Darkened Paradise (Naruto Fanfiction)

Chapter 12:To Know Suffering

Disclaimer: I own nothing

XXX

The next morning was...odd. There was no sign of Naruto for one thing.

The weather was good, if a bit windy, and they were all in a good mood.

Tsunami was in the kitchen preparing breakfast; Inari was sulking in a corner. Shino, Hinata, Kiba and Sakura were talking in the living room and Kurenai, Kakashi and Tazuna were discussing the progress of the bridge.

Then something happened that non of them would ever forget. It was one of those moments that engraves itself into your mind and you're never able to get it out.

And that moment was when Sasuke Uchiha, one of the most uptight people any of them had ever met, came down the stairs in a yellow sun dress.

The room was filled with stunned silence, no one new what to say.

Then, to everyone's shock yet again, Sasuke walked through the front door with a pile of chopped wood in his arms.

The two Sasuke's stared at each other for a few minutes, still no one saying a thing, then the Sasuke in the dress fell on the floor and started laughing.

Before their eyes the Sasuke on the floor started to ripple. When it was done there was Naruto, still rolling around on the floor.

"Hahahaha! Y-y-y-you should of haha s-s-seen your faces! Hahah."

XXX

Time skip- 2 and a half weeks later

XXX

The bridge was almost complete; Tazuna said that it would be done in about three days.

Sasuke's training in Naruto's Drunken Spinner style was progressing well; he was now actually using the katana and could fight, not very well yet, but he could fight. Naruto was actually impressed with him.

Kakashi was completely healed and it was decided that for the rest of the mission they would all be guarding Tazuna at the bridge. Kiba had asked what they would do about Tsunami and Inari, but the jonnin had assured them all that if Gato was going to try anything he would have done it by now.

They were currently all sat around the table eating dinner.

They were all talking about how their training had been going and planning what to do depending on the situation. Everyone was stressed, Zabuza would be making a move any day now and the wait was getting to them all. Well, except Naruto, he was as happy as ever.

It was then, in the middle of the meal, that Inari stood up and started shouting.

"Why do you even bother? You're all just going to die anyway! No one can beat Gato, you should just leave!"

By the end of his outburst Inari was in tears and his voice had started to waver. They all stopped talking and stared at the young boy. After a moment Kakashi got up and walked over to him and placed his hands on his shoulders.

"Look, I understand that it may seem like that, but people like Gato are nothing more then cowards that hide behind their money. He may have a small army of bandits, but compared to a ninja they are all but useless."

When he finished talking Kakashi gave him one of his eye smiles and moved to sit back in his seat, until Inari through his food at the back of his head.

"Shut up! What would you know about our pain! In your big fancy village, sheltered from the outside world! You know nothing of suffering!"

The room went deadly quiet, all the genin turned to the enraged Sasuke. But before anyone could say anything to prevent the young Uchiha from leaping at Inari, Naruto started laughing.