Tea with Strangers

Naruto stirred in his sleep, slowly sitting up on the bedroll that he was laid down on.

"Easy, easy," An unfamiliar voice said, reaching out a hand to steady him. "You trained yourself to exhaustion it seems."

He groaned, rubbing his eyes and coming face to face with the voice's owner. "Who are you?"

The man, who wore a dark green robe, simply smiled. His long black hair fell around his shoulders. Behind him, a campfire roared, casting him in shadow and making his red irises glow in the dark. "I'm simply a traveler. I saw you passed out on the ground and thought it would be a bad idea to just leave you there, so I brought you to my camp."

"Oh." Naruto blinked. Then he smiled. "Well, thank you, traveler-san, but I really need to be going."

He made to stand up, but his legs and arms failed him, pain spiking from his limbs. "Oh! Ow, never mind. Geeze, what is this?"

"You must be sore," The Traveler said. "You seemed to have trained especially hard, shinobi-san."

"That's weird," Naruto replied with a non-plussed expression. "I've never gotten sore a day in my life."

"Well, have you ever trained so hard you passed out before?" The Traveler asked with a pleasant smile.

Naruto moved to rub the back of his head, wincing at his sore shoulder while doing so. "No, not really. It was a first."

"Hm. Would you like some tea?" The Traveler poured out a cup of hot liquid into a bowl from a kettle that had been resting above the fire. "It might help with the soreness."

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the man, offering a cup with a genial smile, then down at the tea. The Traveler simply continued to hold the cup out, offering a simple, genuine smile. Naruto took the cup and took the smallest of sips.

No, it wasn't drugged, poisoned or anything else that his sharp ninja senses could tell, so he took a more generous sip. "Huh. This isn't bad."

"Thank you," The Traveler replied. "So, may I ask a question?"

"Sure!" Naruto said with a smile of his own.

"Why are you out here training yourself to exhaustion?" He asked with a concerned frown. "That's not something people just do unless they've got a very good reason."

"Well," Naruto started, debating internally. On the one hand, what he had been trying to work out was still bothering him. On the other hand, they had enemy Ninja around and this traveler, as well intentioned as he seemed, could be one of them. "I don't know if I should say…"

"You don't need to tell me if you don't want too," The Traveler simply shrugged. "I was merely hoping to help."

Then again, if he were an enemy ninja, this tea would be poisoned and he'd be tied to a tree. "I'm just having trouble with this mission we're on."

The Traveler hummed. "I was wondering if you were on a mission. You're from Konoha, if I'm not mistaken."

"That's right," Naruto nodded. "We were hired to do something that's going to hurt a lot of people here in Wave and I don't know how I feel about it."

The Traveler hummed. "Well, if you don't complete the mission, would people get hurt?"

Naruto stopped to take another sip. "I guess?"

"Who might that be?" The Traveler asked with a sympathetic frown.

"My Dad, who gave me this mission personally," Naruto began to list off. "The village, I guess, who'd have to refund Gombei-san's money. Then there's Gato Company's employees, who need the bridge gone so they can keep their jobs."

"That sounds like a lot of people," The Traveler said, slowly nodding. "It sounds like your dilemma is that, no matter what you do, you'll hurt people and you don't want that."

"Yeah, that's right," Naruto replied, nodding rapidly. "I wanted to become a Shinobi to protect the village and innocent people, not ruin the lives of an entire country."

"That sounds very noble of you." The Traveler smiled.

"Thank you," Naruto replied bashfully.

"May I offer you my perspective, as someone who has been all over the Elemental Nations?" The Traveler offered.

"Sure," Naruto replied with a nod, sipping up his tea. "I'm sure you've seen lots of things, right."

"Indeed, I have," The Traveler replied. "I once met a woman whose husband was a Shinobi. She had three children, two daughters and one son whom she had to look after alone. Her husband was gone."

"What happened to her husband?" Naruto asked with a frown. "He didn't leave her, did he?"

"No, actually," The Traveler shook his head. "She invited me into her home and she told me the story over tea. She explained that her husband was a Shinobi and had passed away in the most recent Shinobi war. Her husband had been holding the position for a retreat and had been impaled through the heart with a kunai."

