He inhaled deep through his nose, letting cool air fill his lungs. Then he blew out with a lengthy exhale, the beginnings of a bubble forming at the end of his bamboo blower. When it finally detached from the blower, a sea turtle appeared, flippers moving like the air was water.

"Ooo, that's really good."

Utakata glanced to the side, gracing Yagura with a small grin. "Yeah? I've been practicing."

"I can tell."

There was a gleam of excitement in the younger boy's normally dull eyes, a rare glimpse at the eight-year-old finally able to act his age. It reminded Utakata that, however bad he thought he had it at the bubble-user compound, the grey-haired Jinchūriki had it worse, a childhood stolen from him by the Hidden Mist's meddling politicians.

Yagura didn't deserve that. No Jinchūriki did.

"Watch this one."

He breathed in again, deeper, crafting an image in his mind of the form his next creation would take. When he exhaled this time, the bubble that formed was more oblong than round. Fins formed along its side and back, and as it exited the blower, the dolphin flapped its tail, shooting for the sky. Utakata allowed himself to recline from his seated position and lace his fingers behind his head as his creation swam in the open sky.

"It looks happy," Yagura observed quietly.

Utakata nodded. "I wish I could be so free."

He could see the younger Jinchūriki shift beside him, bringing his hooked staff up and muttering, "Suiton: Mizukagami no Jutsu." A flat, oval-shaped mass of water appeared before them, a second bubble dolphin reflected on its surface; with a vertical flip of the watery mirror, the dolphin emerged, moving upwards to frolic with the one the brunet had created. "Me, too, Utakata-nii."

Utakata turned to look at his friend, surprised at the familial address. But Yagura's pink eyes were wistfully fixed on the pair of dolphins, a lost hope in his expression, and the brunet let his question die on his tongue. I'll protect you, he decided, no matter what it takes.

As a fellow Jinchūriki – more importantly, as Yagura's older brother – it was the least he could do. Maybe we'll both be free one day.

-l-l-l-

It took a tremendous amount of effort for Naruto to get out of bed the next day. 'Dragged' was the most appropriate word after he woke with a long groan, body one great ache. Between the anger and adrenaline that had built during the previous day's session, he hadn't felt much of the aftereffects of Rōshi's training at the time, but now, with a night of sleep under his belt, he definitely felt them.

On his feet, he stretched his arms to the ceiling, his back bowing with the motion, muscles weighted with exhaustion. Through the aching, though, Naruto felt good. Accomplished. He'd brawled with plenty of people in class – Sasuke, Kiba, even Chōji to a lesser extent – and he'd been beaten more times than not, but none of those fights had ever taught him anything. Iruka had been a stickler for theory over practicality, and since the blond had never grasped the theory, he'd never really advanced to learning anything of substance.

Rōshi was the exact opposite, and Naruto found that he liked the older man's teaching style better than the Academy's, shitty personality notwithstanding.

Ah! Pain, pain! Ohh…

He melted into a seated position on his bed as a knot in his back worked itself out. Maybe we won't fight today…

The journey to the forest was a trudge, though he was forced to admit the walk helped relieve some of the weight in his legs. Moving was bittersweet, in a way, though he chose to see the effort as evidence of a good workout rather than anything negative.

When he finally arrived at their designated meeting place, Rōshi was leaning against a tree with eyes closed. Naruto looked around nervously, wary of being alone with the redhead, especially in his current condition. "Uh…"

"Follow me."

The blond obeyed, wandering after the Iwa-nin through the trees. After a long trek – made even longer by the silence between the pair – the sound of running water made its way to his ears, and the foliage thinned enough to reveal a river, at least 20 feet wide by his guess. Utakata was reclining against the bank of the far shore, golden eyes closed in peace. Rōshi cleared his throat loud enough to get the brunet's attention and announced, "I got 'im."

Utakata waved a lazy arm, not even bothering to open his eyes. "Come on in, Naruto," he called. "Water's fine."

Naruto glanced at Rōshi, hesitation written across his features, but only received a grunt and an eye-roll in response. Finding no help there – not that he'd expected it – he approached the bank and dipped in a toe, immediately jumping backwards with a yelp. "It's freezing!"

"Tough shit. Git in."

Naruto shot the redhead a sour look. "You get in!"

"I ain't th' one learnin' Suiton," grunted the Iwa-nin. He marched forward and grabbed the blond by his collar, divesting him of his orange jacket with a rough tug. "Hope yeh can swim," he muttered, using his foot to shove the startled boy into the water.

The blond landed with a splash, shrieking as the icy temperature seeped through his remaining clothes and froze his body. He went rigid with shock, the pull of the river carrying him along momentarily before a strong hand latched around his wrist. Naruto felt himself pulled up, spluttering as he broke the surface. "I've got you," came Utakata's voice.

