Hi, Readers
Finally, my semester exams are over, and I'm a contented individual now. I honestly do want to thank you for your encouragement and patience during this break. I'm excited to start writing again because I've also missed writing. I'll pick up where we left off with regular updates from here onwards. As the journey goes on, get prepared for turns and surprises, close battles, and touching moments.
With that said, let's go back to our heroes' universe....
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Early in the morning, before the sun had risen, Naruto awoke with aching eyes and a keen mind. His body ached, but he didn't think twice before running out. The tree loomed over him like an opponent waiting to be defeated. He jumped forward, his fists balled up.
He rose step by step higher and higher. Now his chakra pumped consistently to his feet in a cadence he was beginning to understand. Laughing wildly, he jumped down. "Right on! I'll do this!"
Kakashi observed silently behind a nearby tree. He grumbled, impressed, "He's picking it up quickly."
Naruto had already left six new kunai marks, each one greater than the last, before Sakura and Sasuke caught up to him. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Hmph. You don't sleep at all, do you?"
Naruto grinned. "When I'm going to be the best, I can't sleep!"
Sakura smiled faintly. "You're definitely improving."
To attract their attention, Kakashi clapped. "Alright, you've all done well. Let's add something new."
He pulled out a few leaves and handed one to each of them.
"We're doing craftwork now?" Naruto joked.
Kakashi ignored him. "Leaf Concentration is the second stage of chakra control training. You have to stick this leaf on your forehead using only your chakra and keep it there without your hands. It will drop if your control wavers."
Sakura placed her leaf down enthusiastically and focused, the leaf barely quivering. Sasuke did the same with intense concentration.
But Naruto still let out too much chakra. The leaf shot off like a rocket.
"Fuck it!"
Kakashi chuckled. "Remember—control, not power."
Tsunami sat down with a tray of tea and rice balls as the three of them rehearsed. "You children need a vacation. You've worked on it for hours."
Naruto dropped the leaf at once as his belly growled. "Tsunami-san, you're an angel!"
They were all smiling and still dripping with perspiration as they clustered together to have a hasty snack.
But the peace was brief.
They had only eaten when a lad around Naruto's age walked up the path toward the docks. He was bearing a basket of herbs, was dressed in a frayed hat, and sported short brown hair. He seemed cautious but not frightened.
The tsunami brightened. "Ah, Inari! You have come back."
Naruto sat up, eyes curious. "Who is the boy?"
Tsuki's head puffed up with pride as she said, "Inari is my child."
After patrolling the ninja team, Inari's gaze landed on Naruto. "So. You are the ninjas everyone is talking about."
Hands behind his head, Naruto stood up. "Yes! Protecting your grandfather is our mission."
Inari scowled. "You should leave."
The happy mood immediately turned sour.
Naruto blinked. "Huh? What's wrong with you?"
Inari's fists closed. "You're not listening. Here, people like you don't prevail. Anyone who gets in the way of Gato will be destroyed."
He placed a hand on Tsunami's shoulder, gently. "Inari....."
He pulled away. "Like all others who tried to stand up against him, they will die."
And then he stormed in.
A heavy quiet fell over the group as Naruto's smile faltered. Sakura looked down, but Sasuke's expression didn't change.
But Naruto He had shaking fists.
He breathed softly, "He's mistaken. We won't die. I won't die."
Kakashi rested his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "He has seen things that you haven't. Don't blame him. Gato uses people with that fear."
Haku's gaze wandered to the window, where he watched the thick fog rolling outside. "They're already getting stronger. Especially the blond one."
Zabuza chuckled. "He's just a big mouth."
Haku's voice was firm. "Perhaps. But he has potential and heart."
Zabuza let out a grunt. "It doesn't matter. My heart won't keep me from cutting."
Haku kept quiet. Still, a small corner of his mind wondered if this mission would end like the last one.
Night had now fallen at Tazuna's residence. Groggily awakened, Naruto stared at the ceiling again. His mind persisted despite his battered body and depleting chakra.
"I'll teach that kid that humans can fight back."
Suddenly, a splash was heard, and some soft footsteps.
Instantly alerted, Naruto padded out the door and crawled through the woods.
There seemed to be nothing at first. Then, however, a figure scurried through the forest.
Naruto's sense took hold of him. "Someone is spying on us."
He crept back indoors without a word, but his mind was already agog.
Zabuza was alive. He was certain of it. And the next fight loomed ahead.