Sasuke was the first one that was awake since they had arrived at Tazuna's house; Normally he used the early hours to train and to make sure he could maintain the hierarchy that he believed he had over his cousin. However today was an easy day; Everyone in the squad had mastered the art of walking up trees with their own chakra; He could accept that Sakura could do it since she had been one of the smartest in their class, so it made sense that she got the concept first and got to the top of her tree before either brother did though it did sting that he wasn't the first or the second to grasp it. Ryōga however had been getting more and more full of himself ever since he got the headband but he nor any of the other teachers ever said how he got it. "Same way that he got everything in the Village…People just felt sorry for him…" was the typical thought in his head and now his supposedly inferior cousin believed that he could somehow try to stand out against him.
While Kakashi slowly recovered and Sakura was currently in charge of bodyguarding Tazuna while he worked on the bridge, Sasuke decided that if Ryōga wanted to try his hand at Kenjutsu then he should have an understanding of who would be better suited, starting with finding a weaponsmiths in the town. Now that everything with Gato the tycoon came to light, the so called "Avenger" could see why the bridge builder resorted to lying and lower the price for his mission. "Once I put a stop to this, I can further cement my name as the real heir of the Uchiha Name." He muttered to himself before heading to the smith's and heard the man call out.
"What can I get for you?" The man behind the counter asked as he looked to Sasuke with a professional albeit gruff tone; "Because we don't exactly have a surplus right now….Thanks to Gato…"
"I want your best and most expertly made sword that you have in here." Sasuke abruptly demanded as he glanced to the back of the counter, "Something that'll fit me as an heir to my clan's name."
"Look kid, what you see is what you get…" The clerk mentioned and then took stock of Sasuke; "Though you do look a little young to be asking about buying swords…You a student?"
"You're looking at Sasuke Uchiha, Heir to the Uchiha name and I want you to give me a sword fit for the vengeance that I crave!" Sasuke reiterated himself as he pointed to the headband; "I am a Genin but my skills are above anyone in my class so I expect a sword that goes above any normal sword."
The clerk sighed, if he hadn't been wearing a mask; Sasuke would've probably seen a growing look of irritation. "Okay, okay, I get it, you want to use a sword…Have you used one before? Know any Kenjutsu?"
"I…I may not have the sword yet but I can assure you, any training that I can get will exceed any expectations you have of me! So give me one master class sword and a scroll for some expert level Jutsu!" Sasuke continued to gripe and demand. "My cousin thinks that I'm just going to sit and watch as he gets a bigger head…I'll prove to him that I'm always the better one!"
"And there it is…" The Man sighed; "Look…I'm sure you've got your reasons to act bigger than you are but I'm not going to give out an expensive blade and a powerful scroll just so you can dangle it over someone."
"You think that you can just say no to me?! I am more talented and more gifted in the ways of being a ninja than anyone in this desolate place! I said I'm going to learn a sword style, so give me a sword!" Sasuke shouted as he was getting more and more irate with the clerk.
"Getting a sword and a scroll full of techniques just to spite someone is not a good reason to learn…All it'll do is poison your sword arm…If your reasoning for this doesn't extend beyond that then I'm gonna have to ask you to leave!" The Clerk finally had enough as he pointed to the door; "I'll accept customers any time but I'll only sell to those who are truly willing to learn."
Sasuke could feel his anger burning up to the surface before turning around and stomping out, he wasn't going to dignify this clerk's outright dismissal of him with any further talking. "The nerve of that guy! He should know damn well who I am and be begging to sell a sword to me!" Sasuke mentally ranted in his head though his face still maintained that look of sourness but it only got worse when he saw Ryōga looking around, remembering that he was there looking for something too. "What are you doing out here, dud?"
"I'm doing my own stuff, Sasuke…We can't just sit in the house all day and Sakura's looking out for Mr. Tazuna…I figured I'd see what the Land of Waves has to offer." Ryōga mentioned honestly; Ever since he made his declaration to not freeze up, he had been trying to make significantly more effort in trying to either be civil with Sasuke or not let whatever his cousin say get to him. "Plus since I watched that fight between Zabuza and Kakashi, I thought that I'd try with using a sword rather than hand to hand." He said with that renewed sense of confidence.