"Oh," Naruto said with wide eyes. "I feel so sorry for her."

"I'm sure she would appreciate your pity," The Traveler nodded his head. "She told me how she feared her daughters growing up without having an example of a good man in the house, that they wouldn't know what to look for in a husband. She told me how she worried her son wouldn't learn how to be a man without his father there to teach him. The death of this man caused the whole family a lot of pain."

"That poor woman," Naruto's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because this woman was a native of the Land of Earth, and her husband was an Iwa Shinobi, killed by Konoha forces," The Traveler revealed, causing Naruto to spit out his tea. "Now, I ask you, if Konoha hadn't killed this man, what might have happened to your village?"

Naruto was speechless. "…well, um. He might've killed Ninja from Konoha. He'd have helped more enemy Ninja escape. It might've cost more Konoha nin their lives. But…"

He looked to the side, still confused and still unable to quite vocalize his struggle.

"Would you like some more tea?" The Traveler asked, grabbing the kettle.

Naruto looked at his cup, then at the Traveler, then nodded.

Kakashi could see the village gates in front of him, hopping from branch to branch.

Now we'll get you in bed and then we can start working on the bridge tomorrow, Kakashi thought in relief. And then it'll all be goo-

The clone popped.

He froze in midair, stumbling on his landing on the rooftop below him. He whirled around in a panic, un-covering his Sharingan and diving back into the forest.

"Hm," The Traveler said, as if something had just occurred to him. "From my example, I can tell you that I've seen many situations where there are, well, to put it bluntly, a winner and a loser."

"Why does it have to be that way?" Naruto asked with a frown.

The Traveler shrugged. "When two people have conflicting interests and are unwilling to cooperate, only one of them can have their way."

"But then what am I supposed to do?" Naruto barked in frustration. "I can't tear down this Country's hopes and dreams, but I can't betray the village, either!"

"Let me ask you this," The Traveler said, adjusting himself in his seat, not even remotely affected by the Konoha Nin's outburst. "If Konoha turned down a mission every time it hurt someone, could they help anyone?"

"Probably not," Naruto admitted with a sigh, taking a sip of his tea.

"I think it's very noble to want to help everyone," The Traveler started, taking a sip of his own tea. "But I'm afraid without the proper tools and resources, that is simply impossible. So, the best thing that you can do is help yourself so you can help other people later."

"You really think we can help the Land of Waves later?" Naruto asked with a deep frown. "We won't be allowed back here once our mission is done."

"Well, are you sure you can't think of some way to fix things?" The Traveler asked with a thoughtful frown. "Someone you can contact or some deal you can reach before you go home?"

Naruto simply grunted and pulled his knees up to rest his arms on. "If I could talk to Daisuke, maybe."

The Traveler tilted his head with an inquisitive expression on his face. "Who is Daisuke?"

"My brother," Naruto replied with a depressed expression on his face. "Not by blood, but we've known each other as long as we could remember. If I could talk to him, he could fix things up without a problem."

The Traveler hummed. "You know, you mentioned Gato Company before, yes?"

Naruto stopped for a moment. "…yes, I did. Why?"

"Well, that makes me think that you're here to destroy the bridge that just got finished," The Traveler started, putting the pieces together. "Because their company is threatened by it's existence. Is that right?"

"Yeah." Naruto slowly and hesitantly nodded.

"I heard, and I don't know if this is true, that it was built by a Shinobi," The Traveler continued, looking fairly excited. "Do you know if that's true? I've been on my way to see it, myself."

"Yeah, Daisuke built it," Naruto explained morosely.

"That is marvelous," The Traveler said with wide eyes and a smile. Then he frowned. "A shame that you were hired to destroy your brothers work."

"Well, that's the thing," Naruto began, grabbing his cup of tea from his side and sipping it. "He left the village not to long ago for reasons. I want to get him to come back, but I can't do that if I can't talk to him. So, if we destroy the bridge…"

"You think you might get Daisuke-san's attention," The Traveler finished with a thoughtful nod. "It might work. In truth, I hope it does. You seem to be a good person; it'd be a shame for you to be separated from your family."

"Thank you," Naruto said with a nod. He smiled. "This tea is really good."

