My eyes snapped open, staring at the ceiling above me. I sit up with a groan, feeling the tightness in my arms and legs, and definitely in my chest. I gaze around me, wondering why I had been sleeping alone. I looked down at my chest, heaving out a sigh as crisp, white bandages covered my torso. I grabbed my kimono, attempting to pull it on as the door slides open. I squeak, pulling the blanket up to cover my chest. "Ren! You're awake!" Sakura chimes happily, coming to my side immediately.

"Sakura... You ever hear of knocking?" I groan, slumping forward. She giggles as she helps me dress.

"You took a beating, for sure. You chest looked like a giant grape with out purple it was!"

"Gah!" She laughs again, helping me stand.

"By the way, I just wanted to apologize." She hummed, looking down and clasping her hands behind her back.

"Hm?" I cock my head at her, wondering just what the heck she was going on about.

"The hair dye? I guess, after seeing you fight just to keep us safe, that I never really did apologize." A smile lifts onto my lips. "Besides, Ino keeps telling me you're not even interested in Sasuke like I am."

My face drops and I'm sitting there wondering if that really was her reason. "Jeez Sakura, you sure can be possessive."

"Oh, I know! But hey! Come on! Breakfast is about done! And the guys are waiting anxiously for you to get back so we can eat together!" She grabs onto my hand and practically hauls me out of the room.

"S-Sakura!"

Sasuke and Naruto both jump out of their seats when we enter the dining room. Sasuke's face turned pink as he quickly sat back down, covering his lips with his fist in an attempt to cover up his concern. All the while Naruto swarmed, asking if I needed anything, or if I need a foot rub.

A fist slammed down onto his skull and sent him into the ground. "Calm down, Naruto. She just woke up. Give her some air." Sasuke reprimanded coolly. I smiled at them, and started to laugh. A flash of pain had me hunched over, holding my chest as I wheezed out small bursts of laughter from their bickering.

After breakfast, we all surrounded Kakashi. He had dark rings around his eyes and looked ill, and worn down. "Kakashi, your Sharingan is amazing and all, but it puts a lot of strain on you. It's not worth the fuss." I scold, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Sorry, Ren." Kakashi apologized.

"You put up a great fight against Zabuza, and that alone is something to be proud of, but since I am in your care, I worry for your health. So stop making me worry, or I'll burn your books." I state with a poker face. A cold chill washed over the room with my evil tone. Then, we all get serious.

"He did take down one of the most powerful ninja assassins so we'll be safe for a while," Tazuna commented.

"Well, yes. But something still doesn't make sense. Something doesn't feel right. It just doesn't make any sense.... I think he's still alive." I say calmly, staring down at my hands.

"You said so yourself, Ren! No vital signs!" Naruto shouted after everyone went against my gut feeling.

"Kakashi taught me about tracker ninjas a long time ago. He should've worked on Zabuza's body right then and there, but he didn't. I'm thinking, he hit the pressure point in his neck to put him into a near death state, so I couldn't feel his pulse. I think they're in kahoots." I explain.

"Ren's right." Kakashi stated, sitting up with an exhausted sigh. "We'll have to get ready for our next meeting with him."

"But how can we do that when you and Ren can barely move?!" Sakura questioned, making Kakashi chuckle.

"I can still train you." Kakashi said, smiling at my confused expression.

"Hold on! A little last minute training won't make us strong enough to fight Zabuza!" Sakura yelled, angry and frustrated that Kakashi may be putting us at risk. "You could barely defeat him with your Sharingan! We have to be reasonable about this!"

"Sakura," I call, looking at her with a smile. "Why do you think he could stop him before? Because we all helped him. We've grown incredibly. Naruto the most." I comment. Kakashi agrees with me.

"So you noticed, huh? Now things are gonna get better, believe it!" Naruto grasped my hand, grinning wildly.

"I don't believe it and nothings going to be good!" A voice shouts. We all turned to see a small boy standing in the doorway. He was short and adorable. He reminded me of Konohamaru. He wore overalls and a fishing hat to cover his brown hair. His mother scolded him as his grandfather opened the behavior with open arms. To carry on being rude because he was himself.

