The Hyoton - 4

After watching Haku experiment with his new Kekkei Genkai ability for nearly an hour, Naruto and Gaara were beginning to bore. The redhead had suggested that they continue to pass time sparring, but Naruto loudly objected due to his partial nudity and the wounding of what was left of his fragile pride.

So they sat and gazed out onto the water. The thin strips of cloud above that were far too emaciated to provide any real sun cover, 'Heh, maybe Gaara-kun will finally get a tan...'

For a good while Haku had been darting between now two ice mirrors, which Gaara supposed had consumed a good amount of chakra to create. Every moment he increased his speed until he was an indistinct flash.

"Haku-kun's ice doohickeys are pretty cool, but they don't look very useful." Naruto commented dryly and Gaara grunted. Maybe it was a noise of agreement but it came out indifferent.

The Kyuubi container had been building a blob that was first intended to be a sand castle on top of his stomach, covering the majority of his seal. Small splinters of driftwood acted as tiny flagpoles and gates, with pearly fragments of seashell placed haphazardly for windows, 'The color kinda reminds me of Hinata-chan's eyes...'

"Hey, Gaara-kun?"

"...hm?"

"What do ya suppose Hinata-chan is doing right now?"

Gaara blinked. He knew his friend to often have sporadic thoughts, but this was unusual even for Naruto, "Can't say..."

"Really?"

The redhead gave Naruto a look of slight incredulity, "Well, like any upstanding kunoichi such as herself she'd be with her team actively participating in missions in service to Konoha..." Naruto stared dreamily at his sand-blob, "Use your imagination."

"By upstanding kunoichi do you mean Sakura-chan as well?"

"Drop it." His voice was snippish.

"Ha! Okay."

They hadn't noticed Haku had finished with his Hyoton creations until he stood in front of them looking very relaxed. His smile was a good sign; maybe he had improved his mood?

"Done, Haku-kun?" Naruto was destructing his doomed castle, but saved a few of the nicer shells.

"Nearly."

The dark haired boy glanced at Naruto's clothes, still a bit wet even after laying in the bright sun for forty-five minutes straight. They were placed in an ordered line: jacket, shirt, holsters, pants, but he was still wearing his forehead protector out of habit.

With little effort Haku raised his hand and with a short dose of chakra and extracted the last of the saltwater for his friend. Just to show off he compiled it into a hovering, transparent sphere.

"You could've done that earlier," Gaara pointed out blandly, "I'd rather he keep his shirt on."

It was his first opportunity to throw one of Naruto's comments back at him.

Haku nodded, grinning openly as Naruto scowled at the redhead for pitting his own joke against him.

Around noon they returned to their lodging. As expected Anko and Tazuna had also come back from their early-morning shopping trip and were seated at the kitchen table which was decorated with a fair selection of seafood.

"Back so soon huh, boys?" Anko smirked. It appeared as though she and their client had already begun eating, "I figured you would've taken longer, so we started lunch without you."

"How kind." Haku said softly. Tazuna raised an eyebrow while Naruto and Gaara snickered.

"Come in and sit down boys," Tsunami appeared to be preparing dinner already, "There's plenty left!"

"Where is Inari?" Gaara asked, supposing the boy was sulking.

"He and I already ate," Tsunami answered, "I think he's upstairs playing."

The genin sat down and Naruto was first to help himself, "Thanks! This looks great!"

Haku's eyes wandered to a framed picture on the wall. In it he saw a younger Inari with his mother and grandfather beside him smiling, and above them a piece of the photograph had been torn away, leaving the top right corner frayed.

"Excuse me," Haku couldn't help his curiosity, "That picture there, it seems that a part of it has been torn out."

Tazuna paused in his chewing and furrowed his brow, drawing attention to himself.

After a short silence he spoke nostalgically, "The person taken from the picture is Kaiza, Inari's father."

Tsunami also paused in her supper preparations, "My husband..." Haku looked slightly alarmed that he had touched such a delicate subject.

"It's alright," Tazuna rasped, and took a sip of tea, "That man was once a hero here."

"A hero?" Naruto's eyes widened in interest.

The old man nodded, preparing to narrate a story, "Yes. He brought the meaning of courage back to our village a few years ago, before he died."