"Thank you," The Traveler said with a grateful smile. "I learned the Tea Ceremony from a master in the Land of Lightning. I'm glad I retained some of his masterful craft, it's been many years since I've seen him."

"You really have been all over, haven't you?" Naruto asked with a surprised expression. "Are you a Ninja?"

"No," The Traveler said with an amused chuckle. "No, I am simply someone who walks quickly and seldom rests."

"What was your name again?" Naruto asked.

"I'm no one important," The Traveler replied. "Just a traveler. I find it easier to travel if my name isn't known across the continent. I hope you understand."

"Well, alright," Naruto just shrugged, folding his legs beneath him. "But that doesn't fix my problem."

The Traveler just hummed. "What would it take to get those who need the bridge and Gato Company to cooperate with each other?"

"I don't know," Naruto shrugged. "I'm not a business guy. I'm a Shinobi. Besides, if they could both get what they want, then Konoha wouldn't have been hired and I wouldn't be stuck in this mess."

"And Konoha wouldn't stand to gain quite a bit of money, am I right?" The Traveler asked pointedly.

Naruto just sighed. "Yeah. I just wish I didn't have to pick a side. Or, you know, I could pick a side with an obvious good guy and bad guy."

The Traveler hummed. "Who is the 'most' good guy in this situation?"

"Well, Konoha," Naruto said, shrugging. "Obviously."

The Traveler just nodded. "Does that then mean that those who oppose it are 'bad guys'?"

"I don't know," Naruto shook his head, taking another sip of his tea and looking into the green liquid. "Maybe? I know Gato Company was involved in Human Trafficking and Drugs."

"Both despicable trades," The Traveler agreed. "But are they still involved in those things?"

Naruto grunted in thought, looking up at the stars. "I don't think so. Daisuke kind of…cleaned house with them."

"Is that so?" The Traveler asked. "So then if those responsible for wrong doing within their company have been brought to justice, are they still the bad guys?"

Naruto thought for a minute. Remembering the terrified receptionist, hiding behind her desk from the angry mob. Hasimoto drowning himself in sake because he believed his days were very numbered. "Maybe not."

"So, in this particular case," The Traveler began. "If Konoha is the good guys, and Gato Company aren't the bad guys, who is left?"

"The villagers," Naruto replied, blinking rapidly. "But they don't deserve to have the bridge destroyed. That would crush them."

"Perhaps not," The Traveler replied. "But if your plan to attract, what was his name, Daisuke?"

Naruto nodded.

"If it works, then he'll simply rebuild it," The Traveler pointed out. "You may even convince him to wait a period of time if you need him too."

"But if it doesn't, the people will be out a bridge," Naruto pointed out.

"Well, remember what I said about needing to help yourself first," The Traveler pointed out. "It's terrible to say, I know, but unless you gain or have a third solution to make everyone happy, that is the reality of the situation."

"Captain, I've had no luck," Masato reported with a salute of his flipper.

"Keep up the patrol," Captain Shizo ordered. "With the target's team searching inland and us monitoring the ocean exports, we'll find him in no time."

"Are you sure about that, sir?" Masato asked, the muscles around his beak turning to a frown. "Someone or something snatched the target out from beneath our beaks."

"We have to keep trying," Shizo responded. "You want to be the one to tell Shimoda that we lost his friend because he got kidnapped?"

"No sir," Masato shook his head.

"Resume patrol pattern."

Naruto let out a frustrated grunt. "But I can't accept that."

"Do you have another way?" The Traveler asked. "I would really love to hear if you have solution."

"I don't!" Naruto barked angrily. "I don't know what to do and all this talking about it is making me frustrated!"

"I am simply trying to help," The Traveler replied.

"I don't even know who you are!" Naruto continued, pointing at him. "And you're trying to give me advice about my problems!"

The Traveler simply frowned. "Perhaps we should shelve the topic then. I apologize, I didn't mean to aggravate you."

Naruto let out a disappointed sigh. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted."

"Apology accepted," The Traveler replied with a smile. "Now, may I ask about Daisuke?"

"Sure," Naruto waved. "Not sure what there is to say, though?"

"Well, I'd like to know why he left," The Traveler said, getting a curious look on his face. "I can't imagine he'd leave for anything more than something very important."