"You're seriously getting inspired from the psycho who tried to kill us rather than your own teacher? Your head's screwed on backwards on top of your already lacking nerve." Sasuke snapped back at him, to Sasuke; The fact that Ryōga wasn't flinching or backing down when he called him dud irked him and the fact that when he talked so confidently, all he could hear was:
"Hey Sasuke, you suck at the Chakra Training!"
"I got it faster than you did, Sasuke!"
"Remember when I beat you at training? That was funny, even Sakura could get it before you!"
However Ryōga wasn't exactly thinking those things but he could tell Sasuke was bothered about something so he wanted to try and help; "Is something wrong? You look a little more…annoyed than usual, someone run out of tomato riceballs?"
"No! That shopkeeper in there's trying to stop me from buying a sword…" Sasuke grunted as he crossed his arms; "He clearly doesn't see that I have the makings of something great!"
"Sasuke…Not everything revolves around us as Uchiha, we're not in the Leaf anymore so not everyone's gonna know about what happened to our clan. Why not try somewhere else? Maybe they'll have training stuff." Ryōga suggested but then felt the regret set in when Sasuke got insulted that he needed training equipment.
"I don't need any help, Dud! Uchiha can naturally master anything we are given…I've mastered our clan's Jutsu faster than you and I've got the better Taijutsu skills than you plus I don't get all wimpy because I have to throw a punch!" Sasuke ranted at Ryōga; "All you know how to do is plan, play in the dirt and look after animals that are too good for you!"
"Look, you don't need to take it personal! We all have to start somewhere, Sasuke…It's like the Tree exercise, you start from the bottom and work your wa-" Ryōga tried to explain and ultimately didn't expect for the normally sullen Sasuke to react the way he did.
"AND THERE IT IS! The one crowning achievement that you have and you can't help rubbing it in! Well guess what? I'm still leagues better than you in everything else…Accept it because you'll never amount to anything more than a sideshow." Sasuke spat venomously before storming off, leaving Ryōga feeling a mix of confusion, resignation and hurt.
"What's his problem…I though that I could try and be nicer about things…" Ryōga remarked as he then walked into the store that Sasuke walked out of. "Huh…A weapon shop…Not my first guess…"
"Listen, I already told you that I'm not g-Oh, sorry about that…You just reminded me of the last kid to walk in here." The Clerk was ready to snap at him but then quickly retracted when he saw that it was Ryōga; "Though you do look a lot like 'em, you two wouldn't happen to be related wouldja?"
"Spikey black hair, sullen face and probably talked about how great his clan was?" Ryōga asked and then felt his expectations of getting a sword lower since he kind of guessed what had happened. "I'm sorry about him, he's not exactly…modest about his intentions."
"Eh, family's family…You can't choose 'em like you choose friends." The Clerk mentioned and waved him off; Somewhat more open to talking with Ryōga since he wasn't yelling and demanding. "Trust me, I got a brother in the Land of Iron who's got more sourness in him than a lemon wedge…We still talk but I wouldn't trust myself to be in the same room without an argument poppin' up…Anyway, what can I do you for? You looking for a sword too? Because I'm gonna have to tell you what I told your friend, we don't have anything super fancy here."
"Yeah, but I'm after something simple…I don't want to throw all my money away if it's not gonna sit right with me." Ryōga pointed out as he grabbed a money bag; "I just want something simple and practical…And maybe a basic Kenjutsu scroll."
The clerk smirked a little behind his mask and pulled a scroll out before placing it on the table; "Take this for now, it's a list of basic sword skills but when used properly, it'll save your life." he then went to a backroom and came out with what looked like a worn sword in a black scabbard; "This is a little off putting to look at but I can assure you that it does it's job." The Clerk explained as he then unsheathed the sword for Ryōga to inspect.
