Naruto The New Era

Chapter twelve-We, or them

"Arigato Tsunami-san." Naruto thanked the builder's daughter as she poured him some tea. Yamato nodded as she also filled his cup. "Please, I don't know how to thank you for saving us." After securing the thugs, Yamato had built a similar wood style prison on land, like the first with no doors, to keep them from escaping. "Where does this Gato live?" Naruto changed the topic. "Don't bother Naruto." His sensei adviced. "What I get is that the rich person has his base filled to the brim with bandits like them outside, and maybe shinobis too since he has enough money." "Yes." "We should focus on getting in function the first bridge at least, then as Tazuna-san said, if Gato destroys it- other nations may not like the act." "Can't I send a send a clone or two sensei? To know when they decide to attack." Yamato placed a hand under his chin.

"The shadow clone is more practical for infiltration than my wood clone, and it delivers information instantly while mine need to be within range. Alright then." He approved. "How many do you think would be enough?" He then asked Naruto. "Three, one to alert us of their movement and two to stall them." Yamato nodded. "Tsunami-san-" The light blonde got her attention. "-do you know what direction Gato's house or base is?" "Yes." She headed for the door. "I'll show you." Naruto went after her. As he stood on his feet a pair of foot steps ran away from behind the sliding door. "Inari." The woman named after waves sledded it open, shouting after the boy.

"He looked worried." Yamato said making them turn his direction. "He looked troubled when we arrived here. He'd avoid eye contact with everyone." Tsunami's face lost the cheer. "I-It is just..." She stuttered. Without any words the wood style user understood that the family had had 'complications'. He had noticed an absence. "Inari is a good child, he can get touched really quickly." 'Something must have happened.' Naruto thought. He knew he shouldn't ask what.

At that moment Tazuna entered the room. "Father, you returned." The builder nodded. He had heard enough. "My daughter. It isn't good to bottle feelings. They hurt you latter." She nodded. "Your win over the thugs is the reason Inari is distant. His father passed when he was young, they didn't have the chance to know each other." Despite Tazuna's advice her tone was low and she stared at the floor instead of their faces. The genin thought this girl needed to speak. Not just to anyone, but to 'soldiers' like them. "Not long ago a fisherman from the village, Kaiza, helped us and became a father figure to Inari." The image of a tanned man with short, black, spiky hair appeared in her mind. "He taught Inari how precious things like family and people are. And that he must protect them."

A voice ringed inside her head. "I will protect those precious to me with these two arms."

How ironic it seemed to Naruto. For a simple man to know more about close people than... Then again, maybe it was because he wasn't like that to any of them. Something Naruto knew good, was people in general. Most people are a match to one another, their mindsets are close to one another, their ideas are the same because they are taught the same, the same things, in quality and quantity. They like and hate similar things, they follow similar beliefs. They can help but they can also crush other people, just because they can. They can also choose to do nothing. They don't want to get worse but they refuse to get better.

Then there was he, the last one who should think about people as a group. "When Gato decided to get even more out of the self-made tyrant he is, Kaiza was one who went against. Of course Gato didn't like it and decided to make an example so others wouldn't refuse him. He had his thugs cut off Kaiza's arms and tied him on a cross for everyone to see." She sobbed silently. "Then he executed my husband and left him there to rot. We managed to get his body later in the night and in the same night had a funeral for him in a pre-opened place. Where the grave is, is still a secret, including Inari. I can not take him there." But for individuals of the people, for some Naruto could speak about.