Meetings at the Dark River - 4

By the time they had returned, street lamps were already lit, and the sun sank slowly beneath the horizon. At that point, Haku was certain of one thing about Naruto...

He liked to talk.

A lot.

He was uncertain why Naruto was so chatty, however it was pleasant to have someone his height to speak to.

"The people in my village don't like me much," Naruto went on about Konoha, "I don't know why. So I'm going to become a powerful ninja so they'll stop hating me and start respecting me."

Haku could understand that feeling.

"Why do you want to become a ninja, Haku?"

He looked to Naruto as they walked down the side of the street. He knew the answer to that.

"I...I need to become stronger to protect the people who are precious to me. I haven't been able to do that..." Haku recalled how he had failed his parents, "And if I train as a ninja I can find a way to save people..."

Naruto nodded, "Yup, that's a good reason! I like that reason."

"Haku!"

It was a deep, bellowing shout that made both boys turn around. A large man was jogging up the road and he appeared greatly distraught. Haku's face lit up as he saw that his companion had not abandoned him after all.

"Hiroshi-san!" Haku darted over to his fat friend and hugged him in great relief.

Hiroshi frowned at the farm boy, "Sweet lord, Haku! I've been looking all over for you! I don't want you running off like that again, you hear me? This place isn't safe."

Haku bowed his head in apology.

"I'm sorry Hiroshi-san, it's just that when I woke up you were gone and I thought you had left, so I went to look for you..." He rambled, "I was worried."

Naruto watched the exchange, waiting for a chance to introduce himself.

"You should have waited for me, Haku-chan. I was only getting some dango."

Haku had never heard of such a thing before, "Dango?"

"Try it," Hiroshi reached into a paper bag and handed him a skewer of pink and green dumplings, and then turned to Naruto, "So, who's your friend here?"

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"

Hiroshi chuckled at the spirited boy, "Hello Naruto! I am Hiroshi and I take it you've already become acquainted with Haku."

Haku bit into one of the dumplings and he found that he liked its light sweetness. He took one of the dumplings for himself and passed the skewer on to Naruto. He also had never tried dango before, but devoured the remaining treats easily.

Hiroshi chuckled, "I guess I'll just have to buy some more. Why don't you boys just wait by the cart?"

Naruto casually tossed the stick aside, and hoped that Hiroshi would still be willing to share the upcoming dessert. Haku returned to his companion's cart with Naruto beside him, and they sat down while Hiroshi returned to the vender.

"Wow. I guess it wasn't really that hard to find your friend after all, huh Haku?" Naruto observed.

Haku forced a smile. It turned out to be just that. He had indeed overreacted. Though Haku believed Naruto wouldn't understand the feeling of panic that came over him earlier.

Naruto shook some if the leaves out of his golden hair, "I sure am dirty! I've been working really hard to get stronger since I left home. I can't wait to go back...then I can just sit with Hinata-chan by our tree."

"And I can come with you?" Haku confirmed.

"Yup! Then you can meet Hinata-chan. She's really nice!"

Haku laid back and sighed, "I'd like that..."

"Have you two settled down?" Hiroshi returned with two skewers of dango and Naruto looked at them expectantly. "I suppose Naruto will be staying with us for a while?"

Naruto shook his head, "Nah, not for too long. I'm gonna go back to Konoha for ninja training and Haku's coming with me."

Hiroshi was stunned, "Konoha? What are you doing away from Hidden Leaf?"

"Trying to get stronger, but I'm going back soon."

"You're a bit too young to be wandering by yourself if you ask me, Naruto," Hiroshi handed him the dango that he had been staring at, "Are you all by yourself?"

"Yeah." He chomped gratefully on the sweets.

How had no one come looking for this child yet? He was too young to be out on his own!

Funnily enough, the good shinobi who could help Haku with his ninja training happened to be a six-year-old. It was something Hiroshi was not expecting.

"So Haku-chan, would you like to go to Hidden Leaf to train as a ninja?" Hiroshi asked.

Haku looked excited at the idea, "Yes, I want to go with Naruto."

Hiroshi nodded to him. It was settled then. He had not anticipated it to be so simple.

Haku noticed an odd sight while he was watching the sun set.

A small dark cloud appeared in the distance, silhouetted against the rosy sky. It seemed to be moving.

He looked at it curiously for a moment, watching it as it came near. After a quiet moment, Hiroshi and Naruto noticed it as well.

"What the heck is that?" Naruto asked with one last mouthful of sticky dango.

No one could answer. What once appeared to be a cloud, turned into a mass of furiously whirling sand: that was approaching at an unsafe speed. It nearly resembled a funnel-cloud, but was far too small to be a tornado.

That was when Haku decided he really was having a weird day.

The three of them looked on in shock as the sandstorm halted several yards away from them, kicking up dust and sand as it slowed to a stop.

Hiroshi's dango slid off of the skewer and plopped down to the ground. 'I guess today is not my day for snacks…what is going on?'

Naruto and Haku stared with wide eyes as the sand thinned and then ceased its motion, revealing a person amidst the center of the swirling wind.

"That's really cool!" Naruto commented, feeling the same awe as he had felt meeting Haku.

The sand cleared, and what remained was a small boy with a shock of red hair. His eyes were bloodshot and he was trembling uncontrollably, suffering from extreme exhaustion. Haku took a few steps forward and then stopped.

He could feel the immense power the boy had, just as he had felt it with the man with the bandaged face.

The red haired boy stared at them silently for a moment, shaking. Hiroshi looked at him, unsure of what he could do.

"Hey are you alright?" Naruto promptly asked.

Haku watched with baited breath; the power that he felt was flickering. The boy was going to collapse.

The boy's voice was weak and pained, "...help me..."

The three watched as he sunk to the ground, landing with a soft thud. While Haku and Hiroshi stood in stunned silence, Naruto could not help himself:

"...WHOA..."