Believe It (SasukexOC)

Chapter 3 Don't Judge a Book

    "It's funny." Naruto hummed, "last time I was in Waves we were 12. I wonder how Tazuna and Inari are doing these days."

    "You know the client?" Kida asked, walking alongside Naruto.

    Naruto folded his arms behind his head and smiled fondly at the sky. "Yep, you can say he gave me my nindo, my ninja way." Naruto answered.

    "Tazuna is an old friend, we were in charge of protecting him while he built the bridge connecting Waves to the mainland."  Kakashi elaborated in a curt tone.

    Kida frowned, and avoided meeting Kakashi's glaring eye as they walked along the forest lined path that opened up to reveal a vast shoreline. A stone bridge stretched into the fog, over the raging sea. It looked like something straight of a painting, Kida had never seen anything like it.

    "That bridge?" Kida asked quietly, her eyes trying to take in as much of the vast view as possible.

    Sakura nodded. "That bridge." She answered.

    Kida was about to ask what it was like seeing the legendary bridge be built, but she was interrupted by a lone figure waving in the fog.

   "My, my." The figure laughed as it approached the group. "Look what the cat dragged in." The figure, now in sight, was a short, stocky man, with wild gray hair and a pair of glasses resting on his long nose.

    "Tazuna!" Naruto yelled as he wildly waved back.

    "It's nice to see you Tazuna. " Kakashi smiled and shook the other man's hand.

    "Kakashi." Tazuna greeted in a fond voice. His voice was gruff, like grinding gravel, but not unkind. "What happened? You got old." He laughed.

    As the ninja team and the old man began to catch up. Kida looked back towards the bridge. The bridge was narrow and long, with a shallow stone edge that acted as a rail. It was obvious the bridge was built by hand, without the use of Jutsus, but in its own way it was magnificent. Kida had never seen anything like it. The bridge was more than just a bridge, it was like a living monument.

    "Now who is this?" Tazana asked drawing Kida's attention away from the bridge.

    "I'm Kida." She nodded, stretching out her hand. "I'm the specialist on this mission."

    Tazana looked her over with narrowed, all seeing eyes, leaving Kida's hand to dangle in the wind. The way he peered at her was like he was trying to figure out what kind of person she was. "I don't see a ninja band on you." Tazana said, raising his eyebrow sceptically. "You're not a shinobi are you?"

    Kida shook her head, her smile fading into hesitated frown. She put her hand down. "No sir. I am a Cynefin."Kida admitted. Her mother had always taught her that her culture was nothing to be ashamed of, but Kida constantly found herself trying to gage how people would react when they found out that she wasn't like them.

    Tazuna stood up a little straighter, the expression on his face unreadable. He eyed Kakashi from the corner of his eye. Kida shrank back expecting hostility from the old man.

    "Well..." Tazuna scratched the back of his head before smiling at the blue haired girl. "I reckon if you're friends with Team Kakashi then I suppose you're alright."

    Kakashi made a sarcastic choking sound in the back of his throat, before turning away. "We aren't friends Tazuna, we just met the girl." He clipped bitterly.

    Sasuke eyed his mentor, baffled. Never had he seen Kakashi act this way. In fact, Kakashi was normally very accepting and open to people no matter who they were. So, Sasuke couldn't understand why Kakashi was being cold towards the Mangata girl. He himself could understand not agreeing with the girl's culture, but disagreeing and shunning were two completely different things. In fact Sasuke quite liked Kida, and was willing to hear her out on her culture later and make a decision when he had more information.