CELEBRATIONS
It had been a close call the previous night. As it was everyone was walking on eggshells in the house. Kakashi went over the events in his head. Wondering how he could have let it get so out of hand. He remembered himself yelling at his students when a chair clattered to the floor. Then all hell broke loose.
***Flashback***
Next thing he knew Tsunami was screaming and he was watching Sasuke plunge a table knife into Naruto's chest. It was obvious that Sasuke was after Haku since he was still grinning into her eyes as he felt the blade sink deeper. Unfortunately for him it was Naruto whose eyes he was now looking into, and fortunately for Naruto it could have been worse. Naruto, knowing he had no time to turn and block the avenger, managed to pull off a kawarimi with Haku just before Sasuke struck. As soon as he realized he'd stabbed the wrong target he tried to pull the knife back out but was stopped as Naruto grabbed his wrist. Red chakra seemed to swirl around the two boys before Naruto punched Sasuke in the face hard enough to send him crashing through the front door.
Naruto stalked out of the house after his target with a pissed off look on his face as he pulled the blade from his chest and threw it towards Sakura. It sank halfway into the beam beside her head barely managing to nick her ear. Kakashi was the only one that seemed able to move besides Haku who didn't even look fazed by the evil aura in the area. He didn't think he just acted as he dove out of the door and stood between the predator and his prey. "Naruto you have to calm down. You are going to lose control!" The blond looked at him with slitted red eyes, his gritted teeth showing two long canines through his sneer. "NARUTO!" It was no good the boy just walked towards him.
Naruto stopped suddenly as two arms wrapped around him from behind. He took another step forward, dragging his captor another foot. A brunette head of hair rested on his shoulder as Haku whispered something into his ear. He shook his head and took another step. The arms gripped him tighter making him falter. He no longer moved forward, but the oppressive aura was still there and he was still snarling at Sasuke. The Uchiha was starting to regret his decision as he desperately tried to crawl backwards until he found himself against a tree, leaving an odd wet trail behind on the ground. Haku was still talking into Naruto's ear and Kakashi could see his eyelids start drooping and the oppressive aura slowly dissipated from the air. After another minute it had lessened considerably to the point that Kakashi walked cautiously up to him and tried calming him down as much as possible, but when he got close enough that he was just about to hear what Haku was telling him Naruto suddenly dropped over unconscious with Haku's hold being the only thing keeping him from slamming into the ground.
Kakashi sighed in relief. That was one thing he didn't want to see on this mission or any other point in his life for that matter. He turned his attention back to his student who was pale white from fear. Kakashi didn't even spare the boy words as he knocked him out and tied him up before dragging him inside, not caring anymore what the council did because of the injured remnant. In the kitchen he saw Tsunami unconscious in Tazuna's arms from fear, while the man himself was deathly pale. Kiba was flat against the wall farthest from the door with Akamaru under his jacket whimpering, but they were both recovering. Sakura on the other hand was unconscious like Tsunami, but unlike her no one had bothered to catch the pinkette. He signaled for Kiba to grab the girl and follow which got a slow nod and a shaky "H-hai..." from the boy. When they arrived at the room for the boys of team seven Kakashi threw Sasuke on the floor before getting some rope and tying him up to a stock. Using excess of the same rope he tied up Sakura before taking her to her room and tying her to a stock as well. Each stock was nothing more then a couple boards of wood that would make it impossible for either to get out of the room quickly, if at all. Each arm was bound to one side of the horizontal post with the hands bound as well so they were unusable. One leg was bound to the vertical post while the other was securely tied to a rafter to keep them from going too far without a chaperone. They could move around a little, but with their chakra suppression seals back in place they were even less then a threat then before.
Shutting the door as he walked out he found Kiba waiting for him in the hall trying to calm a still slightly whimpering Akamaru. "Kakashi-sensei...What was that?"
"...Don't worry about it. Try to get some sleep. We have a lot of work tomorrow." A pained groan made him turn towards his room for a moment.
"...H-hai, and sensei...thank you."
"Hai..." Kiba went back into his room while Kakashi tried not to cringe as another groan traveled down the hall. Heading downstairs he barely hit the first floor before Tsunami was in front of him, grabbing his vest.
"Is he alright? Should we get a doctor? How is Haku?" It amazed him that even though she had fainted from sheer terror from the aura the boy put out, she was still concerned for him.
"He'll be fine. He heals quickly. Are you two alright though? That must have been a bit of a shock."
"...We'll be fine. Inari just thought it was a nightmare. He's already asleep again."
"I see. Well we are still on a mission, but Sasuke and Sakura will be sitting out the remainder. If you see them about without one of the rest of us I need you to come find one of us right away. Neither of them is to be trusted for the remainder of the time we are here." Both of them nodded to Kakashi still a bit stunned at everything that was happening. "We will see you in the morning. Heh I'm kind of hoping the bridge doesn't get finished now. I'm really not looking forward to facing the council when we get back. Well, that's life I guess. Good night."
***Flashback end***
Tsunami put a plate down in front of him, bringing him back from his daydreams as the smell hit his nose. Thanking her, he finished his plate quickly before Tazuna, Kiba and he made their way to the bridge to start the day's work. Without Gatō around, and with the immediate threat of attack gone, many of the workers who had quit were now waiting patiently at the work site. Each one bowed down and apologized to Tazuna for their weakness when they should have been fighting back. He just brushed it off though and began handing out jobs. The day passed as if nothing ever happened. The blood and grime from the battle was washed away days ago. The only sign that anything had happened being the patched scrapes from weapons and a couple blood stains that had seeped in too deep to clean in one go.
Back at the house things were a little less smooth. Sasuke could be heard throughout the house yelling for someone to untie him. In the next room over Sakura was sobbing to herself wishing that she were free so she could answer his cries for help. Meanwhile, down the hall Naruto was still asleep, but his wound had healed over. Haku doted over him like a mother would a sick child even though he just seemed to be suffering minor chakra exhaustion. She hadn't left his side all night, relying on Tsunami to bring her dinner as she watched over the boy that saved her life the night before. Unlike his selfish counterpart, Naruto had used the same skill to put himself in harms way rather then the other way around. He had taken the hit meant for her and yet all she could do was watch over him as he slept. She had been tempted many times to go over to the Uchiha's room and end his life, but for the peace of mind of Naruto she couldn't. If she did he would see her as no better then the teme that tried to kill her when she was mostly helpless.
