Naruko: Chapter 011

Chapter 11.
(Follows chapter  20 & 21 of the manga)

          Everyone looked to Tazuna, waiting for him to continue, to tell them about what had happened.
He still had a few tears in his eyes as he thought about the time that seemed so long ago.
"Our people- especially Inari - were robbed of the very meaning of courage, because of what happened that day." Tazuna said.
"What happened?" Kakashi asked.
"Let me start at the beginning, let me tell you about the man our entire land called a champion and a hero." Tazuna said as he wiped the tears from his eyes and composed himself again.
Naruko looked at him, 'Champion?!' she thought.
"It was about three years, Inari got himself in to some trouble with a few boys. They were picking on a stray dog he had befriended, and in act of childish thuggery, they threw the dog in to the lake." Tazuna began. "Inari was scared, he couldn't swim, and it terrified him to be unable to save the dog he defended. Those boys continued to tease him, calling him a coward and a baby, before pushing him in to the water."
"Inari nearly drowned that day, and we would have lost him if it wasn't for one man. His name was Kaiza. He was a fisherman who came here from abroad to seek his fortune. He taught Inari the value of protecting the thing that you care about 'if something is precious to you... no matter how painful or how hard it seems, no matter what it cost you, you have to hang in there, and protect it with all the strength you've got, even if it means your life.' is what he would always say." Tazuna paused, thinking back on those days with fondness. "After that day, Inari's fondness and affection grew and grew. Perhaps it was something to do with  Inari's real father having died before he was born, but he and Kaiza were always together, like any father and son; and in no time at all, Kaiza was a member of the family."
Tazuna sat back his chair stretching, "One day a big storm came, and the town was in danger. The river banks overflowed, and the locks that kept us safe were buckling and if they gave way, a whole section would have been lost to the waters, and toll on life would have been numerous... it was thanks to the heroic actions of Kaiza, that the town was saved. He was a hero. People hailed him as their champion, and as his father, Inari could hold his head up high." Tazuna sighed.
"And then the incident happened?" Kakashi asked.
"Gato... came..." Tazuna said, "..and because Kaiza stood up to him... he was publicly put to death."
Everyone was stunned, they were surprised, this Gato was really a fiend.
"Ever since then, Inari has changed...and Tsunami... and everyone in the city's changed too." Tazuna sadly finished.

Naruko was leant forward on to the table, her head in her arms, as she thought back on Inari.
His sadness, his tears, his lack of faith. He no longer believed in heroes, now she understood why.

Naruko stood up, she was still a bit worn out, and her body trembled from the strain. But even so, she began to walk away.
"Naruko... Where are you going?" Sakura asked.
"I hope you don't think you're going to do any more training today." Kakashi said, "If you keep training your chakra without getting some rest first, it would probably kill you."
Naruko stopped, but didn't look back, "I'm going to prove to him that he's wrong." she said.
"Prove what? To who?" Sakura asked.
Everyone was surprised, and curious, even Sasuke.
Naruko smirked as she looked over her shoulder. "I'm going to show Inari... that there are still heroes in the world." she confidently claimed.
And with that, Naruko left.
Everyone looked at each other, no one was going to stop her, yet wondered why she even cared so much about a stranger, who obviously didn't want to know.

Kakashi just smiled, her heart was just that big.

After the sun had gone down, Sasuke was outside, looking up at the stars, and thinking, when Sakura joined him.
"Hey Sasuke." she blushed. "I'm surprised your not out training too."
"I'm exhausted, any further training would be detrimental to my physical body." he said.
"Wow... you're so smart." Sakura smiled.
Sasuke looked to her, making her blush a little more. She felt this was such a romantic moment, the two of them under the stars, alone and together.
"Sakura." he then said, making her blink, he was talking to her. "I need your help."
This made her heart flutter. "A-anything."
"You gave Naruko some advice." he said. "I could use the same advice." He blushed a little, hating to ask for help.
"Oh..." She happily smiled. "Of course."
The two then began to talk, as Sakura gave him the same advice as she gave to Naruko.

Days passed by, one after the other, Naruko only returning to eat, before disappearing all day and night to train.
And on the sixth day of their training, Naruko was worn out, so much so, she collapsed under the strain, falling to the earth unconscious.

It was then, a young person arrived. A girl? She looked very familiar. Was it Haku?
This person certainly looked at Naruko and recognised her.
"The girl who fought with Zabuza." Haku blinked as he knelt down beside her.

Back at the Tazuna household, Sakura was yawning as she entered the room for breakfast.
"Morning." she said.
"Good morning." Tazuna said. "Naruko not with you again?"
"No... she never came back again." Sakura said as she sat near Sasuke at the table, smiling at him with a blush. Sasuke blinked, and just continued to eat his breakfast. "Ever since she heard that story, she's spent every night, training by herself."
Tazuna was drinking some tea, and looked into the cup, feeling guilty for telling the story that was making the blonde kunoichi push herself so much.
"If she exhausts her chakra, she could kill herself and be laying somewhere, dead," Sakura sighed, she did hope that hadn't happened, but Naruko was stupid enough to do that, and it did worry her a little.
"Well, I hope she's OK." Tsunami said, "It's not good for a young girl to spend night after night out alone."
"Oh I wouldn't worry." Kakashi smiled, "She may be goofy, and headstrong, but she's a fully fledged ninja."
"But she's usually back for breakfast, is it possible, that she did kill herself?" Sasuke asked, surprising the team with his concern. "She is a bonehead."
Inari was sat nearby, and listened, looking down, she was really training herself that hard? Why?