"Well, that's nice." I hum, helping Kakashi stand.

~*****~

We stood out in the forest, forming a line in front of Kakashi. "Alright, training starts now! First, we will begin with a review of Chakra, a ninja's basic source of power. Understanding Chakra is essential." Kakashi started.

"We know that." Sasuke stated, as if Kakashi were patronizing us. Oddly, Naruto agreed. I leaned into Sakura.

"Wow, they actually agree on something." I whisper to her, earning an approving hum.

"Yeah! He's right! A long time ago, we learned about Catra!" Naruto shouted.

"Ren.... Can you handle this?" Kakashi asked, moping already.

"Naruto. It's called Chakra. It's used in everything we do as ninja." I explain dumbly enough for him. He just gives me a blank look. "Uggggghhh, fine. Let me explain it in detail then." It was like a little blackboard popped up behind me. "Chakra is energy that a ninja uses when he uses a jutsu! It's the source of all his power! Now this energy has two forms; Physical energy, which exists in all cells in the entire body all working together. And Spiritual energies primal source of power intensified by training and experience. As you see, these two types of chakra must be drawn out together in order to form jutsu. Notice the interlay between physical and spiritual power. Finally; hand signs focus and unleash the chakra." I state, feeling like a teacher.

"Right on all points, Ren. Iruka Sensei really did have some excellent students." Kakashi comments, ruffling my hair. I grin and flash a peace sign.

"Gah, what's the big deal with all these complicated explanations?! The whole point is to learn the jutsu, isn't it" Naruto snapped angrily, crossing his arms. Sasuke nods his head in agreement.

"We're already using chakra anyway to perform jutsu." Sasuke grunts.

"No!" I snap at them, propping my hands on my hips. "We haven't mastered this power! We've barely scratched the surface!"

Naruto began to freak out before Kakashi stopped him. He explained what controlling your chakra could so and what we needed to do before setting the task and throwing four kunai to each of us to mark the trees with. We needed to climb the trees using only chakra and the soles of our feet. I grasp at the kunai in my hand and smile to myself. I let out an even breath and clasp my hands together, focusing my chakra. I run at the tree, determination coursing through me.

I sit atop the tree besides Sakura, just a few branches ahead of her, grinning down at the two boys at the bottom. "Hey, Sakura! How easy was this?" I call, sitting on my branch.

"Way easy! How did us fragile girls get it so quick?" We both start laughing.

"Ren! Sakura!" Naruto shouted out, gazing up at us. Kakashi smiled underneath his mask, pride in his eyes. We both grinned again, flashing another peace sign and sticking our tongues out.

"Well, it looks like the females on this squad have the best control. I'd expect nothing less from the two smartest girls in their age group." Kakashi praised. Sakura and I both blossomed from the praise. "Well, since the two ladies understand chakra, and they can control it and maintain it as well. We talked about someone becoming Hokage one day, didn't we? It seems Sakura and Ren will be competing for that title instead. And as far as the Uchiha, maybe they're not so great after all...." I smirked to myself, loving that motivation he put on the boys.

An hour passed and Sakura and I were sitting at the bottom, taking a rest after getting to the top several times. I hear a soft hissing sound. Sakura and I look over at Naruto. "Psst! Sakura!" Naruto waves her over. I giggle as she groans and goes over to him.

"Ren...." I nearly shriek as a soft voice slips over my ear. I whirl around, grasping the fabric of my shirt.

"You can't just do that!" I hiss quietly. He grabbed my hand and tugged me out of sight, his cheeks turning pink.

"Can you.... give me some advice?" He asked, hunching his shoulders up as his cheeks turned darker and darker.