It wasn't until mid afternoon that Naruto made the first signs of consciousness. Haku hadn't seen it though as she fell asleep on his chest while listening to his steady breathing. He blinked his eyes open, staring at the ceiling of the room as his senses reawakened. He could see that it was light out at this point, and there was weight on his chest. The smell of wildflowers hit his nose as he listened to the steady sound of someone breathing near him. When he finally lifted his head off the pillow he saw Haku curled up beside him and half on him. He eased himself out from under her, being careful not to wake her. As she lay sleeping he crept out of he room and made his way downstairs where Tsunami was making herself busy by cleaning up the downstairs.
"Good morning Tsunami-san." He called out with a big smile on his face.
"O-Oh! Good morning Naruto-san. You startled me."
"Heh sorry about that. I guess I'm a little late for breakfast huh?"
"A bit...There is some rice in the cooker still if that is enough, but if you want more just let me know."
"That will be fine. Thank you." Naruto left the room with Tsunami watching his back. Even though she had seen him injured before and knew his healing abilities, it was still a wonder to see him up and about like nothing happened after being stabbed in the chest by someone who was supposed to be his ally. What she didn't know was hat there was still a lot of emotional pain on his mind.
Sure, Naruto didn't like the teme, but he had at least trusted him enough to not try to kill someone in cold blood, let alone someone nearly defenseless. Then there was the fact that he was stabbed after making sure that the rest of the mission got completed. A portion that the Uchiha was obviously not capable of at the time, at least to the point where he would have most likely attacked friend and foe alike. Now said Uchiha was tied up without a chance at getting freed anytime soon, and with gumdrop out of the way, no one was going to help him get free either. The main issue was that Sasuke had brought up so many memories that Naruto was hoping he could have some reprieve from. Memories of the attacks that the Konoha villagers made on him. The whole time he was eating his mind was running through those memories as he sat in a daze just staring at the wall.
It wasn't until Haku put her hand on his shoulder that he realized his bowl was empty. He had no idea how long he'd been sitting there, but he definitely hadn't heard her come up to him. He mentally berated himself for being caught unaware. "Oh, hey Haku. Did you sleep well?" He stole a glance at her off to the side as she sat down next to him. He could see the worry and a bit of confusion on her face.
"H-hai, I'm fine Naruto-kun, but how are you? You got stabbed in the chest yesterday, then you seemed to have lost it and went after the Uchiha. To be honest you scared everyone in the house, probably everyone in the neighborhood too with the amount of killing intent you were putting out." Haku was looking very uncomfortable by this point. He had scared all of them last night, that much was true, but what bothered her was the pure primal feeling that was sent out. She had felt killing intent before, many times, but she had never felt it so raw and that was just the overflow. She didn't even want to think about what was aimed at Sasuke.
"Don't worry about my injuries. I heal quickly, always have. Consider it a gift from a...friend of mine. Along with rapid healing, I also have heightened senses and though I've been to the hospital numerous times, I've never actually been sick a day in my life. I know what you're thinking and no it's not really a bloodline. I can't tell you exactly what it is though. I'm just not comfortable sharing that information yet..." Apparently Haku wasn't going to push the matter as they sat there in silence for awhile, just taking comfort in the company of someone who seemed to understand them.
After a couple hours of general chatting when a topic popped into their heads, the pair turned towards the door when they heard the knob turn. They were greeted by the sight of the bridge crew making their way home for the day. "You guys are early. Did you finish already?"
After setting his safety helmet on a stand near the door, Tazuna turned towards the pair with a wide smile. "Not yet. I decided to spread the last bit over two days so we wouldn't end a day with only two feet to go. Would be a waste to call everyone out early only to be done in an hour, so we're just going to have two early days." His grin changed to one a little more sinister. "Since you're both up I'll assume you have been keeping each other company?" A quick wink the the two told them all they needed to know about what he might be insinuating.
Despite how innocent their conversation was, the two still couldn't help but blush a little at the insinuation. When Kiba saw this, he of course got his hopes up once more. 'Maybe Naruto will go for this new chick and that will leave Hinata free for the taking. Even if he doesn't, this girl doesn't seem half bad.'
"Oi, Tazuna-san. It's nothing like that. We were just talking about ninja stuff, mostly. Besides I have a girlfriend at home, so it's not like I'm really free or anything." As much as he hated to hurt others, Naruto felt he had to make that clear. He had seen how well Haku and him were getting along and he was looking for a way to break the news to her. He didn't feel right just coming out and saying it to her face just in case he was reading into it too much. Tazuna just provided the perfect opportunity though, and by the look that flashed across the young girl's face he was right on the money in his assumption.
Haku had quieted down considerably on the outside, but on the inside she was in utter turmoil. She was wondering if all the nice things Naruto said to her and did for her was just that. He had saved her from a life where she was more or less a slave, and he had saved her life from his own comrade. Was he just a naturally overly nice guy? Not many people in their line of work would go so far as tho throw themselves in the line of fire for the sake of someone they just recently met. By the time dinner came her mind was utter chaos. She hadn't even realized that everyone was sitting around the table chatting while she debated with herself inside her head.
As Tsunami once again began to pass the food around Haku found herself not having much of an apatite. Instead of digging in she opted to take a bowl of rice for herself, and feed the two upstairs. Kakashi and Naruto both told her to be careful as she walked away with a food laden tray. She decided to get the worst of the two out of the way first, and went in to where Sasuke was bound. Upon opening the door she couldn't help but laugh at the avenger as he glared at her. She had a feeling that it wouldn't have mattered who walked into the room at that time, anyone would have gotten the same glare. Unfortunately for him it came out as little more then a child's futile attempt to stare down their parent. Being hopelessly bound to a beam will do that, but she still gave him a B for effort.
"So the serving bitch came at last. How about loosening these ropes and I show you how to truly serve an Uchiha. It's somewhat of a tradition for us to take strong women as our own. As they provide strong offspring." His smirk alone sickened her, but the offer he suggested actually made her retch much to his annoyance. "What? Does the thought of being bred sicken you? Don't worry then, because once word spreads that you turned away an Uchiha no one will want you anyway."