Naruto wrapped his arms around himself, teeth chattering. Blue eyes raked over the teenager beside him. The Kiri-nin was clad only in his boxers, water dripping from the tips of his lank hair and following the contours of his lean body. Several scars were scattered around his torso and over his shoulders, in areas normally hidden by his kimono. Naruto was about to ask what had happened to him when the older Jinchuriki beat him to the punch, asking, "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, f-f-fine."

Utakata arched an eyebrow. "Are you cold?"

"A-aren't you?"

Utakata laughed at the question, and for a moment, Naruto forgot about his situation. In the few days he'd known the brunet, Utakata had been gentle, calm, nervous, mad, even scared, but he'd never expressed open amusement. It made the teenager appear younger than he'd portrayed himself, more relatable, and the blond found himself smiling despite everything. "Sorry," Utakata finally managed. "In Kiri, everyone learns to swim from an early age, and we adjust pretty quickly to different water temperatures. I guess I just forgot myself for a moment." Then he smiled apologetically at the younger boy. "You should consider removing your clothes, though. The best way to learn about water is to be fully immersed."

Reluctantly, Naruto complied with the brunet's suggestion, shucking shoes, pants, and mesh shirt at Rōshi's feet. When he was finished, he stood only in his boxers, shivering, arms hugging himself, and waited for the brunet's next set of instructions.

Utakata still looked amused, though he managed to hold in his laughter. "You can relax. We're not doing anything strenuous today. I figured your body could use something a bit easier after yesterday."

Naruto had to admit that the water had a soothing effect on his sore body, though he couldn't tell whether that was because it felt good or because he was simply numb. He sank in up to his neck, and Utakata suggested, "Try moving around some, it'll help you warm up."

The blond obeyed slowly, spreading his limbs and taking careful steps through the water. Konoha wasn't really known for its sources of water, and Naruto's swimming abilities were limited at best. Utakata's voice was soothing as he spoke, riding the flow of the river. "Learning Suiton is about learning how water flows. You're going to struggle if you try to go against it. Try swimming upstream."

Naruto stopped standing and tried to paddle against the current. Panic began to settle in as Utakata's form shrank, the river carrying him further away. He flailed helplessly, unable to properly ground himself on the riverbed, and something latched around his raised wrist. Slowly, he was dragged back to where Utakata was, the older boy pulling him forward with a whip of water. "Try standing now." He rose to his feet, the Kiri-nin's body providing a blockade against the river's flow, and the teenager asked, "Not easy, right?"

"Uh-uh. You can use Suiton like that?"

Utakata nodded. "With practice, you can, too. But you have to start from the beginning and learn the basics. That applies to everything, not just Suiton."

Naruto remembered the older boy saying something similar the day before, and the predictable whine of impatience that he'd vocalized in response. This time, he just nodded.

The brunet offered him a gentle smile in return. "Good. And how do you feel?"

"I'm good," Naruto answered, and he realized that the statement was surprisingly true. The water was no longer freezing, and while still cold, it was refreshing. His body felt loose and ready for whatever came next, despite the shape he'd woken up in. "Real good. Are you gonna teach me Suiton now?"

"The basics," admitted the Kiri-nin. "This will be…different, let's say, than how Rōshi will be training you."

"Mebbe yeh can teach 'im ter swim while yer at it."

Golden eyes darted over to the Iwa-nin's position on the bank before returning their attention to Naruto. "That's on the list, too," he told the blond. "But one step at a time. At their core, each type of elemental ninjutsu comes from the same basic principles, so anything I teach you should also transfer over to what Rōshi teaches you about Yōton and its individual components."

Naruto's brow was furrowed again. Utakata couldn't tell if the expression was confusion or concentration. "'Kay."

"You know the twelve hand signs?" When the blond nodded, he prompted, "Show me." Naruto flipped through them, and the brunet gave a thoughtful hum at the end. "You'll need to work on getting faster. Knowing how to transition between them quickly may save your life in battle." At the younger boy's disheartened expression, Utakata assured him, "We won't focus on that now; you can practice that on your own. For now, we'll work on Suiton. You remember how you felt yesterday using Katon?"

Naruto spared a glance at Rōshi. "I was really mad."

"This time you need to stay calm. If anger helps you control fire, serenity will do the same for water. You may find yourself getting frustrated if nothing happens, but try not to think about it. Push it aside. Progress takes time, you'll learn eventually."