I felt my lower stomach tighten and I stopped myself from complimenting him. He looked really cute and I just wanted to kiss him. I stopped that thought, feeling my own cheeks heat up. 'Damn all these hormones...'. I sigh out and nod. "Okay. The main point is to balance your chakra and maintain it at a steady rate. Here, do this." I clasp my hands together like anyone would do to focus their chakra. He copies me. "Now close your eyes." He closes them. "Don't freak out, okay?" He nods. I press my hand against his stomach. His cheeks turn red as he fights to remain still. "Visualize in your mind this is where all the chakra resonates within. This is the starting point. Now, it's going to travel everywhere, spreading throughout your body. It'll go to your arms," His biceps flexed lightly as his face turned neutral, no distractions clear anymore. "It'll move down towards your legs," There was a subtle shift in his legs. "And it'll push power through them," He sighs out of his nose. "Now visualize the chakra at your feet, and push more chakra down in them. But not too much. You want maybe a little less than double the amount of chakra down there. After your can get that, try running at the tree again." He nods and opens his eyes, and runs at the tree, getting much higher than he was before. He marked the tree as he exerted too much chakra and propelled off the tree. I clapped for him, grinning up at the Uchiha. "Excellent! It'll take awhile, but I think you got the hang of it, right?"

Sasuke nods and looks over his shoulder for a second before leaning forward, pressing a quick kiss to my check and resuming his training. I cup my cheek and start to panic.

~*****~

Sakura and I were at the bridge the next day, guarding Tazuna since we were way ahead of the boys on training. Sakura sat on the bridge while I ran around, handing out bottles of water to the workers when they needed them. It didn't take long for Tazuna, Sakura, and I to go around town to get groceries for dinner tonight. We stepped into a little, baren shop. I frowned at the amount of items on the shelves. I sighed out and lifted up a small apple and shined it on my kimono, gasping as it slipped from my fingers. I bent down, reaching for it. "You pervert!" I hear Sakura scream. I stand up and whirl around, gazing at a man who had reached out for me, a few inches from grabbing me. Sakura kicked him out of the shop, ready to knock the lights out of him.

"Woah, Sakura. Don't kill the locals." I state, stepping out with the apple I had purchased. "Even if they're lecherous old men."

"I'm sorry! I'm not like that!" The man shouted back, on the verge of tears. "Please, I have kids to feed, my family hasn't eaten in a week! I was reaching for your pouch, hoping for some money...."

"Listen dude, I get the world and people in it have problems, but do you think I was born yesterday? Here, if you're so hungry, take the apple." I snap, tossing the apple at him. "Now, beat it." I huffed angrily and stomped off with the bag of food Tazuna had me carry.

"You both really surprised me back there. Girls around here don't fight like that." Tazuna commented.

"They should! There's something seriously wrong here!!" Sakura replied before whirling around to snap again, but before her stood a small child, begging for food. Her eyes showed the heart break within, and I found myself tearing up.

"This is why we need to finish the bridge. Not for money and food, but for the spirit of the people...." Tazuna said glumly.

Once we arrived back at the house, I offered the help make dinner, seeing as how I'd feel weird if I didn't cook like I did back home. Tsunami and I got along really well, surprisingly. Sasuke and Naruto were the last to arrive for dinner. I sat by Sasuke while Naruto sat across from us. I ate slowly, my eyebrow twitching as they both horfed down their food, completely enamored with competing with each other. After forcing down so much food, they both puked, and asked for more almost immediately afterwards.

I slammed my bowl down and grabbed both their ears, growling a little. "Stop eating so much just to puke it up! We worked hard to make this supper and it is not going to waste!"

"I have to eat...." Sasuke breathed out, glaring at Naruto.

"And... I have to eat more than him. It's the only way I'll get strong enough to beat him...." Naruto explained.

"This isn't the way to do it, you idiots!"

~*****~

"Excuse me...." Sakura starts as I sip at a cup of tea with Kakashi. I look over at her, gazing at the picture she stood in front of. "This picture is torn. Is there some reason for that?" The pictured captured Old Tazuna, Inari, and Tsunami, but a forth person is cut off. "Inari, you kept glancing at it all through dinner. It looks like someone else was in the picture, but it got torn out. I mean, it's kinda strange." Sakura stated. All three of the pictured gasped in pain. I set my cup down, furrowing my eyebrows at their mannerisms.