"Hey, I see you're awake," A cheerful voice helped Inari get a grip on consciousness, "How are you feeling?"

"Hm?"

The young boy sat up and rubbed his eyes. There was a man in front of him. Earlier, he felt his heart tear out of his chest after those rotten boys had taken his young puppy and thrown it into the lagoon to drown. But he was certain he was dead too as he, an eight-year-old with no swimming experience, was pushed in after the puppy.

Somehow Pochi figured out how to swim in a mere thirty seconds and paddled along to shore. After a few minutes of flailing, Inari was still about to drown as the guilty kids ran off to let him die, his terrified screams unheard.

Or so he thought.

"You saved me?" Inari asked, needing to confirm it.

"Yeah," The tall man smiled, "But first eat," He gestured to two skewered fish cooking over an open fire, "Then we can talk about it."

The fish were tasty.

"I had a talk with those boys," Kaiza assured him, "They won't be causing you trouble anymore."

"I just wish I knew where Pochi went..." Inari mumbled solemnly.

Kaiza scratched his chin, "Hmm, in the country where I come from dogs are very loyal to their masters..." He paused, "Though you did kind of abandon him first you know."

"I wanted to save Pochi, really," The boy protested weakly, "But I...I couldn't do it."

"Hey! You have to be strong! If you care about something, protect it! With both arms!" Kaiza displayed his own scarred arms, "You should never hesitate to put your life on the line for the things dear to you."

"Well, I guess so..." Inari agreed, a small smile dawning on his round face.

Kaiza ruffled the boy's hair, "Now that's the spirit!"

"After that, the two were inseparable," Tazuna stared down at his sushi, "Inari never knew his real father so Kaiza became a father figure for him...and a part of our family."

"Why was he a hero?" Naruto prompted.

"If we don't get this gate closed the entire lower district will be flooded!" A man cried despondently to his companions as their ponchos flapped wildly in the wind.

A fierce storm had rained down on the village for days on end, overwhelming the levees and flooding many of the waterways. A group of people were huddled together in a tight group, staring down the embankment as the rising water level threatened the survival of their village.

"If we can get this rope secured around one of the gate posts, we can pull it closed from here!" One suggested, voice straining against the screaming wind and rain.

"You're crazy! Someone would have to swim out there to do it!"

There was a silence among them as they stood in the howling wind. It was a fool's errand.

"I'll do it!" Kaiza volunteered. All heads turned back to face him as he removed his hat, appearing surprisingly calm.

Kaiza was a well-respected man in the community, known for his solid beliefs and courageous heart. A man handed him a rope without a word, unwilling to protest his generous offer. Kaiza took it and moved ahead, preparing himself for the shock of cold water that he was about to leap into.

"Dad don't go!" Inari yowled, knocking people aside and clinging to his father's soaked shirt.

Kaiza smiled down at him, "It's alright Inari. This village is important! It's our home. Remember, if you care about something you must protect it, right?"

He sniffled pathetically for a moment, but then raised his eyes, "...w-with both arms..."

"That's my boy!" Kaiza was elated by his reply and patted his head affectionately, "I'll be right back! No worries!"

Before Inari could protest again his father dove into the water.

"He saved the village that day," Tazuna said quietly, "He was a hero."

"Brave." Anko offered a word before sipping her tea.

"What happened to him?" Haku asked. Behind them Tsunami began to chop onions more ferociously.

"Gato arrived a short time later and took control of our village," The old man continued, "Kaiza resisted him even after several warnings and threats from his thugs. One day Gato took it too far..."

The genin wore questioning looks. They hadn't touched their food.

"He was murdered: killed in front of the entire village as a warning to not interfere," Tazuna's voice was a low growl and Tsunami restrained a sob, "He was beaten and tied up for believing in freedom and killed for Gato's own selfish gain...killed in front of Inari."

"Coward." Anko supplied another word, this time describing the shipping magnate.

"The village's courage died with him and Inari has never been the same since," Tazuna finished, "The only way I can truly avenge Kaiza is to build this bridge and restore hope to the Land of Waves."

It was quiet for a while.

"We'll make sure you finish that bridge, old man." Naruto vowed.