"He got some bad blood with the…with someone in the village," Naruto pointed out with a frown. "He couldn't forgive him and the old man couldn't let what Daisuke did stand. So, he left."

"I won't ask what he did," The Traveler said. "But I will ask if that's the only reason?"

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked with a frown.

"Well, Ninja from Konoha are loyal," The Traveler began, noting the proud look on Naruto's face with a small smile. "They are big on never abandoning one's comrades. In my experience, it would take a very severe break in beliefs or comradery for them to even consider leaving the village."

Naruto got an uncomfortable look on his face, looking down at the fire.

"Do you need a refill?" The Traveler asked.

"No," Naruto shook his head. "It's just, well…Daisuke doesn't like the world. He doesn't like the villages. He wants everyone in the Elemental Nations to learn Jutsu. Everyone! Can you believe that?"

"I've met a few people like that, actually," The Traveler replied with a frown. "They were always dangers to themselves and others, never able to see the full consequences of their actions."

"Exactly!" Naruto replied, taking a sip of the tea. "Daisuke is exactly like that. He doesn't think through the consequences of his actions; he just does things because they seem like a good idea. He's letting his anger at the village cloud his thinking."

The Traveler hummed.

"I mean, sometimes he does good things," Naruto amended, looking into his cup, then sipping his tea. "Sometimes he does amazing things. But he's wrong on this. He thinks that the Hidden Villages are the reason everything is messed up, but that's just his anger at the village talking. And I'm afraid he's going to really hurt himself just because he can't be bothered to really think about the consequences of his actions before he tries to change the world."

"The world is a difficult place," The Traveler replied. "Many who are scarred try to change the world but are unable to see their contribution to the rot until it's too late."

"Yes, exactly," Naruto nodded. "That's why I have to bring Daisuke back to the village. That's why I have to get him to see what he's doing, before it's too late."

"Too late for what?"

"Before he succeeds," Naruto replied with a frown. "Before he teaches everyone on the planet jutsu. Before he causes the whole world to go up in flames because he took Jutsu out of the villages before the world was ready for it."

"What makes you think he's going to succeed?" The Traveler asked, blinking owlishly. "That sounds like lunacy."

"Because he's Daisuke," Naruto affirmed with a nod. "Daisuke does the impossible on a daily basis."

"Well, you know him better than I," The Traveler conceded. "But I must ask, do you really think that you can convince him of the error of his ways?"

Naruto looked into the fire, then at his tea. Then he sighed. "No. The only person who can convince Daisuke of anything is Daisuke."

"Really?"

"Uh huh."

"And why do you say that?" The Traveler asked.

"Because Daisuke is the most stubborn, willfully ignorant, determined idiot that I've ever met," Naruto pointed out bluntly. "And the only person who can lead him to the truth is him."

The Traveler's eyebrows furrowed together in concern as he sipped his tea. "You have some things to work through with him."

"Well, yeah," Naruto nodded.

"More than just him leaving," The Traveler pointed out.

Naruto tilted his head from side to side. "Maybe."

The Traveler hummed and said nothing, simply sipping his tea.

Naruto finished his cup, and accepted the refill The Traveler offered.

Come on, where are you? Kakashi's heart was pounding, desperate to find anything, any trace of where his charge had gone. Naruto, I'll find you! I promise!

He remembered the last time someone he cared about got abducted by Kiri nin, because that is the only explanation and he didn't see it happen.

That will never happen again! Kakashi thought, his thoughts filled with shame about how he got fooled by a simple Genjutsu. Never!

I swear it!

"He's been irritating you for a long time then, I suppose?" The Traveler asked.

"Not," Naruto paused to find the right word. "Necessarily. Just…"

The Traveler hummed inquisitively.

"He's known as the village miracle worker," Naruto began with a sad expression. "He did the impossible. He did so much for everyone. Especially me. But I wanted to be known by the village too, as more than the son of the Hokage."

The Traveler's eyebrows shot up like a rocket. "I'm not sure there's much better that you can do, Shinobi-san."