"I would rather live my life alone and locked in a cave then spend one day under the name Uchiha. Do not think you can threaten me into anything. I have lived my life and grown stronger because of threats many times worse then anything you can dream up. Besides, wouldn't it be beside the point, dear Uchiha, to wed someone stronger then yourself." It was an unnecessary retort she knew, but she just couldn't help herself. His yells ran through the room until he had to stop from lack of breath. As he sat there breathing hard and glaring at her more she got to her real reason for being there. "Now if you're a good boy and quiet down I will feed you. Know that I won't enjoy this, so if you don't behave I have no qualms about leaving the food here for you to figure out a way to eat it." She set the tray down and picked up one of the food items before offering it to him. He begrudgingly ate it as he knew she had no reason not to make good on her threat. He may be the last Uchiha in Konoha, but they weren't in Konoha. They were alone, in a room, in Wave.
"So, what is the real reason you're here. If you despise me as much as you say you do then you wouldn't be here right now unless you had a reason for doing so." Sasuke said between bites.
As Haku shoved another portion of food in his mouth she sighed. She was hoping to get through the whole meal before he figured that part out. "I want to know what you know about Naruto. You went to the academy together so you must know at least the past few years of his life."
"Hmph. I don't know why you're so interested in that dobe, but fine I'll shatter this illusion you have about him. He was the dead last in class. He did poorly in every subject there was. He couldn't even do a simple bunshin and made a barely passable henge. His test grades hovered around barely passing and his practical skills with weapons and taijutsu and projectiles were even worse. How he managed to pass I don't know, but he should have quit trying to be a ninja."
"What about his life outside of school?"
"What, do you think I was all buddy-buddy with him? I'm one of the elite in Konoha. I wouldn't associate with his kind of trash for anything. Nor would any self respecting person."
"And yet he has outperformed you on every task so far this mission." This only served in earning her another string of curses, but she had learned all she was going to from him. She left him yelling warnings and threats behind her as she closed the door on him and made her way to the next target. She took a deep breath before entering the room of Sakura. This wasn't going to be pleasant. Even if Sasuke's room would have been sealed in a sound barrier the pinkette would have found some way oh hearing his yells. As it was she opened the door and steeled herself as the expected wall of noise hit her.
"What were you doing to Sasuke-kun?! You were torturing him weren't you, you bitch?! Just because you're jealous of us doesn't give you the right to damage him so others can't have him! Why don't you just kill yourself. You should have died last night anyway! You're just lucky that Naruto-baka got chivalrous and saved you. Otherwise Sasuke-kun would have torn you to shreds!"
Haku finally got a chance to get a word in when Sakura decided breathing was a good thing. "Do you want to continue or do you want to eat?" Haku rose the tray a little more to emphasize her point. Sakura only glared as her stomach answered for her, which seemed to only worsen her already bad mood but at least she shut up. Unlike Sasuke, Sakura was silent the whole time she ate. For someone who Naruto said was the biggest (known) brain of the kunoichi, she didn't seem to be able to figure out or care why Haku was the one feeding her. It wasn't until the last bit of the meal was in the girl's mouth that Haku broke the silence. She would have done it sooner but she was too busy marveling that the girl could actually keep her trap shut so long. "Sakura, I want you to tell me what Naruto was like back in the academy, and if possible, before that."
"Huh? Why would you want to know about a loser like him? Wouldn't you rather talk about Sasuke-kun? He's so much better then that baka. Sasuke-kun was the rookie of the year and he..." Sakura began as her eyes filled with dreamy stars.
"I don't care about the Uchiha. I've seen all I need to see of him to come to my own conclusions. The one I want to know more about is Naruto. Sasuke told me he was the dead last in your class, but everything I've seen so far from him shows otherwise. Was he really dead last or is the Uchiha just trying to smear his name more?"
"That baka should have just quit his first year. We could tell already that he was no good as a potential ninja. He slept more in class then he was awake, and that's when he actually showed up. He was lucky he didn't stab himself with his own kunai and he should have just forfeit his taijutsu matches. Dead last was too high of a title for him. He should have been considered a hopeless case and kicked out. Not to mention how he was always trying to get a date from me. As if he could even compare to Sasuke-kun." Sakura seemed to scoff after every sentence like everything she said was common knowledge.
"Yet the Hokage saw fit to send him to help you here."
"I don't know WHAT Hokage-sama was thinking when he approved of that. As if Naruto could help us do a mission that even Sasuke-kun was struggling with."
Haku didn't know whether to slap the girl or laugh in her face. The way her head, hands and feet were bobbing around so animatedly, despite how secure her bindings were, made it look like all the suspended movement from her limbs was being channeled to her only movable parts. After taking a moment to let all the information Sakura gave her mingle with that of the Uchiha, she found herself no closer to finding out Naruto real past. His own village saw him as less skilled then he actually was, that much was certain, but what his true skill was, and why he was hiding it was still beyond her grasp.
Realizing that she was no closer to solving her puzzle, she decided to part with her view on the situation as a third party despite the obvious reaction she would get. "Well from what I have seen so far, your little boy toy seems to be the refuse of the class. He was scared to death on his first encounter with Zabuza. Then on the bridge he not only lost his fight against me, but also sacrificed his own teammate to safe his own skin. Now I may have had my memory modified for awhile, but I still know that it's supposed to work the other way around. Naruto showed that perfectly yesterday when he let himself be hit to save me. Furthermore He took out two missing-nin that were listed in the bingo book, by himself. Then he figured out that my memory was modified and was able to gain enough of my trust to counter it. He's shown more strength in both skill and perception then you seem to have in your whole team. Kakashi realizes this, as does the mutt to an extent." She could see Sakura stewing more and more as she spoke.
"Well I've been here since the start of this mission and I can tell you that Naruto-baka never could have done what Sasuke did. When those demon brothers attacked us and made it look like they killed Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke didn't even flinch. He took on those two chūnin while Kiba and I protected Tazuna. Naruto-baka would have probably frozen up or curled up into a ball and cried." Sakura put a smug smirk on her face, daring the other girl to make a comeback. She didn't have to wait long.
"I was there also, with Zabuza, Kafu and Tamotsu while your team was dealing with the demon brothers. They were sent out to test your strengths, and I must say they were rather unimpressive. We saw how your pathetic Uchiha was only able to hinder them slightly by taking away their connection. That really was a bad choice anyway. As long as that chain connected them they had a limited range of movement. With the chain snapped they were then able to attack from any direction they wanted. Unfortunately for them they never hit Kakashi, whom defeated them when they were about to rip your team to shreds. Kafu stayed behind to deal with the demon brothers for failing, and making sure they couldn't do so again."
"Sasuke still did better then Naruto-baka could have."
"Sakura-san, do you know who Kafu was?"