To an ordinary person; it looked like a basic katana with a tsuba that resembled an open lotus and the handle wrapped in what looked like red silk, the only thing that really set it apart was the blade itself: it was a blend of a single edged and a double edged blade but cast in a deep black colour that made it look like it was covered in tar. "Um…Is it meant to look like that, it looks like really bad rust."
The clerk laughed; "It's meant to look like that, The Land of Iron is a place that creates both swords and the samurai who wield them. It's not like every place is perfect, sometimes a certain sword has too much weight in it and sometimes a Samurai has too little Chakra…It's all in how you handle it."
"Okay? But this sword looks a little….like it got left in a fire for too long." Ryōga asked, he was happy with being able to get a sword but he didn't want one that looked like it'll snap after a swing.
"Trust me, nothing from the Land of Iron is fragile…My bro handed it over because he couldn't find anyone where he is who'll buy it….Apparently because the blade got itself stained black from the iron…Everyone calls it a bad luck sign because of it's crafting…Still think you wanna try it?" The Clerk asked him but found it made quickly as Ryōga placed the money for it and the scroll on the countertop. "Well, hopefully you'll find some use out of it….Good luck kid." The Clerk said as he watched the boy leave through his red mask and smirked; "Well, I guess I managed to sell the unsellable…Never doubt an Urokodaki's ability to sell anything…Nice kid though, shame that Gato will probably put him in his place if he catches him with a sword." He thought to himself.
—Later, back at Tazuna's house—
Since Kakashi was able to walk but not exercise fully, Ryōga took his training outside and started by unfurling the training scroll and read it's title; "The Art of Breathing and its root in Kenjutsu? No wonder that Sasuke got in a huff, it sounds like the literal basic of basics…" Ryōga mused as he decided to start by sitting under the tree and began to read through it starting with the most basic of techniques called Total Concentration Breathing.
Kakashi did hear that Ryōga had come back and essentially headed straight outside to train so he decided to watch and see if the other Uchiha was going to take this whole Kenjutsu thing seriously. "Takes me back to when I used my father's sword…Let's see if he can keep focus…"
Ryōga sat in a meditative position and began to read the scroll in front of him; "The Art of Breathing is something that is manifest in all living things but a Great Sage from long ago had discovered the secret properties of a well attuned breath which has since been used as a mantra by Samurai across the Land of Iron who had fought Demons that were given human form…" After reading through some of the diagrams and the initial steps to take for the basics, Ryōga began to try with an element that fit the Uchiha very well as well as being the most versatile: The Flame Breathing style.
Kakashi watched before stepping outside while keeping his distance as the novice began testing himself with basic swings and gauging his feel of the sword in his hands. "You're too stiff!"
Ryōga stopped when he heard Kakashi who was off of the crutches but he was still bandaged. "K-Kakashi-Sensei! What do you mean, stiff?"
"I mean literally…Your body is too tense and rigid to wield a sword properly." Kakashi mentioned as he walked over toward the boy; "If you attack someone with a stiff arm." He explained and then with a casual swing out with his hand against Ryōga's forearm, knocking the blackened sword out of his hand and into the ground. "It'd be child's play to disarm anyone wielding a sword like this whether they're just starting or a master…Though in all honesty, I've never seen a sword like this before." He mused as he picked up the sword to examine it; "Nothing too out of the ordinary…You sure that the merchant didn't give you something too rusted?"
"No, he said that it came from the Land of Iron, it had too much iron in it but it is as sturdy as any well made sword." Ryōga reaffirmed as he shook his wrist to get the ache out.
"I see, did you give it a name yet?"Kakashi asked curiously as he handed back the sword. "Most people who start out with a sword normally have one, The Seven Swordsman of the Mist have names for them, though I never really saw much of a point to it…" He listed off as he pulled out a scroll and summoned up a small tanto in his hand. "I haven't had to use Kenjutsu in a while so before you focus on a specific style, I suggest you get used to knowing how to wield a blade properly."