"Aww… Okay…"

"Copy me," Utakata instructed. He raised a hand to chest height and held it palm-up. Water from the river rose up in small rivulets and coalesced into a sphere-shaped mass in his palm. He demonstrated to a wide-eyed Naruto how to use chakra to manipulate the liquid's shape, first creating a cylinder, then a pyramid, and finally something resembling a sea urchin. After allowing it to return to a sphere, he said, "Now you try. Feel your chakra flow into the river and then call it to your hand. And remember, even if nothing happens, don't get mad. Just stay calm."

As Naruto set himself up to duplicate the brunet's efforts, Utakata continued lecturing, "Much of Suiton ninjutsu is about using your chakra to change the shape of existing water. Its malleability is where Suiton gets its strength from."

Naruto looked up from the task at hand, the concerted crease in his brow smoothing out with curiosity. "But you were able to spit it yesterday."

The Kiri-nin nodded. "Yes, you can also use Suiton by changing the nature of your chakra, similar to how Rōshi uses Katon or Yōton, but it's more difficult. Remember what we learned about the flow of water? It's better to start from the simplest point and move on from there. So we'll work on shape manipulation first."

"Okay."

"Good. Then keep trying."

-l-l-l-

"Again!" Rōshi barked.

Naruto took a deep breath in through his nose and attempted to drown out the irritation building in his blood. He released a yelp when the redhead slapped him upside the head. "None o' that," the Iwa-nin grunted. "This ain't Suiton. Yeh gotta git angry if yer gonna learn Katon."

"It's really hard to switch between them," Naruto complained.

"Tough shit. Learn ter do it."

Naruto grumbled under his breath, but closed his eyes and stopped trying to calm himself, allowing the seething fire of annoyance to burn under his skin. Rōshi continued to talk, his gruff, rural cadence only adding to the blond's frustration. "Think o' how Konoha treated yeh. Think o' th' life yeh lost 'cause yer a Jinchūriki. Yeh can even think o' how much yeh hate me—"

"Easy enough," Naruto muttered.

"—so long as yeh git mad."

"Rrr, shut up! I get it!"

"Watch yer tone!"

Naruto could feel the heat crawling beneath his skin like a colony of ants. Rōshi's condescension was a palpable presence, weighing him down and shadowing him in a cloud of anger. His whole body felt warm, a stark contrast to the river water that had chilled him the day before.

"Yeh feel yer chakra now, don'cha?"

"Yeah."

"Any shinobi worth his salt should be able ter draw on it whenever."

Naruto scowled at the redhead, his chakra flaring at the gibe. The anger felt good, in a backwards sort of way that wasn't entirely unfamiliar. It reminded him of how he felt when he got overlooked by the villagers, or suffered their hatred unprompted, and his outlets had been pranks and loneliness. But maybe those had just been disguises, or distractions, for the hurt and outrage at being treated unfairly. And now Rōshi was giving him an outlet to use that anger in a positive way.

"Breathe," Rōshi said, and even through the cloud of anger, the Iwa-nin's voice didn't sound as gruff as it usually did. "Channel yer chakra ter yer chest an' focus on yer anger. Let it build an' just breathe."

The blond followed his instructions, forming the chakra into a ball in his chest and suffusing it with the anger bubbling beneath his skin. A kernel of warmth formed within and then spread from his core, making him feel like his whole body was awash in tempered fire. He inhaled, and the internal flames rolled with the movement, building stronger in his chest.

"Out," Rōshi said, biting cynicism absent, his commands stern but even. Naruto obeyed without thinking, too wrapped up in the trance-like atmosphere to question anything. "Fire needs air. Yeh breathe in, an' yeh build yer power. Breathe out, an' yeh release it. Yeh remember th' seals?"

"Mm."

"When yeh breathe in, form 'em. Picture th' jutsu in yer mind. Then breathe out, an' let it go. Got it?"

"Mm hm."

"Open yer eyes, stupid!" barked the redhead. "Yeh got ter see what yer doin' so yeh know how ter fix it. This ain't meditation."

Blue eyes opened and glared daggers at the old man, and Naruto inhaled with the flash of anger, feeling his chakra roil in his chest and form into a fiery ball as his hands flashed through seals. Then he exhaled, the name of the technique echoing in his mind – Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! – and a fireball the size of his fist shot out from between his lips. Rōshi caught the flaming projectile before it could ignite the surrounding foliage and crushed it in his hand, but Naruto was too busy marveling at his achievement to pay the Iwa-nin any heed. I did it…on my first try! That was way easier than last time. His gaze focused on the redhead. He really knows what he's talkin' about… "Hey, do I always have to be mad to do this?"

"'Til yeh git a hang o' it, prob'bly. What's that grin fer, eh? Yeh still got a long way ter go."

"Heh, we'll see!" You're not so bad after all, oji-san.