"..."
"He was a jōnin rank missing-nin from Kirigakure. He is listed in the bingo book as an A ranked threat."
"Ok so?"
"So, why do you think he wasn't at the bridge?"
"..."
"I had thought it odd that he never caught back up to us, but I dismissed it until this afternoon. While Naruto and I were talking he told me exactly what happened to Kafu. Kafu was a rather arrogant man, and when he saw Naruto hopping along I would bet he was thinking he would have an easy time. Naruto sensed him and was able to set up a trap planning to disable him enough to at least even his chances. While he didn't count on it, Naruto's trap disabled my overconfident companion to the point where he was the easy one to pick off. Which is exactly what Naruto did." Haku paused for a moment to let the information sink in. Then almost slapped her forehead as the other girl started to smile.
"So Naruto got a lucky kill. Sasuke-kun wouldn't even have needed to set a trap I bet. He could have taken down that Kafu guy easily."
Now this was just getting sad. "Sakura, Kafu was stronger then me, so if I beat the Uchiha that would put Kafu ahead of him as well. Setting that aside, my point was that you three had faced chūnin and did ok. Naruto-kun faced a jōnin and not only didn't back down, he was able to stay calm enough to think up a way to trap the other ninja and hopefully wound him enough to have a chance at winning. He didn't go into a fight knowing that he would win, he thought of the best way to have a chance at winning and..."
"Kun? You said kun? Oh my god you like Naruto-baka? No wonder you're trying so hard to defend him. Ugh I don't even know what to think of you now. That's just disgusting. Hinata agreeing to go out with him was bad enough, but another one. Just get away from me before the disease you people have spreads." Sakura made gagging noises as she turned away from Haku while mock retching.
Haku just sighed. "Well I can see that you are about as serious with your social life as you are with your ninja life. Have fun prancing around your fairy remnant of a once great clan. I'll stick with the people who are really know what life is about." Before Sakura could retort Haku had left the room, though a few muffled shouts could be heard through the closed door. There was no doubt that Sasuke didn't have the same sonic hearing for her screeching that she had for his quietest whispers. She just shook her head as she made her way down to the dining room and handed the empty, or partially so, dishes to Tsunami for her to wash.
"Oh was someone not hungry?" Tsunami looked from one of the half full bowls to Haku.
"We'll just say that the last Uchiha isn't as smart as the banshee when it comes to eating before pissing off the person feeding you." Tsunami just nodded before taking the dishes to the kitchen to wash them off as Haku took a seat at the table again. "So what are we planning for tomorrow?"
Kakashi stared at her for a moment, trying to comprehend what she was asking. "Um, well since you aren't a ninja of Konoha I don't really have a say in what you do, so you can do whatever you like. I do ask that you return with us to Konoha peacefully since, although you were under a mind altering seal at the time, you still did attack us. You may have to be questioned and it would help prove my report."
Naruto looked worried for a moment then determined. "If she goes, she goes with my protection. Since I am the one that reversed the seal, then I will take responsibility."
"...Agreed."
Kiba finally saw a chance to throw his weight around as a member of a clan. "Hold on Kakashi-sensei. Since Sasuke and I belong to a clan shouldn't one of us be responsible for bringing in someone with a Kekkei Genkai? Naruto is only a genin and has no clan status, so it would be inappropriate for someone of his position to bring in a fugitive." Kiba smiled and gave himself a pat on the back. With the Uchiha trying to kill her it was obvious who would be picked to take her in. Then all he would need to do would be to put in a few good words for her and when she was let go she would fall into his arms. Perfect...almost.
"First off Kiba, clan status doesn't matter one bit when you're the same rank. The only exception is a clan head, which you are not, and though Sasuke-teme likes to think he is, he is not either. To be a clan head you have to be jōnin in rank. Until then you are a regular ninja with some special tricks. Also, the one who captures a rogue ninja is the one who has first rights to bringing that ninja in." Naruto saw Haku look up like she was about to speak, but he held up his hand telling her to wait a moment. "Since I am the one who released her from her seal I had effectively captured her. However, since she had a memory modification seal on her she was never truly a rogue ninja, so while we prefer she come back with us to make our report a bit easier, she has no real obligation to do so."
Kiba was once again furious that the blond was outdoing him yet again, while Kakashi was astonished at the boy's knowledge of the laws of Konoha. "Naruto how did you know all of that. Even I don't know all of that."
"So he could be lying then. I bet he is just making it up to keep her for himself." Kiba snarled as he glared at Naruto.
"Just when I was starting to see a glimmer of hope in you mutt. The reason I know, Kakashi-san, is because I studied the Konoha laws constantly so I knew exactly what I could get away with during my pranks. When I did get caught and they found out they couldn't do anything to me, they gave me an up-to-date law book and 'forced' me to read it as punishment. I'm probably more knowledgeable about Konoha's laws then most of the council." Naruto smiled as fumes came from Kiba's ears at the fact that his sensei was going to allow this to happen. Kakashi was just laughing to himself. He always wondered how the boy everyone loved to hate always got out of harsh punishment. Well at least the punishment that the council would have wanted anyway.
"Well then it's settled. Haku will be under Naruto's care, if she decides to come back with us that is. Kiba will be with me guarding the other two and making sure they don't do anything too stupid. First we have to get through tomorrow though. Not that it should be too difficult. Once the bridge is finished our mission will be officially over. The following morning we'll head back to Konoha and report in. Any questions?" When no one answered Kakashi bid them all a good night before making his way upstairs. After which Tazuna, Inari and Tsunami left to turn in for the night as well.
With Kiba Haku and Naruto now left alone the tension was palpable. Kiba had his yearning to prove he was top dog over Naruto in front of Haku, and Haku with her mixed up feelings for the blond was trying to think of what to do. Meanwhile the target for both of their conflicts seemed to be oblivious to it all as he brought out a small scroll and began to read. Kiba took this as an opportunity to make another jab at him. "Hey dobe, you're turning out to be more of a bookworm then Sakura. Keep reading all those scrolls and I'm sure you'll both be huffing and puffing at the back of the line together." Naruto just ignored him as Haku shuffled a little closer and began reading over his shoulder which of course only made Kiba all the angrier. "I know you have a deep need to know the basics, but is it really necessary to go over them at every free moment?" Again he was ignored and further infuriated when Haku rested her head on Naruto's shoulder as she continued reading. "Hey listen to me when I'm talking to you, you worthless piece of trash!" Kiba grabbed the scroll and threw it across the room as he glared at the boy. What he didn't expect was to see two sets of eyes glaring back at him.