"But the only reason I'm known as that is because of Daisuke," Naruto frowned, angrily glaring into his cup. "Everyone is like 'oh, Naruto! You're so good at Taijutsu'. Because Daisuke trained me. 'Naruto, you can do clones now, that's amazing!'. Because Daisuke told my sensei I needed one-on-one training time. 'You can do a forbidden jutsu like it's nothing!' Yeah, because Daisuke taught me that. 'You're the son of the Hokage!' Because Daisuke brought him back from the dead."

"Back from the dead," The Traveler muttered to himself in surprise. "That's quite a list."

"Everything I am now, from my abilities as a Ninja, to my social status," Naruto started. He threw his empty hand in the air for emphasis. "Everything! Everything I am! Everything I can do! Is because of Daisuke. Everything!"

"It sounds like you have a lot to be grateful for," The Traveler replied kindly. "He's done so much for you."

"I'm grateful," Naruto hurriedly backtracked. "I just…I just want something that's mine. Something that I did, by myself, so I can stand apart from Daisuke. So, I can be known for my own achievement."

"So, you can step out from his shadow," The Traveler finished for him.

"Exactly," Naruto gestured to him like he had just said the most obvious thing in the world. "Thank you."

"I've seen many sibling rivalries play out similarly," The Traveler replied. "You should honestly just give your brother time. He'll come back to the village once he's resolved his anger."

"You think so?" Naruto asked with a frown.

"I know so," The Traveler replied with a smile.

"Great," Naruto sighed, looking unsurely into his cup. "That would be great."

"You don't sound sure," The Traveler pointed out.

"Well, it's not enough to just bring him back," Naruto replied. "I have to change his mind, too. If he doesn't change his mind, but he comes back to Konoha well, that would just mean that he's still going to try to spread jutsu everywhere."

"So, you're afraid that he'll simply have changed tactics if he comes back on his own," The Traveler had this odd smirk on his face as he said that, one that quickly changed to an inquisitive frown.

"That's right!" Naruto replied, not having noticed the smirk. "If he even can change tactics, that is. Thinking things through is not his forte."

"Is he really that bad?" The Traveler asked with an amused expression.

"Please. If he met a girl he actually liked back, he'd marry her instantly," Naruto pointed out with an unamused expression. "He does not think about the consequences of his actions. At all. He's allergic to the idea."

"My, my," The Traveler shook his head in amusement. "That is a stirring indictment if I ever saw one. Well, I hope things work out for you."

"Thank you," Naruto nodded. "I appreciate all the tea. It was good."

"I'm glad you liked it," The Traveler replied. "Now, if you don't mind me revisiting the bridge."

Naruto just sighed in defeat. "I…guess we need to destroy it, huh?"

"I suppose so," The Traveler gave him a sympathetic frown. "I apologize that you have to do such a hard thing. I know it's not easy."

"Well, it's like you said," Naruto shrugged his shoulders, drinking the last of the tea. "No point in trying to help others if you can't help yourself. Besides, the village isn't really good in this conflict anyway."

Naruto rolled his shoulders. "It's like my dad said, actually. We don't judge, we just do the work."

"I'm glad you've come to a decision," The Traveler replied with a smile.

"I just hope it's the right one," Naruto replied, making to stand up and doing so easily. "Hey, I'm not sore anymore! That tea really did help. Thank you, Traveller-san!"

The Traveler smiled wider. "I'm glad I was able to help. Now, can you help me pick up my camp? I'll be on my way north, there's something I forgot I grab in the town while I was there."

"Sure," Naruto said, looking a little confused. "Are you sure you can't grab it in the town south? You can see the bridge before we blow it up."

"I'm afraid not," The Traveler said, rolling up one of the bedrolls. "It's a special book order that I completely forgot. I was actually on my way to pick up my camp when I saw you."

The two working together made picking up the camp very simple. The fire was doused and everything was strapped to a pack on the Traveler's back.

"Well, thanks again," Naruto said with a bow.

"I hope we meet again someday," The Traveler replied. "Until then, be well."

The two turned and walked off. Naruto quickly found the trail he had made to head back to the village and he started to run back.

Then Kakashi descended from the branches with a frantic look in his eyes.

"Hey, Sensei!" Naruto greeted with a smile. Then he saw the look. "Uh…are you okay? I didn't scare you to bad, did I?"