-l-l-l-

"Mmm…"

It was peaceful in the Land of Fire. Utakata hadn't realized how harried his life had always felt in Kiri until he and Rōshi had settled themselves into a semi-permanent campsite and started the arduous task of training Naruto. Where before he'd felt simultaneously caged and exiled, now he was surrounded by nature's open tranquility and a deep calm.

"Ahhhh!"

Sploosh!

The brunet sighed. No wonder Rōshi liked living alone. Golden eyes opened to find Naruto struggling to his feet against the river's current, waterlogged blond locks hindering his vision. "Need help?"

"Don' yeh dare think o' it." Utakata craned his neck to find Rōshi standing just behind where he was relaxing against the riverbank. "I tol' yeh not ter baby 'im. Yeh've been teachin' 'im fer weeks, it's time ter sink or swim."

"We need him alive, Rōshi."

"It ain't deep. 'Sides, he learns better like this."

Utakata rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the younger Jinchūriki, silently preparing his chakra in case his intervention was required. By this point, Rōshi's unorthodox opinions on teaching weren't anything new, and protesting the older man's strange (albeit effective) methodologies hadn't done anything so far. That Naruto hadn't died yet spoke well of the boy's resiliency in the face of such overwhelming odds.

"Take this!"

"No, wait—!"

Utakata's protest faltered as the water Naruto was trying to splash at Rōshi fell short and instead hit him in the face. He sputtered out the liquid he hadn't closed his mouth in time to avoid, raising an eyebrow at the sheepish blond. Behind him, Rōshi snorted. "Was that s'pposed ter be some kinda jutsu?"

Naruto's lips pressed together in a pout, arms crossed over his chest. "No. Don't you know how to have fun?"

"Oh, fun, eh? Is that what yeh think this is?"

"Uh, well—"

"Bein' a shinobi's about life an' death," Rōshi asserted. Utakata felt the redhead's sandal nudge the back of his head. "Fight me like yeh want ter kill me."

The Kiri-nin frowned. "I'd rather not—"

"I don' care what yeh want. He needs ter learn this."

"I'm still recover—Suiton: Suijinheki!" River water rose up and blocked the burst of flame that had escaped the redhead's mouth. Utakata dove beneath the water's surface, swimming to the river's center and rising to his feet, placing himself between the irate Iwa-nin and the wide-eyed Naruto. "Are you insane? At least give me a warning—"

"Yeh git no warnin's in combat. Yōton: Yōgan-Ryū no Jutsu!"

"Suiton: Dai Suijinheki!" As a massive wall of water rose to intercept the incoming Lava Flow Technique, Utakata made a shooing gesture to the Jinchūriki behind him. "Naruto, get back! You're not going to want to get caught up in this." He blazed through hand seals, saturating the river with his chakra. Bubbles rose from the water's surface and levitated around the brunet.

Rōshi snorted. "Yeh think that'll stop me?" He charged forward, summoning a pillar of earth beneath his foot that boosted him into the air above the Six-Tails' Jinchūriki. His cheeks bulged in preparation for an attack, but Utakata had already pitched his hand up, commanding several bubbles to follow the motion. They flew upwards and exploded in the redhead's face before he could attack, sending him crashing into the river.

A copy of the brunet formed from the water where the older Jinchūriki had landed, its hands held out to create and hold a large sphere of liquid with the Iwa-nin inside. Rōshi stared at him from within the Water Prison Technique, one eyebrow arched to silently question if the Kiri-nin thought the ninjutsu was enough to hold him. Utataka's hands twisted through more seals, a Water Release: Water Fang Bullet ready to impale the redhead, but Rōshi was already shrouded in a coat of lava that evaporated both the Water Prison Technique and the brunet's clone.

Utakata sent the remaining bubbles at the approaching Jinchūriki, but a wave of pure heat popped them before they got close. He sped through seals, feeling the river's water answer the call of his chakra. "Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!"

The river swelled into a giant wave that flowed upstream and crashed over the Iwa-nin. Steam erupted at the point of contact, and Rōshi continued to walk through unhindered, an unstoppable force cloaked in red-orange. He charged the brunet, every footstep producing a hiss from the contact of heat and water, and Utakata summoned three Mizu Bunshin to run interference.

Rōshi burst through them with a brutal clothesline, and Utakata barely managed to cross his arms in front of his face to defend himself. He hissed as the redhead's knuckles burned his forearms, the punch taking him off his feet. Water splashed up when he fell backwards, and the brunet kicked blindly to force himself into the river's flow.

"Yōton: Shakugaryūgan no Jutsu!"

Utakata's head struck a dam of solid rock that hadn't been obstructing the river's flow previously. He rose from the water, one hand rubbing his injured skull. Splashing drew his attention to the charging Rōshi, and the brunet flipped through a short set of seals before expelling a stream of water from his mouth. "Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu!"

