As we jumped off the ship, I could see Idate swimming off. I couldn’t catch up to him though. My swimming was too slow. "Guys we need to be careful." I stated.
"Yeah, Sakura is your wound okay?" Naruto asked.
"I'm fine." Sakura assured, "But the rain ninja are still out there." She informed.
"Rain Ninja?" I asked.
"The pajama ninja, Ida." Sasuke sighed.
"Oh yeah, so they are-" I was cut off when something dragged me under by my foot. I kicked a resurfaced again.
"Ida that's not funny cut it out!" Sakura scolded. I couldn't answer because I was dragged down again.
"She's not faking!" Sasuke shouted and dived down. The pajama ninja dragged me down to the bottom, and I had to fight to keep my eyes open from the salt water.
"You may be able to beat us on land, but here we rule." The pajama ninja somehow said. I meant to reply with 'Yeah, well we'll see about that.'
It came out as "Bubble-glurp-bubble-blup."
"And we're supposed to know what that means?" A pajama ninja asked me as he grabbed me from behind. I glared my eyes at him (not that he could see) and then I kicked my foot really hard. I shot myself up high enough, so I could grab his neck with my hands.
I pulled his head forward and I slipped out then I threw him farther into the ocean. I glanced over, and I saw Naruto kicking away three rain ninja, and then he made some shadow clones. However, the pajama ninja saw this coming, and he grabbed the real Naruto.
"Under here water clones rule." The Pajama ninja gloated. After that, all the Naruto clones swam to the bottom of the ocean, and stuck there hands in a circle. Then they all started to create the rasengan, and made a whirlpool with them.
Apparently the pajama ninjas weren't really that great at swimming in twisting water, since all of them were pulled down to the bottom. Sasuke, Naruto and I all swam up.
I was almost to the surface when I glanced back. Sakra was unconscious, and was going to the bottom. With a little more release of bubbles (a sigh) I swam to go get her. Naruto had the same idea, and he got there first. Since Naruto got Sakura, I swam to the top and met with Sasuke.
"Don't worry Sakura! You'll be alright!" Naruto shouted, and started running on top of the water.
"Oh my gosh, really?" I exclaimed.
"What?" Sasuke asked.
"We could walk on water this whole time, and we swam. Swam!" I grumbled. When I got on top of the water, I saw that Naruto just tripped on a rock. A rock...in the ocean...that he just tripped on.
"Come on Sasuke! We have to catch up with Naruto. I will never let this go." I grinned, running across the water.
When I got there, I could see that Sakura's eyes were open a little, but she wasn't moving. "Naruto what are you doing?" I asked, notching he pursed lips.
"Ugh. You Perv!" Sakura shouted.
"Oh I see you were waiting for Sasuke to give you CPR." I laughed.
"I was not, Ida. You can't prove that." She blushed.
"Don't we have to go save Idate?" Sasuke asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah we probably should." I agreed. So we all started running.
"Ida you're faster than all of us. Go get to Idate first!" Sasuke ordered me.
"Alright. See you guys there." I ran as fast as I could. And got there in time to here part of Idate's and this one guy's conversation.
"You should’ve ran away, like you did last time. You never did trust anyone, same as me. And that's the way it should be." the random guy growled.
"He trusted me." I said walking over to Idate. "You alright?" I asked.
"Nope. Poison is slowly spreading through his body, and he'll die." Random guy explained.
"Oh, okay. So you'll be alright Idate?" I asked again.
"Look midget, I know you're slow in the head, so you probably didn't get this the first time. Idate. Is. Dying." Random guy insulted me.
"Listen Spandex, I wasn't asking you, was I? No I was not. And I'm not a midget!" I shouted.
"Ida just run away! There's nothing you can do!" Idate screamed at me. I couldn’t reply because a kick was aimed at my head.
"That wasn't nice!" I scolded Spandex.
"I guess in a battle between rain genin, and leaf genin. Leaf genin win." Spandex sighed.
"So you're in charge of them." Sasuke noted, coming beside me.
"Duck-butt! I missed you so much!" I yelled, hugging Sasuke, "This guy was mean to me. He called me a midget, and then he...he tried to kick my head." I sobbed into Sasuke's chest.
"Ida, cut it out. We need to focus." Sasuke grumbled, pushing me away.
"Yeah, but I was in the zone." I complained.
"You're supposed to save me?" Idate exclaimed.
"Enough of this!" Spandex shouted, "You might have been able to beat the rain ninja, but you're not match for me."
"Oh yeah." Naruto challenged, and he and Sasuke ran to fight the guy. Spandex jumped up, and brought the umbrella off his back.
"Up there!" Sasuke informed.
"Too late." Spandex smirked. Then he swung his umbrella, and the water around us came down with more pressure. Before it got to me, I brought the chakra to my hands, so I deflected the pressure when it came on me.
"As I expected. You're really not any harder than Idate." Spandex sighed.
"That's what she said!" I shouted before he could continue.
"What!?" Everyone shouted, but Idate, he passed out awhile ago.
"A lot of people have used that expression. And I never had before. Did I use it right?" I blabbered.
"Child there is something seriously wrong with you." Spandex said.
"Yeah says the guy wearing spandex!" I defended.