"Kiba I suggest you go get some sleep to cool off your temper before you do something you will regret." His voice was calm yet cold as ice as the words slipped from Naruto's mouth. The hidden threat so well underlined that it sent a chill down Haku's spine making her shiver, but grin.
"D-don't think you can scare me off. I'll prove I'm your better soon enough, and I hope you're here to see it when it happens Haku-chan. I want you to see me rub his face in the mud. Then you'll know what true strength is."
Haku rose an eyebrow at the boy. "Please don't call me chan Kiba-san. We do not know each other well enough for that familiarity."
Kiba being his oh so suave self, couldn't help but take an opportunity when one presented itself. "Well we can change that right now if you'd like. I am always more then willing to become more familiar with any specimen as gifted as yourself." He began to strut his way around the table towards her seat, but was stopped before he made it half way.
With a bored tone Naruto addressed Kiba without even looking at him as he picked his scroll up off the floor. "And that, Kiba-san, is why you will not have a 'specimen as gifted' as her. I told you before that women are not objects. They are not here just to please you, or for you to parade around and show off. Believe it or not they do have brains and souls inside that flesh that you seem so attracted to. Maybe once you are able to see past that you will actually be able to find someone who will see you as more then a dog of men."
As if to pour salt into an open wound, Haku leaned into him more. "Well said Naruto-kun."
"I only say what I feel is true, Haku-chan."
'Just who does he think he is. That should be me she's cuddling into.' Kiba was mentally ready to rip out someones throat, but was only able to grab at straws as he knew this wasn't a time that he could take on the blond. "So it's fine for you two to be that familiar, but not me. What's so special about him?"
"Well for starters, he's respectful. He has never pushed me to be near him, I came on my own. Nor did he ever talk down about others to put himself in a better light. Jumping in and taking a knife to the chest for someone without expecting anything in return never hurts either." She felt bad that she got such a nice feeling from such a horrible event, but it was still a precious memory. Something that she found she had very few of in her newly recovered memory.
"Fine so he's nice. I can be nice too. How about I be nice right now. Nice enough to tell you that he already has a girl back home. A girl that he asked out and claims to have feelings for. What do you think of your little two-timer now?" Again his smirk was forced to fade as both his targets started to laugh.
"I already know about Hinata. He told me when we started getting close that he already had someone in his life that he thought of that way. I wouldn't dare to come between him and another girl just to get my way. Besides anyone who stood next to him through what he's been through deserves his attention. I only wish that I'd been there alongside her to show him there were people that cared." She began to sound a little depressed at the end so Naruto put his arm around her to sooth her a little, but looked on a little confused when she got an evil looking glint in her eyes. "Besides, maybe Hinata will be nice and let me share him."
Naruto may be a gentleman, but he is still a man, so even he managed to get lost in a daze at the comment while Kiba had a nosebleed and was in his own world. Haku just laughed at the two of them as she got up and went to bed. Leaving the two boys in their zoned out state. Naruto was stuck trying to figure out just what the girl meant. It was possible that she just meant him dating both her and Hinata after all they were still kids. If not mentally then definitely physically. Something in the way she said it though seemed to hint at something more, and that made him slightly uncomfortable.
Kiba on the other hand was trying to imagine what it would be like having two women. Since all the couples around Konoha were just that, couples. Two people together, no more, no less...unless they were single of course. To imagine something more drew on all new fantasies in his head. The possibility of having his own little 'pack' was too much for him as he slumped into a chair just before passing out.
To Naruto's credit he was still conscious, but was still mulling things over in his head as he stood and went to his futon. Never paying attention to his surroundings or the Cheshire-like eyes that followed him as he settled in for the night.
• • •
Back in Konoha, a lavender-eyed heiress was getting ready to turn in as well. As she lay down she took out a picture from under her pillow. The picture was of her and Naruto that he had insisted they get taken one day. He stood tall and proud with an arm around her as she stood with her head slightly hunched, poking her fingers together and trying to fight down a blush. As she stared at the picture, thinking of her love before falling asleep, she got a bit of a shiver down her spine. It wasn't an unpleasant shiver though. More of a premonition that a change was coming. She shook it off as being nervous. Naruto had been gone far too long for her liking, and she fretted all the more when she found out where he was from the Hokage.
*** Flashback ***
"Congratulations for yet another completed mission team eight. Being as it is so late we will be stopping non-urgent missions for the day. You are dismissed." Once Sarutobi was finished talking team eight began to file out the door as he got back to his work. All but one anyway.
"A-ano, H-Hokage-sama?"
He looked up from his papers once more and smile at the young Hyūga. "What can I do for you Hinata?"
"Ano...I was wondering where Naruto-kun went, and...when he'll be back." she poked her fingers together as she shuffled her feet.
"He was sent out on a mission as back-up. He was the only one we had at the time that was available. He was assigned to back up team seven on their mission to wave. They encountered some unexpected resistance that rose the difficulty of their mission, however it was nothing to be too worried about. If anything he'll have to help with some bandits and maybe a low ranking ninja. I've heard no news from them after Kakashi's initial report that the mission rank would need to be increased, but that is nothing abnormal for him. It usually means that everything is going fine. That or he got in to trouble fast and somehow found himself unable to report in for some time and just forgot after awhile. It wouldn't be the first time, but I really doubt they would have gotten into much trouble protecting one old man building a bridge, so don't think on it too much. He should be back soon enough." He gave her another reassuring smile as he motioned her towards the door where her sensei was waiting with the door opened and a matching smile on her face.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Hinata bowed to the man before turning to leave, not noticing the concerned glance that Kurenai threw to the old man, nor the tired one he sent back.
***Flashback End***
Hinata blushed as she kissed the picture. 'I'll see you soon, my Naruto-kun. Then we'll have our picnic like we said we would.' Smiling she hid the picture again before closing her eyes and waiting for sleep to claim her. Her dreams that night would be filled with visions of her returning prince.
• • •
The next morning proved eventful for at least those in Wave. Kiba and a still bound, and now gagged Sasuke woke up as their sensei opened the door to leave the room. They both exchanged a looked that was only silently asking the other 'Why was he in here?' In Sakura's room, she was woken up when Kakashi opened the door and told her it was morning. She let out some muffled noises that probably would have been along the lines of a sarcastic 'Oh goodie' had she not been gagged as well. Kakashi had decided the gags were needed when the two kept him awake the previous night. Granted he would wake if a mouse tip-toed across the floor in the kitchen due to his ANBU training, but he didn't need them to help the matters.