Ryōga thought on it for a moment and then nodded as he grinned with the black sword in hand. "I got it..."Kogarasu Maru" will be it's name while I wield it in my hands…I don't know how far I'll take it but as a partner, I'll make sure it's put to good use." Ryōga explained as he started to go through basic sword drills with Kakashi for the rest of the next few hours. Though as time went on and Ryōga got more into it, even the Jonin was starting to notice how quickly that he was picking it up.
"Little Crow…How poetic." Kakashi thought as he went for each parry, thrust and slash between the two, though he had started to try pushing back as Ryōga was starting to show some considerable growth just from basics alone which gave him a reason to stop. "I gotta say, Ryōga…You're really showing some good progress in this short a time…I can't say I have any doubts about letting you carry on with Kenjutsu…Though I'll say take a break first for food before carrying on."
"Thanks Kakashi-Sensei…I hope to get more practice in before our next trip." Ryōga mentioned as he sheathed the sword, "Though I should probably do it away from here…After that argument with Sasuke earlier…Me practicing might rub salt in the wound…"
—Later—
All three Genin were chowing down like no one's business; Sakura was probably the most restrained since she had been doing the least compared to the other two by guarding Tazuna at the harbour while both Sasuke and Ryōga had both been training for most of the day, though to Tsunami and to Tazuna it looked like the two boys were competing to see who could eat faster.
"I want some more!" Both of them yelled and then glowered at each other at their sudden in sync talk, though Sasuke quickly doubled over choking while Ryōga's face grimaced as he stifled down his want to be sick.
"Can you two please calm it down? You're not competing to eat, I'd rather you not choke before the missions over." Kakashi admonished them and sighed. "Then again, it is a surprisingly pleasant surprise to see these two actually acting like something close to siblings for a change."
The only other person who wasn't impressed at all was the youngest kid at the table who had been mean mugging the three Genin and their teacher ever since they got there before walking off to his room without even so much as a good night to his mother after Sakura brought up a picture of his mother and a man. "Um, Mr. Tazuna? I know it's probably not for us to ask about but who was that man in the picture?"
Tazuna frowned a little but then decided to explain about Inari's adopted father Kaiza and how he was seen as the Village's hero. "Unfortunately, Gato heard about this and he didn't exactly take to heroics undermining him…It didn't take long before Kaiza got caught and was executed in front of everyone…Depriving the village of a hero and Inari of a father in one fell swoop…"
The three of them mulled over Tazuna's words but Ryōga seemed to look more affected by that story than anyone, so he headed out into the forest to train himself more on Kenjutsu rather then say anything else on the matter.
—Hours Later, Into the Morning—
A long haired person in a pink kimono by the name of Haku was wandering the woods and picking herbs when they came across Ryōga with a sheathed sword by his side and asleep in the grass. Said person would eye the Konoha Ninja with a sense of curiosity; "Hm…Now that I look at him up close…He's rather…curious looking compared to that other boy that was with him…Maybe they are related…Strong jaw, intense eyes even when closed…Almost kind of handsome in a way…But still…" They thought as they slowly inched their hand down towards Ryōga's throat with the intent of snuffing out a potential threat but then decided to backpedal by lightly shaking him awake. "Hey, if you're not careful and sleep out here on the ground, you're gonna get sick." They said while waking him up.
Ryōga groaned as he sat up and stretched; "Huh…It's morning? I must have conked out partway thr-Oh….Hi?" He thought to himself but then practically froze when he saw this new person in front of him, "Wow…Pretty…." He accidentally blushed when he realised he said the loud part quiet and the quiet part loud in front of what looked like a beautiful person.
The normally level headed Haku was taken aback by this comment, granted they were used to this kind of thing being thrown their way as derivative comments but this was probably one of the first times that they heard it being said in such a genuine way. "Oh um…Thank you….That's very kind of you to say." They mentioned in an almost shy tone as a faint hint of pink tinted their cheeks, "So….What are you doing out here on your own?" They asked and lightly moved some hair from their face as they returned to picking herbs.