There was nothing but silence for a moment or two. Tsunami was the first to break it. "It's my husband...."

"They... used to call him a hero in this land...." Tazuna said gently. Inari got up from his seat and bolted.

"Inari! Where are you going!?" Tsunami called out, clearly distraught. She ran after him, looking back at Tazuna with a glare. "Father, you can't talk about him like that in front of Inari! You know that!"

We were all quiet again. "Inari's.... so.... I mean, what happened to him." Sakura wondered aloud.

"Is there a story behind this?" I question.

"He wasn't his real father... He came into our family later." Tazuna started, gazing at the photo on the wall. "And he brought so much happiness. He and Inari were very close." Naruto looked up, interested in the story now. "In those days, Inari used to laugh all the time..." Tazuna's voice started to break, a slight shiver to his tone. "But then-" Kakashi and I piped up, gazing at him. "All that ended... He never laughs or smiles anymore... Ever since that day, everything changed.... The word courage was stolen from this island, and we were left feeling powerless, hopeless, and Inari suffered the most. Ever since that day, ever since it happened..."

"Tell us... What happened to Inari?" Kakashi asked gently.

"First, you need to know about the man, his father.... The man who taught us the word courage, who was a hero in this land." Tazuna explained.

"Huh? A hero? Really?" Naruto asked, listening intently to the old man.

"You can decide that for yourself. He came here about three years ago...." Tazuna went into detail about a younger Inari being bullied by some older kids. They tried to take his puppy, Potchi. They threw the dog into the water, and Inari dived in after him, hell bent on saving him. "Interestingly enough, Potchi figured out how to dog paddle...." Tazuna hummed, a slight chuckle to his tone. Inari was going to drown, and those rotten boys just ran after the dog. But then, a man dove in, saving Inari just in time. Inari woke some time later to see a man by the fire, roasting fish for them. Inari explained what happened to the man. The man was quite inspirational. "His name was Kaiza. A simple fisherman who came here from another land to follow his dreams. After that, Inari and Kaiza were inseparable, the boy had never known his real father, so you can imagine what it mean to him to have Kaiza in his life. He looked up to him, followed in his footsteps like a real father and son. Kaiza spent more and more time with us until he just naturally became a member of our family." I gazed up at Kakashi, smiling at the older man as a sense of affection for my brother figure just welled up inside. "And then, when this town needed him, he became something more...." Tazuna explained a very stormy night, a man bursting into this house, calling for Kaiza's help. The flood gate had opened, and the water began to rise quickly. The lower district would be destroyed if they didn't close it. The water was strong, and very dangerous. No one had been willing to swim out there, no one, except for Kaiza. Kaiza swam out there, through the strong rapids and successfully attached the rope to the other end of the gate. The lower district had been saved. "From that time on, Kaiza was considered a hero of this land. He taught us all the meaning of courage, and even Inari was so proud to be his son...." Tazuna hummed, joy swimming through his eyes. "But it wasn't long after that Gato showed up and took over. He terrorized the whole village, and only Kaiza stood up to him." He told us how Kaiza was beaten in a warehouse. It took an entire gang to stop one man. They beat him black and blue, and broke both arms till they were so bruised, you couldn't even see his skin color anymore. They executed him as a statement to those who wish to defy Gato. Inari had cried and cried as they killed his father. "Since then, Inari's changed... So did Tsunami and all our people. We lost our will..." Tazuna finished. I looked down at the table, biting the inside of my cheek. The boy had been through something traumatic. Naruto got up, trying to run off. He only got a few steps away before he collapsed.

"Naruto, what in the world are you doing?" I ask, getting up to help him. "You better take the day off."

"No more training. You've used too much Chakra. If you push any harder, it could kill you." Kakashi added.

"I'm gonna prove it!" Naruto claimed. I cocked my head at him.

"Hm?" Tazuna hummed.

"Prove what, exactly?" I question.

"I'll prove that.... that it's true! That in this world, there are real heroes!" He exclaimed.

A smile forced it's way onto my lips and I just stared at the knucklehead. He continued to surprise me.