"I'm just going to take you all out without my chakra." Spandex declared, and brought out these needles. I wasn't afraid of these. They weren't the creepy ones, doctor’s use. Before I fully processed things, Spandex threw the needles, Naruto blocked Sakura, yet Sakura still got hit, Sakura blocked Idate, and Sasuke blocked me from the needles, yet I still got hit.
My knees gave out from under me, and I plopped down on my butt. Spandex was gone, but we were still in danger. "Sasuke what were you doing?" I asked.
"I don't know. Instinct kicked in." He explained.
"Here guys take these." Sakura commanded, taking out a bottle of pills.
"Sakura! Drugs are never the answer!" I yelled.
Sakura got a vein on her forehead, and barely suppressed her temper, "Lady Tsunade gave them to me before she left, they are some kind of antidote."
"Oh, okay." I smiled, taking one. "We still need to get Idate out of the rain. He also seems to have a deep gash below his knee that we should treat."
"Yeah, but where?" Naruto asked.
"There's a cave up there." I pointed.
"When did you notice that?" Sasuke asked.
"As Spandex jumped up, and made the pressure go up." I remembered.
"How do you notice these things as you are under attack?" Sakura asked.
"I don't know." I shrugged, and went to go get Idate's legs. Sakura grabbed him under the arms, and together we brought him up to the cave.
Sakura and I sat down, and watch over Idate. Naruto and Sasuke went out to find some wood, so we could make a fire. When everyone got back, we sat and waited for Idate to wake up.
***
"Hey he's waking up." Sakura noted.
"How are you feeling?" I asked, kneeling next to him.
"Where is he? Where's Aoi?" Idate panicked.
"So that's that guy’s name." Sasuke said.
"I like my name more. It's more fitting." I sighed.
"Who is he? Do you know him from somewhere?" Sakura asked.
"He was my old sensei back when I lived in the Leaf Village." Idate explained.
"You lived in the Leaf Village?" Naruto got excited.
"Well yeah Nartuo, Ibiki is his brother. And Ibiki is a Leaf Village ANBU." I explained.
"After Aio betrayed the Leaf, he became a jonin for the Rain." Idate skipped an explanation.
"Woah! Wait! Back up." Naruto ordered. Idate tried to get up, but Sakura pushed him back down.
"All that work and training. All of nothing." Idate spit.
"You're just giving up?" I asked.
"Yeah that's no way for a leaf ninja to talk." Naruto stated.
"I haven't even thought of the Leaf village in years not since I left." Idate growled. "It hit me hard when I first failed the chunin exams." Idate started to explain to us, his past and why he left the village.
Apparently Ibiki gave them the same tenth question crap he gave us. Idate didn't get the question, so he went off to sulk. That's when Aoi came to him, and told him of a way he could become a chunin besides taking the test. Aoi told Idate that he had to steal the scroll of sealing and the legendary blade of the thunder spirit that was used by the 2nd Hokage. After Aoi took the items, he broke the news that Idate committed a crime in the Leaf, and would be lucky to be just put in jail, but that he could become a chunin in the Rain. So Idate got scared, and ran. That was why he didn't trust people, Aoi had taught him that.
"I've never seen the Leaf Village after that day. Nothing I do goes right." Idate said bitterly. "Even so Jirocho still wanted me. And now I've just let him down. I can't do anything." Idate started crying.
Idate was just like Naruto and I. He had no friends or family, and he was betrayed by the person he trusted. Still Naruto and I didn't give up, so neither should he. "Idate don't give up yet!" I shouted.
"Ida-" Sakura started.
"There is still one person who believes in you!" Naruto joined in.
"I'm not letting you quit even if I have to carry you." I declared.
"Come on let's go!" Naruto shouted, trying to drag Idate to his feet.
"Naruto he is still too weak." Sakura said.
"Ida already said she would carry him, and I will, too if I have to." Naruto said.
"Let's go Idate. One person is enough to count on you. Even if you just have one person, you have enough." I promised.
"Ida, Naruto stop." Sakura begged.
"No Sakura." Sasuke stopped her.
"If that one person is counting on you than that is all you need. You can't let that person down. You need to prove to that person even more that you can do this for them. That you want to." Naruto explained.
"Besides didn't Jirocho save your life. You owe him. Can't you just do this one thing for him? Jirocho is counting on you. The whole family is. You don't have to do it alone though. You have all of us. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and I will die trying if we have to, to get you to the end of this race." I assured.
"Oh...Okay I will." Idate said with determination.
"Alright than." Naruto shouted, Idate climbing onto his back. And off we went. I was right beside Nartuo, and Idate. We had left the others in our dust. Some people just needed different kinds of motivation to keep going.
Idate needed people to shove the facts in his face, and ruff him up a bit. Naruto just needed a goal, and he had enough determination. Then I just needed to remember the lives of my friends to keep going. Now that I think of it. I probably would've gone under to Chikara more than once if I didn't have Niela or Himoten to keep me sane. I also might've not discovered my 'father's' evil said, and then I would've killed all the Uchihas.
Everyone just needs a different approach to finally see the light. Now that Idate found his, he could win this race. Nothing would get in our way again. Maybe Idate would think differently of ninjas now, too.
That's a different topic for later though. For now we just had to get Idate to the half point of the race.
***
Story End
Alright I know it has been a while since I've updated. But here it is. You can enjoy more Ida filled moments. I hope that I won't ever go that long again without an update. Well I hope you guys like it, so
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