"Oh, I was just training…I've started learning something new and must have lost track of time." Ryōga mentioned, even though this person seemed nice enough; He wasn't going to blab about everything that he was trying to learn.
"Oh, but why would you need to train any more? You certainly look strong on your own." Haku mentioned; "Not to mention you don't see many people your age using a sword."
Ryōga blushed a little in embarrassment; "Oh I was training for another reason…Back home, I'm always pitied and looked down on…So I'm training so that I can show them that I can be something on my own as well as prove a point to someone I know…"
Haku chuckled a little to themself; They appreciated the calm yet equally passionate enthusiasm that Ryōga was giving off. "It's like watching a small fire dancing wildly in the wind…" They thought but then started to look a little more serious, "So are you looking to get stronger for yourself, or for this person that you're proving something to?" Haku asked as they placed another herb in their basket. "Like someone special in your life, someone who is precious to you, perhaps?"
"Well…I guess, kind of both of those things in a way." Ryōga shrugged, wanting to show the other people in the village that he could be worth something made for a good ideal but to him, showing Sasuke that he wasn't just deadweight felt just as important.
"I only ask because…When someone has something or someone precious to protect, then they can become as strong as they could ever want to be by their desires alone, does that make more sense to you?" Haku asked, remembering the vows they made when they were first picked up by Zabuza.
Ryōga thought on it; He remembered that feeling all too well when he helped to protect Iruka or hearing Kakashi pushing everything he had to defend them all. "Yeah, I think I get what you mean…But what I hope to protect is something more than just a person…I intend to protect everyone who I cherish." He promised with a small but determined smile on his face that seemed to radiate a sense of warmth, enough for Haku to feel it's infectious vibe as well.
Haku felt a smile creep across their lips as they got up and dusted themself off; "If that is how you truly feel…Then I have no doubt that you will become strong…Far stronger than you are now." Haku stated as they began walking off. "I hope that we can meet again soon…You are an interesting person indeed."
"Uh, yeah…You too, Miss….Sorry I never actually got your name in all this." Ryōga realised and then bowed his head in apology.
"And a lot more polite than I expected too…" Haku mused but then decided to humour him as they turned their head to meet his gaze. "My name is Haku, it was a pleasure."
"I'm Ryōga, it's nice to meet you." Ryōga answered in kind as he felt a little happier that he had someone to talk to that didn't just settle for him out of pity. "Pure…A name that fits…"
Haku smiled a little but then decided to start to leave but not without offering one last thing for him to think about. "And by the way, just so that you know….I'm a boy."
By the time that registered for Ryōga, Haku had vanished into the trees and out of sight. "Wha-How?! They're prettier than Sakura is…There are…A lot of confusing questions now that I'm not sure about the answer to…" He thought with a mix of shock and curiosity as he saw Sasuke showing up to find him.
"How did you end up all the way out here, dud?" Sasuke asked as he held a hand out to help the still winded Uchiha up off of his seat. "You've given everyone unnecessary concern since you never came back."
"People were worried? You too Sasuke?" Ryōga asked as they headed back towards the house. Unsure as to whether he felt happy that his cousin did care deep, deep, DEEP down or that someone had kidnapped the real Sasuke Uchiha and this was some clone.
"Don't get the wrong idea, DUD! The only reason that I came looking for you was because Kakashi-Sensei asked me to look for you." Sasuke rebuked with a snort as they headed back to the house; "But…Thanks…About that advice from earlier for the tree climbing."
By the time they got into the house and started getting food ready, everyone had given up on trying to reprimand Ryōga from being out for too long, it had mostly been Tsunami and Sakura who kicked up a stink about it but Tazuna and Kakashi both understood why and ultimately had no actual reasons to reprimand him since he was still being productive albeit on his own. "Still, you spent all those hours training? I get wanting to get tough, kid but you gotta slow it down." Tazuna pointed out even though he was still dirty and sweaty from working himself too hard with bridge building.
"You can certainly talk, father! You and Ryōga are just as bad as each other by working yourselves to the bone…You BOTH need to take a break and rest." Tsunami scolded them both as she set plates down for them, earning an embarrassed laugh from them both.