At the last room, the one that was supposed to be his alone, but due to trust issues now had two other occupants, he didn't bother entering. Instead choosing to knock on the door. The surprised yell from inside was enough to let him know its occupants would be awake. He laughed as he calmly walked back down the hall towards the stairs with his nose stuck in his little orange book.
Inside that room though, one genin was sitting up frozen as his current predicament hit his senses. At first he was going to tell Kakashi that he was getting up, but then his senses kicked in. Touch and smell were first as the weight on his chest registered followed by the smell of herbs. Next was sound as he took in the light breathing, then sight as he opened his eyes to find a sleeping Haku wrapped around his chest. It would have looked angelic in the early morning light, if he'd expected it. As it was though he tensed and freaked out. "What the hell!?"
As though she'd just been gently shaken awake, Haku slowly stretched before looking up at him and smiling. "Good morning Naruto-kun." Then she snuggled back into his chest and closed her eyes again, but was denied any extra sleep.
"No. No, no, no, no. No good morning. Why are you in my futon?" Naruto was trying to pry himself out from Haku's grip while wiggling out of the futon at the same time. Eventually he was successful and was able to look back down to a pouting Haku, almost fainting at the sight. Still technically in the futon, though now only half covered by the blanket, Haku was laying with one arm propping her up dressed in only her underwear. Again Naruto proved that he was male as he blushed deeply and turned away from the sight. "P-please put some clothes on at least Haku-chan. We're a bit too young to be sleeping together like that. Not to mention, as I told you before, I'm already with Hinata-chan." He heard the sound of rustling cloth and prayed that it was clothes being put on.
Haku walked up behind him and tossed her arms around him again, bringing her mouth close to his ear. "And as I told you. I wouldn't mind sharing." She kissed his cheek and giggled as she walked out of the room. Leaving a stunned and rooted blond trying to process what just happened. He may have known that Hinata liked him, and was now willing to pursue her, but he never got experience with a female actively pursuing him. It was...different. Not bad, but different. No matter how he looked at it though he felt ashamed that he was getting close to a girl other then Hinata. He felt like he was betraying her. Now he had another worry set on his shoulders. He would have to tell Hinata about this little development, and he had no idea just how to do that. One doesn't just walk up to the girl that loves him and say 'Hey I met another girl while I was gone but don't worry, she's ok with sharing. Hope you don't mind.' No that had bad ending written all over it. Best case scenario was a crushed heart. Worst case she'd get her dad after him. That just spelled disaster if not death.
This made his mind go off on yet another tangent. What did her father think about him? Did he even know about them being together? 'It's not like Hinata would approach her dad to let him know she was dating the most hated guy in Konoha. Even if she did work up the courage he'd chain her up and never let her out again.' An heiress with the scum of the village. A relationship doomed to failure. It saddened him to think about it, but all the proof was there even if it wasn't out in the open. The Hyūga were part of Konoha royalty. He could feel the weight of their relationship pulling his shoulders down. He growled to himself while shaking his head. All these thoughts so early in the morning were enough to send anyone's morning-hazed mind into a whirlwind of chaos. Shrugging it to the back of his head he was just able to grasp the sound of someone calling him to breakfast, so doing the best he could at shoving his thoughts away, he began gathering his clothes for the day.
By the time he made it to the table most of those gathered already had their servings on their plates or were halfway done eating. Without a word he took his place and threw food on his plate before seemingly swallowing it whole. Had they not been used to his ramen eating habits everyone at the table would have been wondering if he'd been starved the whole time there. As it was, only the permanent residents of the house and Haku were staring at him openly. They were only able to snap out of their gaze when he turned to them and, with a half full mouth, asked "What?" while shrugging his shoulders and continuing his feeding frenzy.
When they had all finished their breakfast, Kakashi sent Naruto as Tazuna's bodyguard thus leaving himself and Kiba to guard the house. Since the threat of Gatō was now done with, they would only need to worry about stray bandits. The most likely target would be Tazuna's family as any possible attackers would want to ransom them if given the chance since the ideal place for Tazuna's guards would be at his side. He would have included Haku in the plans but by the way she stayed glued to Naruto's side, and seemed to want to be distanced from Kiba if her glares at his ogling were any indication, it was obvious where she would be going. As the small crew stepped out of the house Naruto snapped his fingers as though just now remembering something. Before his two companions could ask he had a small army of clones appear. The copies nodded to the original before sprinting off into the forest.
"What was that all about?" Tazuna gave Naruto a contemplating gaze trying to figure out what the boy was up to. His questioning look was doubled on Haku's face as she was pondering the same thing.
"Oh they are just doing clean up. When we had that little battle we never went back to take care of the mess we made. I doubt the citizens of Wave would want to stumble upon what we left behind, or have their children get their hands on the amount of sharp objects we left there. Besides, never know where you'll find something useful, and if it's used but still usable then it's still worth saving." Naruto explained.
"So you're like a kleptomaniac then?"
"...No I actually collect things that could be of use later. I wasn't really able to shop freely in Konoha, so I had to make do with what I could find. I guess it kind of grew into a habit. It's kept me fed more then once, and it's how I learned most of what I know about being a ninja."
"Oh..." Haku and Tazuna both looked a little down. The boy's life was hard and they had somewhat of an idea of it, but to have to collect random objects just to eat a decent meal, it just didn't seem right.
"Anyway, they will be busy most of the day going through personal affects, gathering the weapons and disposing of everything that needs to be disposed of. A few of them are going to do a little scouting. See if I can find Gatō's base of operations. No point in having his stuff rot in some abandoned house if it's useful. Not to mention we might get a foot in on any other possible dealings that we can stop." They both looked at him a little uncertainly. To them it seemed a little over the top at first, but after the explanation, and the added bit about finding Gatō's hideout they had to admit that it was a useful thing to do. Haku especially thought as to how much it was like an intelligence gathering mission. If he did manage to find anything useful they may just be able to stop another event like Wave happening before it even gets started.