Rōshi was pushed back by the Water Bullet Technique, but he held up one arm palm-out, the fiery aura coating the appendage solidifying into bulky pumice. The incoming water sprayed out in all directions in the face of the hardened resistance, and the redhead continued a slower trek towards the Rokubi Jinchūriki. Saiken, Utakata probed with gritted teeth, I could use your help.

…I cannot.

What?

It would not be appropriate for me to lend my strength against one of my brethren.

He growled at the slug, snapping, Fine! and breaking off the internal dialogue. I'll do it myself.

The Kiri-nin released his control over the chakra serving as his second skin, the acidic quality of his Bijū's gift eating through his boxers and effervescing with the river. Rōshi laughed, a gruff, rusty echo. "Finally! Yeh can lose control, eh? See this, boy?" he called, addressing Naruto. "This's a Jinchūriki's power."

He blazed forward as bubbles began to rise off the Kiri-nin's skin. When he was close enough, the heat from his aura popped the bubbles, and a series of small explosions engulfed the pair. Utakata flew backwards and hit the wall of hardened lava created by the Scorching Stream Rock Technique, his acidic skin slowly dissolving the makeshift dam.

Golden eyes opened with an accompanying groan to find Rōshi kneeling over him, a curved kunai hovering an inch above his throat. This is familiar. The redhead was covered in shiny obsidian, his other fist holding the brunet's chest (and body) underwater. Rōshi smirked at him. "Yield."

Utakata knew when he was beaten. "I yield," he said, covering himself in his protective chakra once more.

"Yeh don' know how ter fully use yer power," Rōshi noted. Chips of obsidian flaked off his body and dropped into the river until he was left unarmored.

"…No," the Kiri-nin admitted. His voice carried a sourness borne of embarrassment. "My training wasn't allowed to get to that point. Just enough to make me dangerous. Fear of too much power they couldn't fully control, I think." At least, I can't figure out any other explanation. "I had hoped to work on it here…" He shot Rōshi a hopeful look.

The redhead arched an eyebrow, arms crossed over his chest. "Are yeh expectin' me ter teach yeh yer powers?"

"We should all be learning to control our Jinchūriki powers, so yes, the thought had crossed my mind," Utakata said. At his companion's snort, he added suggestively, "But I'd settle for learning how to control that chakra armor ninjutsu you use?"

Rōshi stepped out of the river, his back to the brunet in a clear dismissal. "Yeh see th' point?" he announced to the trees. Naruto appeared from behind a trunk, blue eyes wide. "Ev'ry fight's dang'rous. No jutsu's perfect. Got it?"

The blond nodded, his expression solemn. "Got it."

Utakata followed the Yonbi Jinchūriki out of the water and moved to grab his pants and kimono, clothing himself with a sigh. And today was going so well.

A tug on his sleeve drew his attention. Naruto stood next to him, brow furrowed in concern. "Are you okay?"

The Kiri-nin tried to smile at the boy, though the gesture appeared thin. "I'll be fine. Rōshi's just…"

"Mean," Naruto supplied. "And angry."

Utakata laughed, and the action released the knot of tension coiled in his stomach. "You're not wrong," he managed between chuckles. "Naruto?" When the blond cocked his head to one side to indicate he was paying attention, the Kiri-nin continued, "Do me a favor. No matter what Rōshi says, just…let yourself be a kid."

"Huh?"

"Rōshi's right that each fight is dangerous," the brunet explained. "Hell, just being a shinobi is dangerous. Being a Jinchūriki even more so. And you should always be prepared to fight for your life; that's part of what we're trying to train you for. But it's also important that you get to be who you are. You can't let other people tell you who you should be. Do you understand?"

"I…think so."

Utakata clapped a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Just keep being yourself. Why don't you head home for the day? We'll pick up tomorrow."

"Okay, later!"

The Kiri-nin watched him disappear in the direction of Konoha, and when he was out of sight, Rōshi asked in a gruff voice, "What was th' point o' that?"

"You never really had a childhood, right?" He spared a glance at the redhead when no response was forthcoming, finding only flat, skeptical dark eyes. "You're not exactly special in that regard. But Yagura…he only wanted to enjoy life, and he never got a chance. Kirigakure forced him to learn to be Mizukage before he learned how to have fun."

"Trainin' th' kid was yer idea."

"I know. And we should keep going. But unlike you, me, or Yagura, Naruto seems like he knows how to have fun. Be a kid. We should encourage that, not discourage it."

Utakata expected Rōshi to snort, or scoff, or make a sarcastic reply, but only silence greeted his statement. The Iwa-nin's brow was furrowed, mouth puckered slightly, and if it was Naruto, the brunet might have called his expression thoughtful. He looks…nostalgic?