"Is it really you?" Kakashi asked, poking Naruto sharply in the chest.

"Ow! Yes, it's me!" Naruto said, rubbing the spot where he was poked. "That hurt!"

"Good," He let out a long sigh of relief. "I've had to deal with two of your clones and I was scared someone managed to run off with you."

"You did?" Naruto asked, sounding perplexed. "I didn't get any memories from them. Huh."

"Were you asleep?" Kakashi asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah, I trained myself to exhaustion," Naruto nodded quickly. "But this traveler came along and pulled me to his camp and gave me tea. He was really nice."

Kakashi gave Naruto a hard look. "Can you show me where his camp was?"

"Sure!" Naruto said, pointing behind him. "It's just over there. I helped pack it up though, he said he had to pick something up from the town to the north."

"Naruto, the town to the north is miles away," Kakashi replied, shaking his head. "Did he have a wagon?"

"No, he just said he walked quickly and didn't rest a lot," Naruto just shrugged. "It's over here."

Naruto brought Kakashi to where the camp was, and Kakashi's eyes nearly came out of their sockets. "I went by the clearing four times and didn't see you."

"Wait, really?" Naruto asked with a frown. "That's weird, I didn't see you either."

"What did you and the stranger talk about?" Kakashi asked with a frown.

"About my issues with completing the mission," Naruto replied with a frown. "But he gave me some really good advice."

"What's the advice?" Kakashi asked, his eyes narrowing.

"That in order to help people, you need to help yourself," Naruto replied, getting a resolute expression. "I still don't like it, but I'm ready to destroy the bridge."

Kakashi looked deep into Naruto's eyes, the tomoe on his Sharingan spinning. After a minute of this, Naruto not daring or even being able to move, he sighed and covered his eye. "Alright, I believe you. You didn't tell him too much about the mission, did you?"

"Nope," Naruto replied. "He just encouraged me to complete the mission so that we can help people later. By the way, do you think we can get a mission to help Wave out later?"

"Maybe," Kakashi said, looking at the campsite once again with suspicion. "You might be able to ask your father for one."

"Wait, you're right!" Naruto hit himself on the head. "Duh, of course I can! Thanks, Sensei!"

"You're welcome," Kakashi said, scooping Naruto up for a piggy-back ride. "Now let's get you back to base before I have another heart attack."

I don't like it, Kakashi thought with a narrowed eye. I need to find out what happened. Who was that traveler?

Jashin just looked at the young Genin depart on his Sensei's back impassively. Then he hung his head and sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "Again. That was far too simple."

The pack on his back was gone, having faded back into chakra. Instead, he held his scythe in his hand. "Should only be a few months before I can start the next layer and then Shimoda is going to realize that his re-writing the rules might have more consequences than he'd like."

"Who are you speaking too?" Shinigami appeared behind Jashin with an amused grin on his face.

"You, apparently," Jashin said with a small smile. "Are you hear to inform me of the good news?"

"Daisuke-dono has married and deified his wife," Shinigami confirmed with a nod. "We will have to go congratulate her in a few days. Do you have a gift in mind?"

"Oh, the same one I always give," Jashin replied, spinning his scythe on its end, causing the blade to rapidly rotate like hands on a clock. "My advice to learn Ninshū."

"I'd accuse you of not even trying if it wasn't such good advice." Shinigami gave a throaty laugh, the moonlight shining in his white hair. "I'm going to tell her Orochimaru's returned."

"Dear me, that seems like a great way to throw a wrench into the relationship," Jashin pointed out in mock horror. Then he grinned deviously. "I can't wait to see her face."

"If this causes them to separate, there is no way it was going to last anyway," Shinigami responded with a bored expression. "The fact that they never actually courted notwithstanding, they can make it work…with a lot of work."

"But still!" Jashin replied. "Should we wait until after their honeymoon or were you thinking of crashing their party at the vault?"

"Let's be nice and wait for after their Honeymoon," Shinigami answered. "You didn't appreciate having your own honeymoon crashed when you were mortal, if you recall."

"Oh, very well." Jashin just waved it off like it was nothing. "We'll give them this one courtesy. I suppose it's only fair since I set the wheels in motion to turn his brother against him."