Inari however looked like he was at the end of his tether; The fact that his Grandpa was building this bridge to stand up to Gato and his gang hurt but the fact that both Ryōga and Sasuke were training themselves and pushing each other struck a deeply inset nerve, one that came about from the man who was his adopted dad. "Why?"
"Hm?" Ryōga poked his head up as he heard Inari speaking to him as Sasuke and Sakura both took their seats, though none of them were prepared for the oncoming outburst.
"Why do you try so hard?! It doesn't matter how much you say you "train" or talk about how you're gonna help but you can't! None of you can take down Gato's thugs and you'll end up dead, all because you don't know anything!"
"Hey, Inari…Take it easy." Tazuna tried to calm down his grandson but the boy just pulled away and kept yelling.
"You all act like this is some vacation and talk big but this isn't anything to do with you! You're not from here and you don't even know what it means to feel the kind of pain and sadness that I feel every day." Inari kept shouting though he seemed to not notice both Sasuke and Ryōga's expressions change right in front of him.
"I-Inari, that's enough! You're being very rude to our guests, they helped protect your Grandfather while he works on the bridge and what he's doing now will help us in the future." Tsunami said to reason with him but it was too far gone, the little boy was already set on hammering home how he felt and now his anger was pointed directly at the two Uchiha.
"You two just clown around and act like everything's okay but neither of you know what it's like! You're just weak kids who talk big and don't even know what it's like to lose someone in your family! You'll go home and you'll just forget everything because you don't even care or know about me or my life!" Inari slumped back down in his chair as he finished ranting, though the air was now colder and it wasn't just because of his outburst.
Sasuke looked like he was ready to sock the kid in the mouth purely for the fact that Inari called him a weak clown who knew nothing. "Listen here you lit-"
"So that's it, then? You're just going to sit there and cry because you can't do anything yourself, putting other people down just because they want to change things?" Ryōga however was the one to speak up, even though he was talking calmly and with a slow stand up from his chair, his voice barely breaking into a shout as he felt his body burn from within. Both Sakura and Kakashi could see that Ryōga's knuckles had turned white but no one was speaking up to try and stop what was coming next.
"R-Ryōga?" Sakura quietly piped up but that was barely registered as the look on his face was now one of a tranquil anger that could put Sasuke's to shame.
Those eyes that were normally dim blue-grey from his normally sullen and withdrawn nature were now practically shining with barely restrained anger like a cobalt blue fire. "It takes a big man to change things but it takes a bigger man to throw themself into a pity party and expect things to change for him! You're not tough for that, You're just a bratty little crybaby…" Ryōga snapped before finally taking a breath and got up from his chair to walk off. "I'm not hungry…" He muttered before shutting the door behind him while everyone simply sat in the dead silence, the only thing that could be heard was Inari's angry and barely stifled sobs.
—Later that night—
Inari was sat at a dockside and still feeling the effects of his outburst and Ryōga's own scathing words until he heard someone approaching and wiped his eyes.
"Mind if I join you?" Kakashi asked as he saw Inari on his own and figured that the kid at least deserved an explanation before sitting down when Inari nodded. "Look…About what happened back there, try not to hold it against him for saying what he did, it was harsh but unfortunately it was a touched nerve that shouldn't have been pressed and it's hard for Sasuke or him to approach this without coming across like…well, that."
"But…He still acted the way he did, he called me names all because I felt sad…and even after Grandpa told you all about dad…" Inari mumbled as he looked out to the water.
"You know…Back home, Ryōga and Sasuke did have parents…though unfortunately, Ryōga's father wasn't exactly a good kind of father…Or a good person for that matter, he pushed and pushed Ryōga into becoming a Ninja of perfect skill by any means necessary even when it hurt his son…And when both of their parents died, Sasuke was given the spotlight while Ryōga ultimately got thrown into the same position as you: Pushed to the side and made to believe that nothing could change." Kakashi explained with a quiet sense of somberness.