"Fine."

The Kiri-nin started. "Sorry?"

"I said 'fine'," Rōshi grunted.

"Oh. Well…good. Thanks."

He turned to head back to their campsite when Rōshi said, "I git it." The brunet stopped, turning around in surprise, and the older Jinchūriki's dark eyes found his golden ones. "Aye. Git over it. Yeh don' coddle 'im, an' I don' break 'im."

-l-l-l-

"Slide forward more. When yeh twist, yeh'll git more power. Not that far, yeh'll unbalance!" A sigh. "Too late."

"I'm trying!" Naruto complained.

"I can tell," was Rōshi's dry response, and Utakata was surprised that his tone lacked its usual condescension. After so much time together, it seemed like the redhead was actually trying to be civil, which was…impressive. "Try again. An' watch yer stance this time."

"Can't I fight something? It's boring hitting air."

Rōshi brought his hands together, and a clone rose from the dirt before him. "It won't hit back, if yer afraid o' that."

"As if!"

Naruto charged the doppelganger, throwing a punch that transitioned to a series of taijutsu combinations that Rōshi had shown him. His movements were fluid despite how stilted the katas themselves appeared to the brunet's golden eyes, as if they were missing an important component. Whatever style the Yonbi Jinchūriki had taught the boy was clearly meant to deliver debilitating results with minimal effort. Supplemented by his Lava Armor Technique, it was easy to see why the style was effective as an offense.

The blond jumped, somersaulted, and brought his leg down in a drop-kick. Clone-Rōshi blocked with its arms, and Naruto leveraged his other foot on its shoulder to spring off it, tossing a kunai that buried itself in the back of the earth clone's neck. It crumbled on the spot, and the boy landed on the ground in a crouch.

"Oh, yer improvisin' now, eh?"

Naruto rose and faced the Iwa-nin, his rosy cheeks betraying his flustered state. "Uh, well—"

"Yer smarter than I gave yeh credit fer," Rōshi acknowledged. His voice had its usual gruffness, but Utakata – scrutinizing the redhead's tics for any miniscule changes in how he treated the two younger Jinchūriki – detected a near-imperceptible undercurrent of…pride? "Yeh got ter adapt ter each situation an' take advantage o' any openin's. Not bad."

Naruto's lips exploded like a lit firecracker into a beatific smile, his excitement a palpable thing. "Hey, hey, did ya hear that, Utakata-nii? I'm awesome."

The brunet's relaxed expression froze in place, body petrified and mouth open to deliver tempered praise that wouldn't escape his throat. Where Naruto stood, casting him a concerned glance, he only saw unkempt gray hair and pupil-less pink eyes, an adult's solemnity on a child's face. "…Utakata-nii?"

"If yeh think yer such hot stuff, yeh should try fightin' him now that he's healed."

"Um, is he okay?"

"Fine!" Utakata gasped with sudden alertness, voice more strained than he would have liked. "I'm fine," he repeated, calmer. Over the blond's head, Rōshi raised a skeptical eyebrow, and the Kiri-nin brushed it off as a figment of his frazzled mind that the gesture was silently asking the same question. "We can spar if you'd like."

Naruto seemed to take the brunet's answer at face value and resumed bouncing on the balls of his feet. Rōshi gave a shrug and said, "If yeh want ter make it fair, yeh should limit yerself ter taijutsu only, let th' kid use anythin'."

"Sure, that sounds fine."

One red eyebrow arched again, but the brunet ignored it to settle himself in a defensive stance, blocking Naruto's charging attack with a rigidity contrary to his normally fluid movements. Focus, he scolded himself, even as his thoughts whirred around uncontrolled, analyzing the status of their situation. In the back of his mind, he acknowledged that Rōshi's initial reticence and constant distance seemed to be fading, which was good news for his plan. The idea that he'd made inroads, even small ones, with the antisocial recluse was reassuring.

And Naruto seemed to be retaining what he was taught, if the spar was any indication, even if development seemed slow. Not that the blond's sluggish progress was in any way his fault. His poor education aside, Utakata knew that even good shinobi required time and repetition to learn something new, and the younger Jinchūriki was learning everything – multiple things – from scratch.

"Utakata-nii!"

Yagura's voice was all too real in his head, its echo a distant cry for help. He flubbed a block and suffered a hard strike to his ribs, reinforcing the evidence of Naruto's improvements. Get it together! he scolded himself. Just because Naruto and Yagura call me the same thing…

He felt suddenly winded at the thought, a second blow with no physical cause. It was a stark reminder of why he'd left the Hidden Mist and what they were training for. Yagura was on a timetable – they all were – with no way of knowing how much time they had left. Months? Weeks? At what point would Akatsuki deem it more prudent to extract the Three-Tails than to maintain its puppet? And what of the remaining Jinchūriki, still unaccounted for, still unaware of the danger they were in?

