The next day, you wake up early, feeling groggy. You decide to sleep in a bit since you're not really doing anything today. After a few more hours of sleeping, you wake up, get ready for the day and head to the kitchen to get some food. You notice Naruto is the only one missing from the room. Hm, he probably spent the night training again.
"He's gone completely crazy, he's out climbing trees in the dark," Sakura says sleepily. "He could be dead by now, ya'know, from using up too much of his chakra."
"Well, I certainly hope he's okay. A child, spending the night in the woods alone," Tsunami states worriedly.
"There's nothing to worry about-" Kakashi starts to say.
"Yeah, Naruto's fine, I know he is. He can handle himself," you chime in as you take a seat beside Sakura at the table. She glances at you as you sit, you give her a reassuring smile.
"Sakura's right. Naruto's such a loser, he's probably lying out there dead somewhere," Sasuke pipes up. You just roll your eyes as he stands up and starts to walk to the door.
"Ye of little faith," you mutter loud enough to be heard.
"Sasuke?" Sakura inquires.
"I'm going for a walk," he bluntly replies.
"I'll come with you," you say while standing up. He just nods his head and opens the door. You follow behind him and close the door behind you.
The first few minutes of walking is quiet between the two of you. You notice the birds chirping and the sound of water brushing against the shore.
I feel so peaceful right now. You sigh.
"Hey, um, Sasuke?" You inquire.
"Hn," is his response.
"I need to tell you something, something important," you say while taking a brief pause. He just stares at you, waiting for you to continue. "I told Sakura last night, and I'm probably going to tell Naruto this later. I'm a Jonin, not Genin and I'm actually a lot more experienced than you think. I was given a mission from Lord Hokage to go back to the academy and go undercover, hence why I'm here. So, yeah..." you trail off.
Sasuke just stares straight ahead. You sweatdrop.
"Oh yeah, and my parents were murdered in front of me and the murderer is still out there. He burned my house to the ground," you state casually. Sasuke stops walking and stares at you.
"Why are you telling me this now?" He asks.
"Because I trust you. Plus, something might happen that could reveal things and I don't want it to be a surprise," you say while he nods his head in understanding.
"Okay, well," he pauses unsure of what to say. "Thanks. You know, for telling me."
"No problem! What's a team without trust?" You say while smiling, he gives a small one back.
You both are quiet again for a few minutes as you walk through the woods. You see a boy walking towards you. That's the same presence I sensed when we fought Zabuza. That means... You walk past each other like nothing happened. I must inform Kakashi.
You spot Naruto sitting under a tree up ahead. His arms are crossed and he's mumbling about something.
"So, you thought he was a she, didn't you?" You say while giggling, causing Naruto to look up from the ground just in time to get hit on the head by Sasuke.
"Hey! What was that for? Cut it out!" Naruto exclaims.
"Hey twerp, did you just forget about breakfast? You're such a loser," Sasuke states while crossing his arms. Naruto just laughs and smiles causing Sasuke to scowl. You giggle at their antics and you all head back to the house.
Later that day, you, Kakashi and Sakura make your way to where the boys are still training in the forest, except when you get there, they're nowhere to be seen. They're in the trees, I can sense them.
"Naruto!" Sakura calls out. "He could be anywhere." She mutters.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," you mutter.
Just then, a kunai is launched at the three of you and lands right in front of you, causing you all to look up. You see Naruto grinning like a maniac while laying on a high branch.
"Naruto can climb that high now using his chakra? That's great!" Sakura says, stunned.
"I'm not surprised," you say with a smile, causing Naruto to blush at your statement.
"What do you think? High enough for you guys? I mean, it's a long way down," he cheers while standing up on his feet. Just then, he 'loses his balance' causing Sakura to scream and Kakashi's eye to widen. You, however, are calm, knowing the trick he has probably planned.
"Just kidding!" Naruto says as he regains his footing hanging upside down. "You guys really fell for it." He starts laughing, you laugh along with him.
"Good one, Naruto!" You giggle. Ha, fell for it.
"We were worried about you Naruto!" Sakura yells, mentally freaking out.
"Why do I think this is going to end badly?" Kakashi asks no one in particular.
"Don't worry, you've forgotten there's one more of us," you state calmly as Naruto really loses his footing for real this time.
"He just had to push it, didn't you, show off!" Sakura exclaims, you smirk as you hear footsteps running up a tree and see Sasuke catch Naruto upside down by his ankle.
"You really are a loser, Naruto," he bluntly states.
"Huh, Sasuke?" Naruto looks up at him as Sakura begins to fangirl over Sasuke. You tch.
The three of you head back to the house, leaving the two boys to continue with their training. A few hours pass and you're all now sitting down for dinner.
"Now they're both late, I wouldn't have expected that from Sasuke," Sakura states. You just smile.
"Don't worry about it, they're back," you say just as the door opens, revealing two very beat up looking boys, supporting each other.
"What have you been up to? You look like something the cat dragged in," Tazuna says.
"We both made it. We climbed all the way to the top," Naruto says with a smirk on his face.
"That's great you guys!" You cheer, giving them both a kind smile.
"Good," Kakashi says. "Now we move on. Starting tomorrow, you're both bodyguards for Tazuna."
"Alright!" Naruto cheers while fist pumping the air, causing him and Sasuke to fall backwards.
"Tch, you are such a loser!" Sasuke complains. Everyone laughs.
~Time Skip~
"In a few more days, the bridge will be finished. I have you to thank for that," Tazuna says after dinner is finished.
"You've all done great, but you still have got to be careful," Tsunami interjects.
"I've been meaning to ask you this, but I haven't had the chance until now. Why did you stay to protect me after you knew I lied to bring you here?" Tazuna asks.
"Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage. Under the wing of a strong leader, cowardice cannot survive," Kakashi replies.
"Huh?" Tsunami asks.
"That was a quote from the first Hokage," Kakashi informs them. You sigh.
"Quoting people again, eh, Kakashi?" You tease while nudging him with your elbow.
You look over and see silent tears streaming down Inari's face.
"But why?" He asks weakly. This catches Naruto's attention.
"Hm, what'd you say?" He asks while lifting his head up from resting it on his arms.
Inari slams his hands on the table and stands up. "All this stupid training is just a waste of time. Gato's got a whole army. They'll beat you down and they'll destroy you. These cool things you all say, they don't mean anything. No matter what you do! The strong always win, and the weak always lose!" Inari shouts.
"Hn, just speak for yourself. It won't be like that for me, you got that?" Naruto states.
"Why don't you be quiet! Just looking at you makes me sick! You don't know anything about this country, you're just butting in! You're always laughing and playing around, you don't know what it's like to suffer and be treated like dirt!" Inari shouts. Your expression drops. He shouldn't assume things.
"Listen to yourself, whining, and complaining, like some sorry little victim," Naruto counters, which catches Inari off guard. "You can whimper all day for all I care! You're nothing but a coward!"
"Naruto! You went too far!" Sakura immediately scolds him. You watch him stand up and walk away. Sakura's expression softens. "Naruto..."
You stand up from the table as Inari stands there crying. You walk out of the kitchen, but not before shooting a glance at Kakashi. He returns your gaze and nods his head. You leave to go find Naruto.
It's a few minutes before you find him sitting on the roof. You quietly approach him and sit beside him. You notice he's been crying.
"You here to scold me, too?" Naruto says bitterly. You blink.
"No, I'm actually here to see if you're okay," you answer while watching his facial expressions.
"Well, don't worry about me, I'm fine," he states while not meeting your gaze.
"Y'know, I'm glad you said that. I think that was really brave of you," you honestly say. He looks at you.
"Really?" He asks, unsure of what you mean.
"Really. Sometimes people need a little shove to get back on their feet. I think you did just that for Inari. He'll listen to you, trust me," you say while placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. You stand up and stretch. "Don't stay out too long, okay?"
"I won't," he replies as you turn around to head back inside. "Hey, uh, (Y/n)?"
You stop moving. "Yeah?"
"Thanks," he says. You just give him a smile and go back inside.
You decide to see what Kakashi's doing and notice he's sitting outside with Inari. You quietly make your way towards them and hear what they're talking about. It looks like they just finished talking.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," you say as you take a seat beside Kakashi.
"Not at all, in fact we just finished," Kakashi replies while smiling at Inari. Inari gives a small smile back and stands up. He silently makes his way back to the house, thinking about everything that's happened.
"He'll be okay," you say while looking back out to the ocean. A few minutes pass before either of you speak. "He's coming." You see Kakashi give a slight nod. "And he won't be alone."
"I figured. That boy will be with him," Kakashi says.
"I have a feeling tomorrow will be a long day," you sigh. Kakashi just nods.
"Have you told them yet?" He inquires.
"Only Sasuke and Sakura so far. I'm just waiting for the right moment to tell Naruto. I'll do it before tomorrow's over though," you reply. He just nods again.
"Whatever happens tomorrow, just don't go overboard. Please," he says.
"Heh, I could say the same thing to you," you reply while standing up, a grin tugging at your lips. Noticing the look he's giving you, you gently pat his shoulder, "don't worry, I won't. Night Kashi."
"Goodnight, (Y/n)."
~The Next Day~
The next morning, you all, excluding Naruto, head over to the bridge bright and early. Naruto's been pushing himself too hard, he deserves a break. I'm glad he can sleep in.
Before you get to the bridge, you make a clone of yourself to go and check on Naruto.
"Okay, Kina One, you know what to do," you tell her as she rushes off back towards the house. You're not paying attention to where you're walking and bump into someone's back. You look to see that it's Kakashi you bumped into. Huh? That's weird, why'd everybody- well that's not good.
Your eyes land on the workers groaning in pain on the bridge in front of you. He's here
"What happened!?" Tazuna exclaims.
You look at Kakashi. "He's back," you whisper just loud enough for him to hear you. You see him tense slightly.
A heavy mist starts to roll in, obstructing everyone's view.
"This mist, Sasuke! Sakura! (Y/n)! Get ready!" Kakashi instructs you. You all nod and jump into formation, surrounding Tazuna. You all grab kunai from your pouches.
"Kakashi-sensei, it's Zabuza, isn't it? This is his hidden mist jutsu!" Sakura states the obvious.
Suddenly, a voice is heard through the mist.
"Sorry I kept you waiting Kakashi, (Y/n). I see you still have those brats with you," you hear Zabuza say.
"And I still see you, oh wait, I can't see you because you're cowering behind your precious mist," you spit at him.
"Still as sharp as ever, eh (Y/n)? No matter, these brats will be easy to take down. Look, that ones still trembling. Pitiful," Zabuza replies as water clones appear all around your protection formation. You see Sasuke's eyes widen in surprise and then he smirks. You smirk along with him.
"He's trembling with..." you start.
"Excitement," Sasuke finishes.
"Go on Sasuke," Kakashi encourages.
Sasuke jumps out of formation and lunges at each of the clones, destroying them in one go.
"Ouu, so you could see they were water clones, huh?" Zabuza says, appearing from the mist. You scoff. "Brat's improving. Looks like you've got another rival, Haku."
"So it seems," the boy with the mask replies.
"Ready guys?" You ask. You see them all nod their heads. "Alright, let's do this."