"But ever since he got here, he's been pushing himself even though he's pretty strong." Inari questioned and looked up at Kakashi.
"Yes, because now he can do it on his own terms; To prove to other people that he can become something special and earn respect rather than pity…I think deep down, he got sick of crying and moping, he picked himself up and just did whatever he could to grow stronger." Kakashi finished and looked to Kakashi. "But it's also because of that, that Ryōga also can't help but understand you better than anyone…"
—Morning—
By the time Ryōga woke up from his sleep, everyone bar Inari and Tsunami had gone; "Crap! I'm late?!" He mentally shouted at himself as he got dressed, grabbed his sword and rushed for the door; "Where's Kakashi-Sensei and the others?!" He asked Tsunami who was currently cleaning up after her father left.
"Oh, they all left to guard my father today, Mr. Kakashi said to let you sleep and recover from yesterday." Tsunami explained as he ran past and out the door. "Honestly, that boy can't sit still…"
It took some time but Ryōga reached the woods, something didn't feel right; There were multiple deep cuts into the trees, they looked like they came from a sword that got lighter as he got further away from the clearing but his real indicator that things were back came up when he saw a dead wild boar collapsed from multiple cuts. "Whoever did this was…Oh no, Inari!"
—Back at the outside of the House—
"Taking a captive is good and all but do we have to? I really wanna cut up the girl!" One of them said with a gleeful looking spark of malice on his face as they marched Tsunami away between the two swordsmen.
"You heard the boss…We're taking a hostage…Not a scratch on her." The other one commented as he eyed Tsunami up; "Although…He wasn't specific about having fun…." He added with a smirk, reaching his hand for his sword. "You better hold still…Otherwise we'll end up accidentally taking off your head instead of that dress~!"
"YOU LEAVE MY MOM ALONE!" Inari yelled from the dock as he bolstered up all his courage and rushed at them with the heartened battle cry that only a kid could bring.
"Cut him up?"
"Zabuza said we just need the woman, no need to play nice.." The two agreed and began to draw their swords to cut down the charging Inari with the sounds of Tsunami begging to leave him alone.
However what was heard wasn't the cutting sound that the two swordsmen were hoping to hear, instead it was the sound of a sword slashing through wood as chunks and fragments of a log lay on the floor.
"A Substitution Jutsu? But I thought all those ninja went with the bridge builder?" The taller one grimaced as they turned to see Ryōga setting Inari down.
"That was way too close…You two okay?" Ryōga asked as he got up to his feet.
"Y-Yeah, those guys tried to take Mom away and I tried to stop them." Inari explained as he was trying his best to not be a crybaby again.
"Well, I gotta hand it to you, you stepped up where you needed to…I'll save my apologies for later…Once I dealt with these two." Ryōga said before turning serious as he faced the other two. "So you couldn't have the guts to target Mr. Tazuna so you go after women and children?"
"Like we're gonna take advise from a Kid playing at being a ninja…All you've done now is piss us off enough to cut you down first!" The taller one yelled as the two rushed forward to attack their new plaything.
Ryōga however saved his breath; He needed every chance he could as he started to alter his breathing; he focused himself and let his breath start to pump more blood through his heart when his body heated up, his muscles tensed and he felt a rush of energy, though from the outside it simply looked like a faint hint of steam emanated from his mouth as he exhaled and slowly unsheathed his sword. "Flame Breathing, Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!" Ryōga called out as he then used a rotating slash attack to both block their attacks and swing back to hit them non-lethally enough to knock them back to the ground in an unconscious pile.
"He…He took them down on his own…Maybe…Maybe we actually have a chance against Gato now!" Inari thought though he saw Ryōga sheathe his sword. "You have to go help Grandpa! They said someone named Zabuza told them to get Mom so he might be next!"
The Uchiha boy felt his body grow cold with the realisation. "Zabuza's still alive?! Crap…I need to move it! Inari, get your mom and find somewhere safe!" Ryōga warned the younger boy before rushing off towards the Bridge's construction site.