The solace he'd just found in both Naruto's and Rōshi's progress now seemed insignificant and bittersweet. Worry jittered through his body and clouded his mind.

Naruto threw a punch at his stomach, and Utakata pushed it down almost robotically before taking a careful step back as the blond swiped at him with a kunai in his left hand. The younger Jinchūriki stepped towards him and spun clockwise, his right fist coming around in a hammer-blow. Utakata blocked the strike with both arms, and Naruto jumped back to throw his kunai at the brunet. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

The Kiri-nin was already in the process of dodging the knife when a fireball the size of his head burst from the blond's mouth. Without thinking, Utakata condensed the water vapor in the air in front of him to create a thin shield of liquid that soaked up the incoming Great Fireball.

"Enough!"

The pair stopped at Rōshi's order, turning their attention to the approaching redhead. "Yeh broke th' rules," he berated the Mist shinobi. "Nothin' but taijutsu. Yeh lose." He turned to the Kyūbi Jinchūriki. "Quick thinkin' with th' kunai an' th' Gōkakyū. Not bad, kid."

Naruto grinned wide and rubbed the back of his head, flushing with a mixture of pride and embarrassment. "Heheh, thanks!"

Dark eyes rolled back to the Rokubi Jinchūriki. "Yer taijutsu ain't bad enough that th' kid should beat yeh."

"Sorry. I was distracted."

"Yer a Jōnin, yeh shouldn't git distracted. An' it shouldn't take much ter beat 'im."

"I don't need your judgment right now," the brunet snapped.

"Are you sure you're okay, Utakata-nii?"

"Don't call me that!"

Naruto took a surprised step backwards, blue eyes wide with hurt. Rōshi scowled at the Kiri-nin. Dark eyes never leaving the brunet, he said, "Oi, kid, why don' yeh go swimmin' fer a bit, hm?"

The blond cast a hesitant glance between the two older Jinchūriki before acquiescing with a confused, "Um, yeah, okay."

Rōshi's hand clamped around the Mist shinobi's bicep with a grip like iron. The Rokubi Jinchūriki winced as his companion's fingertips tightened uncomfortably on his arm, a hard yank nearly pulling the limb from its socket. "What's your problem?" Utakata hissed.

"I'm old an' hate change," Rōshi retorted, dragging the teenager behind a tree. He let go of the boy and crossed his arms over his chest. "What's yer problem? Th' kid looks up ter yeh," he said, pointing to where Naruto was standing in the river, naked from the waist up, trying to manipulate the water he was standing atop. "An' o' th' two o' us, yer th' nice one, so pull it t'gether."

Under the Iwa-nin's harsh glare, the brunet could feel shame crawling beneath his skin. "…It's the name," he admitted, "what he called me. 'Utakata-nii'. Yagura calls me that. Or he used to anyway, before…everything. Just hearing him call me that, it…triggered something."

"Yeh got PTSD or somethin'?"

Utakata's brows furrowed in confusion. "No?"

"Then git over yerself. Yeh can't expect ter rescue yer friend if yeh git thrown by ev'ry tiny thing someone says."

"You don't understand what that friendship means to me!"

"I've heard yeh talk about it enough ter know what yeh think it means," Rōshi shot back, "an' it's a liability!"

Utakata blinked, too surprised to hold on to his anger. "…What?"

"D'yeh think that Akatsuki won't take advantage o' yer mental state ter get what they want?" the Iwa-nin argued. "If yer head ain't in th' game, yeh won't help no one. Yeh'll git yerself killed 'cause yer bein' stupid, an' then where'll yer friend be, eh? Pull yerself t'gether or we're all dead."

The brunet shook his head, an attempt to rid himself of the specter that loomed over him, choosing to focus instead on the last thing the older Jinchūriki had said. "We?" he asked weakly, unsure if he'd heard his companion correctly.

Rōshi crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "I'm still here, ain't I? Akatsuki's too big fer one o' us. Yer not th' only one with somethin' ter fight fer 'side from our lives."

The grin that slowly stretched across Utakata's lips felt foreign, even as a surge of victory swelled in his chest. So you've actually come around, huh? I guess you're not as self-serving as you appear.

But I wonder then…who're you fighting for?

"Stop smilin', yeh look like an idiot."

"If you say so."

Rōshi shifted under the Kiri-nin's golden gaze, dark eyes darting in Naruto's direction. As closed off as the redhead was, Utakata got the impression that he was distinctly uncomfortable with how the conversation had turned. "Yeh wanted ter make a connection with th' kid, an' now yeh've got one. So quit mopin', take advantage o' it, an' teach 'im somethin'."