With that discussion out of the way they found themselves in pleasant conversation for the rest of the journey to the bridge. They discussed everything from the weather to cracking jokes about Sasuke and his little cheerleader. When Haku brought up what the boy had said to her when she was feeding them she thought Naruto was about to head back to the house and have some choice words with him...using his fists, but he calmed down and even laughed when she spouted out her reply to it. Once again though Naruto had shown his chivalry, and Haku could do nothing but add it to the running tally of good things he's done for her. Before she could thank him for the thought though the bridge came into view along with a crowd of cheering workers along with a few of the older villagers who were there to watch this crowning achievement of their town.
The workload was light that day just as Tazuna said it would be. When Naruto went to make some clones to help Tazuna grabbed his readied hands and shook his head 'no'. Naruto nodded in understanding. They had shed blood sweat and tears for this bridge and it was time for them to complete it, but they wanted to do so as a village, for the village. While Naruto's assistance was turned away, random villagers offered and were happily accepted. Though their work would be minimal, they would at least have a small sense that they had helped with the construction as well. Right before their lunch break the last section of the bridge was being laid and finished. The honors went to Tazuna who, with a tear in his eye, set the final piece. With a grand cry all the workers, onlookers and even the two ninja loosed out a loud cheer which was echoed throughout the village as it's inhabitants figured out just what the noise was about. That night there was a festival to celebrate the completion of their new symbol to the world. A symbol to show that even the most tread upon people can accomplish great things if given the chance to do so.
After the celebrations they had gotten home very late, but all were in high spirits. Well all that weren't tied to posts anyhow. Naruto had even been nice enough to leave clones to guard so that Kiba would be able to go to the festival too. Though the dog boy came back with more then one hand print on his face he was still in high spirits. When they opened the door they found Naruto's clones had just gotten back from their side missions. Naruto excused himself as he lead the parade of his copies out to the back of the house, away from prying eyes just in case they needed to give him information that he wasn't willing to share. The group that had been assigned clean up duty handed him some storage scrolls each labeled with it's contents. There were numerous weapons scrolls of various types, jutsu scrolls and supply scrolls most of which he sealed into one scroll for ease of travel. One scroll was simply labeled 'documents'. Knowing what it held he had the clones that sealed their findings into that scroll dispel themselves. The rush of information came quickly along with the familiar mental exhaustion, but he now knew what the scroll contained. The clones had only skimmed the documents, but it was enough to get the gist of most of them. Many were simply letters to family or friends which was a little difficult to cope with since he knew those people would never receive letters from the recently deceased again. Others were of higher interest though. Contracts both with Gatō and where their next paycheck would come from, bounty books of non-ninja but most of all information on other countries. Those would go to the Konoha department of investigations. Even the letters could hold information that could be useful. That scroll he left out along with one of the weapons scrolls. Setting those aside he turned towards the next set of clones.
This was the set he had sent to look for Gatō's base of operations in Wave. Again he was met with scrolls of the same types. Unlike the first group though he dispelled all of this group and a smile crept across his face at the information gained. After dispelling all of his clones and taking a few moments to recover from the strain, Naruto sealed up what he didn't need at the moment before heading back into the house. He found most of the company settled around the table talking, which stopped as soon as he entered as all heads turned towards him. "What?" Naruto smiled and scratched the back of his head as though nothing was out of the ordinary.
Kakashi was the first to speak up, beating Kiba by seconds as the boy's mouth opened just as Kakashi's first words spilled out. "Did you find out anything useful, Naruto?"
Said boy sighed. He really didn't want to go over this now. The festival wore him out a bit, as it was the first real festival he had been to without being chased away by a mob of angry villagers. Add on to that the mental strain from the clones and he really didn't want to go through explanations, but he knew the jōnin wouldn't let it go without a word. "The were a few interesting bits Kakashi-san. I will go over them with Hokage-sama when we get back. Until then they are not meant to be shared here." Kakashi caught the quick glance around the house that Naruto made and made a slight nod in acceptance. As a jōnin and once ANBU captain he knew that sensitive documents were to be kept between the least number of people as possible so that information was not overheard by anyone who may open their mouth about it. Right now there were multiple possibilities of just that happening. Between Kiba who would talk about it to people in Konoha to show he had privileged information, to Tazuna's family whom had the possibility of being tortured for information if someone suspected they might have any. "Other then that it was mostly weapons and personal effects. Which reminds me..." Shuffling through his pockets for a few seconds he brought out the weapons scroll and handed it to Haku causing a few raised eyebrows around the room.
"What was that for dobe? Why are you giving her something if you won't even let us know what you found?" In the recesses of Kiba's mind though he wanted to know if this could be used as incriminating evidence to make Hinata his. 'If he's giving this chick presents then he really is two timing Hinata.'
"Relax mutt. It's just the senbon I found. She used a lot when we fought so I'm just replacing them. It's the least we can do for her help."
"If you're giving weapons to someone you just met then how come the rest of us aren't getting anything?"
"Because, first of all you didn't even help in the fight. Nor did you last too long on the bridge, so you shouldn't have much to replace. Second, the payment we get for these missions is meant to cover the costs of replacement and maintenance of any supplies used on a mission. That is why the importance of aim is pounded into us along with the obvious: If you don't hit it it won't die. You could use a crate of kunai to take out a target, but why waste all of those when one well placed kunai will do the job and it's a lot easier to retrieve, or not as big of a loss if retrieval is impossible." Kiba was left speechless and even Kakashi was a bit wide-eyed. Neither had thought about it that way before, but then neither had ever been in dire straights like Naruto had. The others on the other hand were nodding their heads. Knowing that wasting resources meant wasting money, and money was something that all them had been short on at some point.
"That was very though out Naruto, and I can't argue against your logic, but I was in the fights as well and wouldn't mind a few replacements if you don't mind." He gave off his little eye smile to Naruto who gave one back before unsealing a dozen or so kunai which were happily gathered up by Kakashi and pocketed. "Thank you very much Naruto."
"No problem Kakashi. You seem to be coming around, so I don't mind too much. The rest will be disappearing though for awhile. Don't ask. I'm not saying what is going to happen to them. I have a few things I'll be giving out tomorrow, but that's a surprise. When are we planning on heading out and how are you planning on transporting Tweedledee and Tweedledum?"
After the chuckles that went around the room settled down Kakashi was able to answer. "Hmm...I suppose we'll stick around for lunch then head out afterward. No point in spending another whole day here. Since the bridge is finished our mission is complete, so we need to return as soon as possible. As far as getting Sasuke and Sakura back to Konoha, we can't really keep them tied up and expect to make decent time, so we'll run an escort formation with Kiba and myself in the front, those two in the middle, and yourself and Haku in the rear. That way they won't have the back of anyone they detest, so there will be plenty of warning if they try anything."
