Inheritance

CHAPTER 18

"I said apologize, you bastard!" Naruto's voice escalated the more he repeated his command to the Suna shinobi in front of him again.

The blonde hadn't been walking long before he had run into Hana, who had been using her medical jutsu to help a small boy who had managed to bang their head, and had apparently been bleeding pretty badly. Naruto didn't really need anything more than the glare the Inuzuka had been sending towards the ninja that now stood before him to figure out that that he was probably the cause of the problem.

Unfortunately, the red-headed shinobi wasn't willing to play ball, and simply stood silently, staring at Naruto, his expression totally unreadable.

"I won't ask you-"

"The weak..." The boy, who was about the same age as Naruto, finally rasped, as though it were a struggle just to speak. "...Should not stand in the path of those... who are strong."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the boys words, trying to work out what exactly he was referring to.

"Are you saying you did that to a kid because he was in your way?!" Naruto's incredulity was evident in his voice.

"I was talking... about you."

"What the he-" Naruto was cut off again, but this time the interruption came in the form of the sand he had been standing on attempting to coil itself around his ankles. The blonde jumped back in surprise, but failed to notice the tendril of sand emerging behind him until it was too late; the tentacle-like apparition swinging horizontally at him as he turned to face it, crashing into his ribcage and sending him staggering sideways. Winded, and clutching where he had been struck, the blonde created a pair of Kage Bunshin who made towards the Suna ninja, who he figured to be the cause of the weird sand.

Right though he was, the Kage Bunshin were ineffective at best; the first attempting to sound out the other ninja's taijutsu by throwing a few basic punches, all of which were blocked by sand, before yet anther tendril burst from the ground at speed, impacting with the underside of it's jaw and dispelling it. The second attempted to attack from above with a vicious looking axe kick, but the tendril of sand was faster, forming it's tip into a razor sharp point and piercing the Bunshin's leg, instantly destroying it.

The original Naruto, having recovered from the earlier blow moved to confront the sand-wielding shinobi himself, but as he tried to move, he began to sink into the sand under his feet, the process speeding up as he began to struggle to free himself from the sand. In only a matter of seconds he'd been dragged waist deep into the ground, and could feel the sand compress and tighten around his legs, the pressure becoming more and more unbearable every second he was trapped. Glancing around he noticed Hana had let fly at the ninja with several of her kunai, but they were swatted away with ease.

She had admitted to Naruto and Shikamaru before their mission that without her partners, the dogs that most Inuzuka fought alongside, she was pretty useless in a straight up fight; and she had been brought along primarily as a medic.

The blonde wracked his mind for a way to free himself, he summoned more Kage Bunshin around him, but they were all destroyed as swiftly as the first. He couldn't move his arms to use jutsu, and his Bunshin had all been destroyed before they even had a chance to act.

"Gaara. That is enough. Release him."

Immediately, Naruto felt the pressure around his chest loosen, allowing him to take a breath he didn't realise he had been unable to take; and he noticed he was gradually rising out of the pit onto level ground. It was Baki, the Suna jonin they had rescued that was standing between himself and the one he had called Gaara.

"I cannot apologise enough for Gaara's behavior towards you ninja's, Kakashi-san, it is unacceptable." Naruto's eyes widened when he realised that Kakashi had, at some point arrived and placed himself between Gaara and Hana.

"I believe I understand the situation Baki-san, and your apology is accepted. Although, I would say that maybe I'm not the one it should be given to." Kakashi's single visible eye was bent upwards, indicating that he was smiling, but his right hand had never left the pouch that contained his kunai.

Baki himself glanced towards Naruto at Kakashi's implication, but he instead chose to turn to Gaara.

"Return home. Now. You will be dealt with later."

Gaara folded his arms, and began to turn away from the group, but stopped short of actually leaving the scene.

"In a months time... Konoha is hosting the Chunin exams." He turned his head and looked directly at Naruto, "And there, I will kill you." And with that, he walked away, leaving Naruto utterly speechless, for just about the first time in his life, if only for a few moments.

"Well, I can think of better ways to spend my first day in a foreign village..."

The rest of the Konoha ninja's stay had been quiet in comparison, the group staying one further night in order to ensure they were fully rested for their journey back to their own village. For Naruto, it seemed that any apprehension he felt about the threats made by Gaara the previous day were utterly overwhelmed by his excitement to be going home.

And it was true, he was looking forward to getting back to the village. His first mission had been a success, although much to his disappointment, he never managed to even get a glimpse of whatever weapon Baki had been carrying. But, as much as he was loathe to admit it, he was craving the amenities of home. Not only that, he wanted to get back into a proper training routine. Catching glimpses of Kakashi's fight with the two Iwa jonins had been eye-opening to say the least. He had a long way to go before he would be even close to that level, but rather than daunted, the idea excited Naruto. It was a challenge that he was relishing.

They left Sunagakure with very little fanfare, and immediately settled into a comfortable walking pace through the rocky, arid desert surrounding the village. Once again, the trio of Genin settled into a conversational rhythm, with Shikamaru carefully taking in everything said by the other two Genin, and Hana and Naruto excitedly swapping stories. Naruto spinning wildly exaggerated tales of his days as Konoha's most renowned prankster, and Hana responding with equally over the top stories of missions with her old team.

Much to Kakashi's pleasure, not that he'd ever admit it; Hana had seemingly taken a liking to Naruto, despite the fact that, unbeknownst to the blonde, she was well aware of the Kyuubi being sealed within him. More than almost anything else, the boy needed friends, and it finally looked like he was gathering some to him. Kakashi supposed, given his personality, it was almost totally inevitable that he would eventually force people to see past the Kyuubi.

However Kakashi's mind could not be kept away from more serious matters for very long. Gaara, the redhead who had attacked Naruto and Hana in Sunagakure had as good as promised to seek out Naruto and end his life during the Chunin exams in a months time. Amongst shinobi of course, this was a regular occurrence; however the status of Naruto and the other boy elevated this issue. Naruto was the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, but also almost totally inexperienced, and had not been a Genin for very long at all. If it hadn't been for the presence of both himself and Yuugao, whom had returned to the shadows, Naruto would never have been allowed to leave the village at all.

Gaara, was a different story. He had been a Genin for almost a year. Had taken a good number of C-rank missions, and also undertaken a B-rank - a sign of particular skill amongst Genin. And Kakashi had been assured his combat record was exemplary. If that was all, the Jonin probably wouldn't have been worried. However, Gaara also happened to be a Jinchuuriki, and reportedly was thoroughly unstable.

That, was reason for even a shinobi like Kakashi to worry. The fact that he had singled out Naruto, was extremely unnerving. The blonde didn't know it yet, but he had some serious work to do.