A/N: No, Naruto clones will not talk. Kage bunshin replicates the brain, which means he fights, feels, acts like the original.

AND IM BACK

This chapter is really late because 1. exams, 2. writer's block, 3. got a fat job with fat bucks at a fat factory we call GIANT ahahahaha jk they aren't fat bucks but you kno. GIANT? Get it? fat? hahahahahaha I'm so dead inside. Did I mention writer's block?

It took me a while to pump out this chapter because I had no idea what I wanted to do with it until I got a great idea.

This chapter with Inari- if you all know Inari is 8 years old, and I want to set this down before the chapter starts. These are all thoughts I had as an 8 year old child and maybe I led a depressing life but that's okay- the point is that an 8 year old is capable of having these thoughts.

I've also converted the cm to feet for the convenience of my American readers (I'm also American) and I wrote in cm for the convenience that WE SHOULD SWITCH TO THE METRIC SYSTEM *cough*

I'm starting to get an idea where I want each teammate to specialize in and I hope it's surprising but makes sense. Next, there's a lot of POV changes, but I won't be labeling them anymore. Hope you can figure them out.

I'm also sorry about the canon filler. I hate when people add too much canon.

When I say "God," I don't mean any particular religion, I'm not particularly adept at any Japanese gods, (only the Christian God), so just remember I'm not talking about any particular religion. I'm talking about the concept of a God. (Technically Masashi Kishimoto is the God of Naruto and I am the God of this fanfiction ;)

Chapter 13

Vengeance is not for the Weak

Inari already knew the meaning of life. He was eight years old and one hundred twenty five centimeters (4 feet 1 inch); he already knew God was making a fool of them all. No one taught him the concept of God, it was simply one that existed that was generally accepted. Because the ninja had short lives, they needed the conciliation of knowing that there was an afterlife. A place with more peace and where all their dead comrades went. They wanted a place where their friends and family were.

For the civilians, God and Heaven was there for their family members who were ninja. God was someone to pray to when someone went out on a mission. Even merchants had a God. They prayed for safe trips and well being of their products and goods.t was all a private matter. The point was, someone had to put them there on this earth and give them chakra. So everyone knew there was a God. No one was sure which one it was, they just prayed to the great deity that put them there.

Well, Inari knew all about God and the stupid plans he had for the universe. The whole point was to sit and watch the silly earthlings suffer with all the other gods or angels, like children watching a puppet show. His struggle was a joke. His father was a joke. Gato was a joke, and finally, these ninja sitting at his table were a joke.

They were eating his mother's cooking. They weren't talking. They didn't understand what God was there for. God was the puppeteer, and if he could, he'd make more people suffer. Like these kids that were only four years older than him.

"I don't even know why you try, you're all going to die anyways," Inari pouted.

They stared at him, their eyes bore heavily into his own. He pulled his cap over his head and ran away. They were so stupid. All they could do was stare at him. The one with the white pupils looked scary though. She seemed like she'd even scare someone like Gato. Except she was only twelve. If his father couldn't defy fate, why could a bunch of twelve year olds defy fate?

There was no answer. The point was that God just wanted to see more suffering. It added drama and intensity for his audience. Those strings around the puppets' arms, he imagined he could take a pair of scissors and snip the strings off and they'd collapse like dolls.

Inari stopped to wonder what his real father would be like. If he was Inari's biological father, would that make him better than Kaiza? Inari shook his head, he barely knew his own father. Kaiza, on the other hand, was everyone's hero.

He stared at the picture sitting by his bed, a picture of the man who once tried to defy fate. The one whom he loved as a father, the only one who gave him any time of day.

He heard a knock at the door.

Inari's story was told to the silent teammates. Kaiza was a hero, and he died.

Sasuke tapped a kunai impatiently against the table, scratching the already worn top. The story made Sasuke sick to the gut. Not because Kaiza was a hero that died, or that Inari was left mourning the loss of his father, it was the fact that Inari had given up.

He looked at his other two teammates, they were staring mournfully at the ground imagining the rough life Inari must have been through. They were probably guilty or ashamed of hating the child in the moment he yelped back at him like a puppy whose tail had been stepped on. Sasuke had no qualms against hating the child.

"What a brat," he said aloud, but only loud enough that Hinata and Naruto could hear him. They looked at him surprised. Kakashi may have heard him but he was playing with his food, making smiley faces out of them.

He got up and left after Inari's room, wherever that was, where he could hear the crying and knocked.

No one answered.

Sasuke opened the door, "I know you're in here."

Inari clutched onto his picture of Kaiza, hugging it close to him. His hat drooped over his eyes.

"You look like a miserable puppy that's been abandoned in a dumpster," Sasuke glared hard at him.

"What? So what? You can't do anything," Inari looked more angry than sad at that point, wiping away his fallen tears. His face was red, cap askew, only a snarl decorated his face.

"Listen here," Sasuke grabbed onto Inari's collar, "you may think that it's impossible to kill Gato. You have already given up before you started. I have not. I won't be stopped. You know why?"

"Why?" Inari looked terrified. Sasuke supposed that look on Inari's face made Inari think that Sasuke was going to hit him or something.

"Because I haven't avenged my family yet," Sasuke threw Inari back. "I don't understand weaklings like you. Don't you ever want to do something? Don't you want to take revenge?"

"I do!" Inari snarled back, now Sasuke clearly wasn't in his face threatening him.

"Then why have you given up?"

"It's so impossible! Gato is so much stronger than..." Inari sighed, tears welling up, threatening to spill over.