    Back where Naruko was still lay. Haku was shaking her gently. "You'll catch a cold or something, sleeping on the ground." he said.
"Huh?!" Naruko groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. "Who... who are you?" she asked.
Haku just smiled cutely. He certainly did look like a very cute girl. Was he?


A short time passed, and Naruko was taking a break by helping Haku gather some herbs.
"Are these really medicinal?" Naruko asked, as she picked more.
"Yes." Haku replied, "I'm sorry to have imposed on  you."
"Nah, that's OK, us girls have got to stick together, it's not like a boy would do this kind of work." she giggled.
"So what are you doing out here so early?" Haku then asked.
"Training." Naruko replied.
"Oh!" Haku blinked. "That headband, does that mean you're some kind of ninja?"
"Yeah." Naruko grinned proudly.
"Impressive." Haku said. "But... why are you training?"
"To build up my strength." Naruko answered.
"But why? You seem so strong already."
"Nope, I need to get stronger than this."
"But... why?"
"Well... I have to become the strongest in my home town." Naruko said as she continued to pick a few more herbs. "To show everyone who frowned at me, that I'm someone, to get their respect; and... at the moment... I have a point to make to someone."
Haku looked at her curiously. "So... are you doing this for that someone? Or for your own self-satisfaction?"
"Huh?!" Naruko blinked, confused by the question, which made Haku chuckle a little.
"Do you have someone special in your life?" Haku suddenly asked.
"Huh?! You mean like a boyfriend?" she asked.
"It could be."
The first thing that entered her head was the kiss she and Sasuke shared, which made her blush, but quickly shake it off like it was annoying. "NO... NO WAY!!" she cried out in a panic.

Haku was thinking about an answer too, back to a childhood, the day he met Zabuza.

"Hey... are you OK?" Naruko asked.
"When people are protecting something truly precious to them, they truly become as strong as they must be." he said.
Naruko blinked, unsure why this girl was saying that. But after a moment, she certainly understood what was said.
"Yeah." she said, thinking about Iruka and when she protected him, and Kakashi's words. "I know all about that." she smiled happily.
Haku smiled too, as he got up.
"Well... I'm sure you'll get stronger then." he said. "We'll meet again soon."
"Yeah." Naruko smiled.
"Oh... by the way... I'm a boy." he said as he walked away, leaving Naruko surprised and confused. How could that be??

The next day soon came around again.
Sakura and Kakashi, who was still on crutches, were walking through the forest.
"Stupid Naruko, she still didn't come back again last night." Sakura moaned. "Pushing herself beyond her limit, coming back for food, all bruised and dirty. What kind of girl is she?!"
They soon arrived at where Naruko had bee training, but they couldn't see her.
"Where is she NOW!" Sakura, annoyed. "She keeps disappearing, and then this morning, Sasuke goes out, and hasn't come back since."
She was more annoyed that Sasuke was out in the woods with Naruko a lot more than he was with her. Her imagination was getting the better of her and she was panicking, could they be in a romantic rendezvous.
"NOOO!" she cried out.
"Hmm?!" Kakashi blinked. Making the pinked haired Kunoichi blush and sweatdropped in embarrassment.
"N-Nothing." she nervously giggled.

Suddenly, a kunai shot down at them, and landed at their feet.
They looked up, and laying, lazily in a branch high up, was Naruko, who waved.
Sakura gasped, "She's made it all the way up there?!" she said, sounding surprised.
Kakashi looked impressed.
"Look... see... I can climb all the way up here now." she giggled as she tried to stand up in the branch.
Although as she did, her one foot slipped and she began to fall.
Kakashi wanted t move, but his injuries were still so, that he knew he couldn't.
"NARUKO!!" Sakura cried out.
"If she falls from that height she'll..." Kakashi gasped.

But Naruko didn't fall, in fact, she smirked and laughed as she hung upside down, her feet attached to the trunk by chakra, her long pigtails hanging down more.
"PSYCHE!" she cried out.
"YOU MORON!!! YOU NEARLY GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!!" Sakura angrily screamed out.
Naruko giggled as she looked down, but then her head began to swim, and her vision blur, as she suddenly began to loose focus from exhaustion. As she did she lost her chakra grip and began to fall.
"Uh oh!" Kakashi said, panicked.
"TWICE IS ENOUGH ALREAD, QUIT PLAYING AROUND." Sakura screamed, but was it a trick?

Naruko began to fall, but was soon caught by the sudden rescue by Sasuke, as he caught her by her ankle... just.
"You bone head." he frowned.
"YEAH!!! SASUKE SAVES THE DAY!!" Sakura cheered.
Kakashi smiled, but then noticed something. Naruko really was unconscious.
"Naruko?" Sasuke said, "Naruko?!"
"She really must have passed out!" Sakura blinked.

It wasn't long  before they got Naruko down, and had her resting on the ground. She had a smile on her face, she looked so proud, and that made the others happy.

To Be Continued...