For the rest of the day, Aceso stayed in the training area, collecting herbs for medicine. A big battle was coming up and they were going to need as much medicine as possible. It was getting quite late. 

" Why is it so hard?" She heard Naruto complain. Both he and Sasuke were panting, running low on chakra, but they were not about to give up.

" Kid," a voice said, she looked up to see Kakashi picking herbs with her.

" Dad?" Aceso asked.

" What are your goals as a ninja?" Kakashi asked.

"You should just know this already," Aceso said. 

"A little reminder won't hurt," Kakashi laughed as he put a hand behind his head. "Goals do change over time."

"My goals...." Aceso began. "I want to be the greatest healer across all the lands, like Lady Tsunade. Another goal is to take over the hospital. Why do you ask?"

" I've asked Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto, figured I'll ask you again," Kakashi answered. " You've already practically taken over the hospital, next step is becoming the greatest medical ninja, I'm pretty sure you can do it."

" You do?" Aceso asked as she picked more herbs.

" You just helped a woman in labor the day before the mission started, right?" Kakashi recalled.

" I've done it multiple times since I've left the academy," Aceso answered.

" Have you ever lost a mother during it?" Kakashi asked.

" No," Aceso answered.

" You've helped many severely injured ninja," Kakashi recalled. "If I recall at seven, you lead the surgery of reattaching a man's hand back to his arm."

" With help from others," Aceso answered. " But I've healed many on my own before."

" See you are already a great healer," Kakashi said. " If you were to betray the village, you would have to be eliminated."

" Thanks?" Aceso asked.

" It's a good thing," Kakashi answered with a smile.

" I would never betray the village Dad," Aceso assured. " I love our people too much." He laughed lightly " You should head back to the house, you need more rest."

" Well, you should come back as well," Kakashi advised. " You're the medical ninja." Aceso nodded her head in agreement and went back to the house. Aceso applied for medical care on Kakashi and soon almost everyone sat around the table eating with Tsunami and Aceso did the dishes.

" Het, this is fantastic," Tazuna chuckled as Naruto and Sasuke scarfed down their food. " It's been ages since we've had so many guests around our table.

" I want more!" Sasuke and Naruto requested as they stood up holding empty bowls. Aceso turned around and heard them grunt, lighting struck between them, and they growled. Then sat down, leaned off to the side, and threw up.

" Don't eat so much if you're going to puke it up!" Sakura shouted as she stood up angrily.

" I have to eat," Sasuke growled as he glared at Naruto.

" And I have to eat more than him," Naruto growled as he glared back. " It's the only possible way I'll get strong enough to beat him."

" That's true," Kakashi nodded.

" But puking won't help you," Aceso said as she grabbed a rag, a bucket, and water, to go clean up the puke. Soon dinner was finished and Sakura was looking around the room, as the boys drank tea. And while Tsunami did the dishes and Aceso cleaned up the puke.

" Excuse me, this picture is torn," Sakura pointed out. " Is there some reason for that?." She looked back at the table. " Inari, you kept glancing at it all through dinner. It looks like there was someone else in the picture, but they got torn out. I mean, that's kind of strange, isn't it?" All three members of the family made a sound.

" It's my husband," Tsunami answered.

" They used to call him a hero in this land" Tazuna recalled. Inari removed himself from the table.

" Inari, where are you going?" Tsunami asked. She marched over to the door, opened it, and then looked back angrily. " Father, you can't talk about him like that in front of Inari, you know that." She closed the door going after her son.

" Inari's so...I mean, what happened to him?" Sakura asked.

" Hm," Kakashi asked. " Is there a story behind this?"

" He wasn't his real father," Tazuna answered. " He came into our family later. And he brought so much happiness. He and Inari were very close." Everyone looked at the picture more closely. " In those days, Inari used to laugh all the time." Tazuna began to get shaken up. " But then..."

" Hm?" Aceso asked.

" Uh..." Naruto sounded.

" All that ended," Tazuna said as tears fell from his eyes and onto the table. " He never laughs or smiles anymore, ever since the day everything changed. " Everyone looked at him, listened more intensely. " The word courage was stolen from this island. We were left feeling powerless, hopeless, and Inari suffered the most ever since that day, ever since it happened."

" Tell us," Kakashi requested.

" First you need to know about the man, his father," Tazuna began to explain. " The man who taught us the word courage, who was a hero, in this land." He took off his glasses and wiped his eyes.

" A hero, really?" Naruto asked.

" You can decide that for himself," Tazuna advised as he put his glasses back on. " He came here about three years ago." He then began to explain the situation between Inari, his dog, and the bullies. " Interesting enough at that exact moment, Pooch figured out how to dog paddle." There was the sound of a dog howling. Tazuna then continued on. " His name was Kaiza. A simple fisherman who'd come 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 meant, him to have Kaiza in his life. He looked up to him and 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. And then when the town needed him, he became something more." He then began to tell the story of one extremely stormy night. " From that time on, Kaiza was considered a hero in this land. He taught us all the meaning of courage, and Inari was so proud to be his son. But it wasn't long after that Gato showed up and took over. He terrorized the whole village. Only Kaiza stood up to him. Gato couldn't have a local heor getting in his way. It took his whole gang to stop one man." He told them how Gato and his men killed Kaiza in front of everyone, for an example for one to stand in their way again. " Since then Inari's change. So did Tsunami. And all our people. We lost out will." Naruto got up but then fell flat on his face.

" What are you doing down there, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

" You've used up too much chakra," Aceso told him.

" You better take the day off," Kakashi advised. " No more training. If you push any harder, it could kill you."

" I'm going to prove it" Naruto promised as he struggled to push himself up.

" Hm?" Tazuna asked.

" Prove what?" Sakura asked as Naruto got back to his feet, Aceso got behind him, ready to catch him if he started to fall.

" I'll prove that--That's it true," Naruto guaranteed. " That in this world...there are real heroes." He then started to fall backward, Aceso caught him." Give me some chakra Aceso."

" Oh no Naruto," Aceso denied. " Tonight you are going to recharge your chakra by resting."

" You've been giving Sensei chakra!" Naruto accused.

" That is incorrect," Kakashi denied.

" She is a medical ninja Naruto," Sakura reminded him. " She knows how to make medicine."

" Idiot," Sasuke stated.

" Come on," Aceso encouraged. " Let's get to the other room so you can rest."

" But," Naruto began to protest.

" You are worst than the three-year-olds I've treated, for colds," Aceso groaned everyone laughed.