"Inari," Sasuke said as calmly as possible, "There are many people who are too weak to even think about revenge." Sasuke was thinking about Naruto. The boy who lets people step on him, spit on him, call him names. The boy who thinks its better to disappear than get back at anyone.

"I think about revenge all the time," Inari protested.

"Oh yeah, and that's why you told us all to give up?" Sasuke asked. He was imagining Naruto growing claws and tearing apart anyone who got in his way, and anyone who once did harm to him. Sasuke got a shudder of satisfaction imagining that. He imagined Itachi's head on a silver platter being presented to him, eyes gouged out. He imagined stroking Itachi's long hair on his fallen head and calling him his weak brother who failed.

Sasuke was about to walk out the door when Inari ran out to tug on his leg.

"I want revenge. I really want revenge, too," Inari said. He looked up at the older boy, his eyes were watery but determined.

"Then I will try and present it to you on a silver platter," Sasuke replied.

Inari suppressed a shudder at Sasuke's wide eyed smile. It felt genuine, but reeked of insanity.

All that was left in his heart was revenge.

Kakashi brought excellent (or not so) news about Zabuza's survival and taught them how to climb trees. He sat at the bridge and recovered while the three of them struggled running up the trees.

Although Hinata achieved the exercise first and completed it, Sasuke learned shortly after.

Naruto on the other hand was trying his hardest not to let the team down. He worked all day just to master the tree climbing, with determination he knew both his teammates nor Kakashi had ever seen before.

Sweat trickled down his forehead as he tried again and again to run up the trees. His legs felt like they were failing him again. Burning muscles. What did it mean to be a ninja? Why did he begin?

He asked himself over and over as he pushed himself further up the tree, tearing through the bark with his kunai. All he wanted now was to not fall behind. He no longer wanted to burden anyone.

He fell down onto his back, looking up the tree that had been marked harshly from the ground up- to the top. He stared at the swaying trees and noticed the stars were distantly blinking in the sky. There was no one around to watch his slow demise where he knew less and less about himself. He wanted to cry but his tears had run dry crying about other things. He wanted to scream but his voice never worked.

But he succeeded. The tree was there, marked up. He made progress. Slowly but surely. Did it mean anything?

He didn't even notice that he fell asleep.

Haku briefly considered killing the whiskered boy in his sleep. There it was, he was gathering some herbs nice and easy for Zabuza. There he was, a boy no older than himself lying there like he didn't have a care in the world. Haku's hand threatened to creep up the boy's throat; Zabuza would be pleased. He had entertained the idea of killing for a long time, but since his father's death he had been a lot more careful about when he killed.

The boy was stirring. He woke up.

Blue eyes stared into Haku's face. Baggy eyes revealed his exhaustion; worry lines in his forehead; droopy cheeks; Haku felt like he knew that dead looking face. His hair had fallen over his headband, growing longer, spikier, less tamed.

"You'll catch a cold sleeping here," Haku said. The boy sat up, staring at Haku. He proceeded to pull out a tiny notebook and pencil from his kunai pouch.

Who are you? Thank you for waking me up. I'm Naruto.

"You can't speak?" Haku asked. He had been curious, watching the teammates sign to each other. Perhaps they all learned for this child.

Naruto nodded, confirming his answer.

"Well, I'm Haku," Haku proceeded to continue to gather the herbs. The introduced Naruto began helping out as well, to Haku's surprise. He seemed to know what kind of plants he was picking out.

They sat there laboriously pulling out the plants, yet it was soothing in itself.

Finally, Haku stopped him, and said, "Thank you for helping out."

I hope your friend feels better.

"I see you're a ninja," Haku said, more curious about the boy than he was about to let on.

Naruto nodded.

"Why did you decide to become ninja?"

Naruto stared at him, then slowly wrote down an answer.

I was wondering the same thing myself.

Haku closed his eyes, remembering when he first met Zabuza. The feeling of companionship. The reason why Haku trained so hard.

"Don't you think you should have a reason if you're going to sacrifice your life?" Haku asked.

You're right, I should. But my life doesn't really matter at the moment.

Haku stared down at the piece of paper, and Naruto's face stared blankly at Haku. The familiarity became clear. Haku, when he found himself alone for the first time, had those eyes. The boy who didn't know where he was going, what he was worth, why he existed.

"You truly mean it," Haku said, tired.

Naruto took a moment, then nodded.

"Than how about to your teammates? Does your life matter?"

Naruto sat there looking stumped, he didn't know how to respond.

I don't know.

"I believe that... people fight for the sake of others," Haku informed carefully, realizing he let it slip that he knew Naruto had teammates, "if you're going to be a ninja, maybe you could find someone to fight for."

Naruto's face brightened a little, like he understood Haku. He nodded eagerly then suddenly ran away. He ran back with a slip of paper, stuffing it into Haku's hands. Then ran off. Haku unwrinkled the paper.

Thank you.

P.S.

You're not fooling anyone with those sandals- shinobi-san.

Haku stared down at his feet, slapping his forehead. He forgot to change shoes.

Observant children.

He smirked and stuffed the paper into his kimono. Doesn't matter now anyways, the boy was gone and there was no valuable information given or taken. Though Haku might have accidentally motivated his enemy to become stronger.

A/N: Anyone ever notice in the manga most civilians wear flip flops or some shit, but shinobi have them sandals tho?

... I know in the manga he wears flip flops just let me have control over this silly little ending line.

Also read a great theory about why Haku is actually a girl. I will just stick to my pronouns though, despite me desperately wanting Haku to be a girl. (Balance of male and female man, I really like when there are an equal amount of male to female characters. Naruto has an overwhelming majority of male characters.) :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(