Utakata nodded. "Right. Thanks."

"Hmph. Jus' don' do it again."

Utakata walked away from his companion and towards the river, where Naruto was practicing the hand seals for the Wild Water Wave. Brow furrowed in concentration, he missed the brunet shedding his kimono and stepping into the water. The Kiri-nin waited several seconds for a lull in the blond's practice before coughing to catch his attention. "Sorry," he said when blue eyes finally focused on him.

"S'okay."

The brunet shook his head. "No, it isn't. I was distracted and not giving you my full attention, and that's not fair to you."

Naruto cocked his head to one side, peering at the teenager with a curious expression, a trinket he couldn't quite put a value on. "You're kinda weird, Utakata-nii."

Utakata flinched at the nickname, the specter of his friend returning to superimpose itself over the boy. That Naruto was roughly the same size as his friend and playing in the water only helped cement the image. The Kiri-nin shook it from his vision and managed, "Sorry, what?"

"No one's ever really cared about paying attention to me before," Naruto said. He was focused on his hands, the fingers twisting together, though it now seemed more like he was fidgeting than trying to achieve any sort of jutsu. "But you're apologizing to me even though you're training me every day? I don't get it."

The bubble-user sighed, a sad smile stretching his lips. "I'm apologizing because you deserve better. We all deserve better," he corrected. Naruto glanced behind him to where Rōshi stood in the shadows of the trees, arms crossed and expression stony. "Yes, even Rōshi." He paused, a pensive look overtaking his features, and then probed, "Naruto, have you thought about why we're here? Rōshi and me, I mean."

"Mm, not really. You're here to train me, right?"

"Well, yes, but there's more to it than that. Do you remember the friend I mentioned, Yagura? The Mizukage?"

"Oh yeah, him! Uh huh!"

"Yagura's like my little brother, and I promised to protect him, but…something happened. Something I'm not strong enough to fight on my own. There's a group of people hunting the Jinchūriki, and they're using Yagura to do that."

"But…he's a Kage," Naruto said, confusion evident in his voice. "The Kage's the strongest shinobi in the village, so how—?"

"A Kage is still only human," Utakata placated. Or demon. He was suddenly glad that Rōshi was out of earshot; there was no telling how the redhead's cynicism would destroy his argument, let alone the blond's worldview. It already seemed like he was breaking the Kyūbi Jinchūriki's preconceptions, and he was attempting to be delicate about it. "And I hope you would know by now that no one is infallible. Yagura's in danger, and I have to help him."

"Let's do it!"

Utakata jerked, startled by the blond's sudden enthusiasm. "Sorry?"

Naruto's fists were clenched, determination clear in his blue eyes. "If your friend needs help, then I'm in! The Hokage protects his people, and Yagura's a Jinchūriki like us, so he's my people, too! We'll save him, Utakata-nii, believe it!"

Utakata stared at the younger boy in awe, impressed by his determination. Although, he mused, perhaps ignorance is bliss after all. Naruto had shown more than once that he had little understanding for the scope of things, a trait that flew in the face of both Rōshi's skepticism and Utakata's realism, and the brunet had intentionally left out the peril Akatsuki posed to all of them for fear of losing the blond's trust.

But even without knowing the breadth of the challenge that lay before them, the Konoha native was willing to lend his aid to a complete stranger. All at the behest of someone he'd known for a couple months, someone he seemed to look up to as a brother. The boy's outlook boggled the mind; there wasn't a soul in Kiri like Naruto, and Utakata was fairly sure that Rōshi would say the same of Iwa's citizens.

The Kiri-nin reached out with a tentative hand, eventually resting it upon the head of messy blond spikes. Naruto looked up from where he'd returned to practicing his water manipulation with rapt attention while standing on the river, and Utakata tousled his hair in a gesture of affection he hadn't been allowed (or allowed himself) to bestow since before Yagura had become Mizukage. "Utakata-nii?"

Utakata smiled at him, seeing Naruto for who he was without Yagura's shadow hanging around him, the guilt he'd associated with that title now a reminder of what he had to accomplish. "You're a good kid, Naruto. Now, why don't you show me what you've got, hm?"

"You bet!"

Utakata watched the boy flip through seals and sink his chakra into the surrounding water, creating a small geyser that splashed him in the face. The brunet let out a genuine laugh as water dripped from the blond's bangs, moving closer to advise him on how to maintain control.

I'll protect you, too, Naruto. And this time, I won't fail. I swear.

-l-l-l-

Author's Note: I am aware that abridging this particular title/honorific (Utakata-nii) is not exactly common, but it is used in similar context in Fairy Tail, and I think it works here for Naruto's perspective.