courage by throwing the dog to the sea.
Inari couldn't swim well at that age, and his fear got the better of him. He stared at Poochi, unable to move, when one of the bullies kicked him to the water as well. Panicking, Inari tried to swim; however, the water was too deep, and he was running out of breath.
In the end, Poochi made its way to the shore by himself and ran away with the bullies following. Inari started to lose consciousness but was saved by Kaiza at the last minute. Kaiza taught Inari to defend what was precious to him with both his arms, even if he had to put his life at risk.
Since that day, Inari and Kaiza became inseparable. It was only a matter of time before Kaiza eventually became family, with Inari as his son and Tsunami as his wife. One day, a flood was endangering the village. The river's gate had been opened by the force of the waves.
The only way to stop them was to cross the river, and Kaiza was the only one to volunteer. Against all odds, and defying death, the fisherman reached the other side of the river. Using a rope, the villagers were able to close the gates and save the town.
From that night, Kaiza became a hero to the village; however, the joy was not to last. Gato came to the land and took over. Kaiza, being the people's champion, was considered an obstacle. His thugs got a hold of him and proceeded to beat him senseless before sentencing him to die.
People were shocked and wanted to protest, but without their hero, what could they do? Kaiza was killed by Gato's bodyguards, and everyone saw it, Inari included. The little boy changed; all hope lost to him. If his father couldn't stand up to Gato, who could?
"I'll prove him wrong." When Tazuna finished his story, Naruto stood up. "That in this world, there are real heroes!"
Days Later: After Dinner…
Once they finished their meal, the Shinobi and Tazuna discussed the final details of the mission.
"Why?" Inari whispered out of nowhere, tears flowing freely down his face. "All of this training and talk is just a waste of time. Gato has an entire army, and he'll wipe you out! The strong survive while the weak lose!"
"In that case, our only option is to be stronger than Gato." Goku concluded, firmly.
That's right." Naruto nodded in agreement. "It won't be like that for me, you got that?"
"Why don't you stay quiet!?" Inari yelled. "Just looking at you makes me sick! You don't know anything about this country, you're just butting in! You're always laughing and playing around. You don't have any idea what it feels like to suffer and be treated like dirt!"
"Listen to yourself, whining and complaining like some sorry victim." Naruto commented. "It's pathetic! You can drown in your tears for all I care; you're nothing but a coward!"
Inari was shaking in both fury and sadness. No one had been so direct and harsh to him before. Naruto had basically slapped him in the face with the full force of reality. Not knowing what else to do, he stood up and went outside to look at the sea.
Outside: Later…
Goku came outside to find Inari sat with his knees curled in on himself as he stared out over the water. "Do you mind if I take a seat?" The boy looked back at him but said nothing leading the Sarutobi to sit beside. "Your grandpa told us about your adopted father.
You know, I never knew either of my parents." That drew Inari's attention. "They died not long after my twin and I were born. Fortunately, grandpa was there to look after us, and our older brother helped him. Without them, I'm not sure where Turles and I would be now.
That said, I do wonder what could have been had dad and mom lived. I suppose I'm lucky to have not lost anyone I know, but I think there's something to be said about not getting to know the people who still somehow share a connection with you.
From what I always hear, my parents were heroes to. My mom gave her life just to let my twin and I live while my dad gave his life sealing a dangerous being." He shrugged. "I'm inclined to believe it, so I'd say heroics aren't useless, like you seem to think.
Had it not been for them, I wouldn't have known the family I have or made the friend I did. Without my father, the village I call home and love wouldn't be standing. I think the only way heroes become meaningless is by our failure to life the lives they try to leave us."
Inari had been staring at Goku, but his gaze then fell to the water as memories of his father played through his mind. Kakashi happened upon them, on the way to talk with the boy himself, only to now eye smile as his student had it handled, in his own way.
Before I get to the general explanation of this chapter, I want to say have chapters in advance, so that I can give you guys a consistent upload schedule. This is important since I'm already working on things after this mission. As I discussed prior, I had intended on doing more missions before the Chunin Exams. I tried writing them, but it just did not feel right. That is why I am announcing now that I will be going into the Chunin Exams after this mission.
For those of you who were looking forward to extra missions, I will say that I got some plans for that various filler content we got after the canon Sasuke Retrieval Mission. Given I'm not restrained by the fact that everything must then adhere to the manga, you can expect a lot to come from that. As for the chapter that will end up following this, I got somethingnewer planned. Now, onto this chapter.
Team 7 already has Tree Climbing, Water Walking, and know their Chakra Natures. This meant they could go into more specific training in an attempt to shore up even a little more strength. Given Kakashi wasn't Chakra exhausted in the prior chapter, and we have Neji, all four Genin can have this full time to train. As for why Naruto got the same Jutsu which were given to Goku, they are some of the lowest rank. Easiest to learn. Differentiating arsenal can be achieved later.
Guest: As I've said somewhere before, Kaio-Ken is somewhere within this world, so I think it's obvious Goku is getting that. I'd also like to refer you to the ground rules when determining the strength of something.
Mandalorian6969: Thank you.
Mahesvara: Thank you, I thought it was a cool technique for Goku. As for his pairing, I got someone in mind.