"Agreed. Well then I'm heading to bed. It's been a long day and I am past needing rest." Naruto waved at them before heading upstairs.
"Well I think that is probably the queue for all of us. A good rest will do us well for our trip home." Kakashi made his way upstairs as well, followed by Haku and Kiba as Tazuna and Tsunami made their way to their rooms for the night.
• • •
At the end of the bridge stood almost all of the town's inhabitants. The only ones that weren't there were those that were too injured to move from the bridge battle, or those caring for them. The crowd was massive as even those made homeless during Gatō's reign were there to cheer on their heroes. The Konoha shinobi waded their way through the swarm on their way home, shaking hands and throwing smiles to the grateful citizens of Wave. Though they hadn't done much, Sasuke and Sakura were none the less basking in the glory of the cheers. Non of which were aimed at them, but it didn't matter as in their own heads the cheers were only for them. As they finally made it to the bridge's surface they faced their hosts for their stay. They had never seen Tazuna, Tsunami and especially Inari so happy. All eyes were on them as they exchanged their farewells, shaking hands and in some cases hugging.
"Kakashi-san, we were privileged that it was Konoha that we decided to call on for this task. Nothing can repay what you have done for us, but we will work hard to make up for the misinformation that I was forced to give to initiate this mission. I pray that in the future we will have nothing but good relations with your village." Tazuna bowed low to the ninja, something that no one could recall seeing him do to anyone before. Then to further their surprise he bowed again to Naruto. "Without your assistance Naruto-san I doubt we would have gotten away as unscathed as we did. Going so far as to release a person damned to a life not their own was above and beyond what you were here to do. The compassion and determination you have shown us will stay with us for as long as we can remember. We thank you. We thank all of you." A loud cheer was sent into the cloudless sky as the gathering erupted. Naruto and Kakashi bowed in embarrassment at being praised as such while Haku looked at them with pride. Though they hadn't thanked her personally it didn't matter. Having her life back was reward enough. The other three ninja however were beyond smug as they soaked in more praise not directed towards them. Sasuke simply waited for his turn to be praised, something he would be waiting for indefinitely.
As the crowd died down another Naruto appeared and whispered in the originals ear before dashing off again as Naruto smiled and motioned Tazuna to the side. They were given curious glances from everyone as Naruto whispered to the old bridge builder. They couldn't tell what he was saying due to the hand concealing his mouth, but whatever it was caused Tazuna to suddenly drop to his knees and bow with his head to the ground towards the blond. Had he not been crying he would have been yelling out his thanks, but as it were they could only hear his sobbing thank you's as Naruto hoisted him back to his feet and whispered into his ear again. Tazuna gave a small nod as he wiped his eyes before rejoining the crowd. Gathering himself he stood tall once more before calling out to the crowd.
"Let's make sure all the elemental nations can hear our cries so they know just what Konoha has done for us!" With a noise that rivaled an erupting volcano the troupe of ninja were off, waving back as they shot off across the bridge that they had protected with their lives, and the country that would forever be in their debt.
Tsunami leaned over to her father. "What did he say dad? I've never seen you bow let alone sink to your knees to anyone."
"Let's just say our life is about to get a lot better." He said as he hugged her and Inari closer to him. Then louder, "All of our lives are going to get a lot better."
Inari looked up at his grandfather and saw the tears in his eyes. He silently thanked the blond for whatever the shinobi could have said to make the man that happy. "Grandpa, what are we going to name it?"
"Eh?"
"The bridge. What are we going to name the bridge."
Everyone leaned in closer, waiting to hear the creation's name. "...I hadn't really thought of one..." The ground shook from the number of faceplants made by the crowd.
"Ne...Grandpa. How about The Great Naruto Bridge!"
Once the roar of the crowd died down, Tazuna was finally able to speak over the low murmurs. "I think that would be an excellent name Inari. Not to mention I would probably be beaten to a pulp if I didn't name it that after all that boy has done for us. It is fitting though. A bridge that is powerful enough to be unstoppable, yet gentle enough to help anyone in need of it. Now, before we celebrate too much, we'll need something to celebrate with eh?" Getting confused looks from the villagers he could only smile as he thought of the surprise they were all about to receive. "Follow me and You'll soon find out just how much that young man has saved us.
Fifteen minutes later they all stood in front of Tazuna's house, or as close as they could get to it. There spread out before them were rows of packages each with a name attached to it Tazuna instructed everyone to stand in front of the package with their name on it. When everyone was organized, yet still confused, he instructed them to open their respective bundles. What they found was an accounting of every coin they had lost to Gatō and his men. All of it was carefully tallied and accounted for. Along with that, those that had lost homes found the deeds to them amongst the logs. Aside from the money and deeds there were various food items, more then most of the families had seen in years, and enough to last them until they could set their trade routes back up. Upon seeing the bounty many collapsed in heaps with joyful tears leaking all over the ground. As the people looked over their regained property Tazuna stood up on his porch and looked out over the gathering. He cleared his throat loudly gaining the attention of those close. As people realized those nearest them had turned their attention elsewhere they too turned their focus to the man. A wave of silence went through the crowd as each and every face was now focused on the bridge builder.
"A note was left along with this great gift. I would like to let you all hear it now."
'To the renewed country of Wave,
Amongst these bundles you will find the wealth that you have lost over these past years under Gatō's iron fist. The money is now returned to it's rightful owners, and for those that were not able to come today I ask you do do what you can to get their portions to them. I was never given a chance to prove myself, and yours was forcefully taken away from you. From a person who knows what it's like to live in oppression I give you back the life you should never have been denied. Know that no matter how bad of a disaster seems to happen in your life, there is always someone who has it worse, but there are also those who will strive to make it better. You have family here, friends. Whatever happens do not abandon your dreams and you will be rewarded in the end.
~Konohagakure no Sato
P.S. Don't worry about the mission payment.
P.P.S. In the clearing to the South is a large vegetable garden that should get some more food production started for those that know how to harvest them.'
"We should all be humbled by this act of generosity, but more then that we should be grateful that we were given a chance to start over. Let none of us waste it." A final cheer went through the village as people gathered their reacquired possessions along with those of the people that were not able to make it to this grand event. The tales made up about the group of ninja and how they saved Wave would be told over and over to anyone visiting Wave for many years to come.