Chapter 10: What Was Left Behind

Naruto chewed on his lip, as the group continued on the road. He hadn't given it much thought before the battle on the bridge. And while it was happening, he barely had time to think. And afterwards, he'd been too worried about his teammates, too happy for everyone else. But now that Kakashi had brought it up, it was weighing heavily on his mind. Mizuki had told him that he was the host of the fox, the jinchuuriki as it was called. But while it had explained things, it hadn't meant much. It wasn't supposed to mean much. Everyone was just happy not to bring it up. So he had gone on, almost forgetting about it entirely in the excitement of becoming a ninja and beginning to go on missions. But that moment on the bridge, it became real to him. He had felt it. Deep inside him. And that surge of power. It had saved him. But what did it all mean? Kakashi seemed casual about it, but then again, he was casual about almost everything. He needed answers, but from the way his teacher had talked, he doubted that he could give them. He'd just have to get home.

Home.

The word resonated in his mind and he felt a pang of homesickness, missing his family, his friends, his village. He stuck his hand in his pocket, fishing for the small gift he had received before leaving Konohagakure behind.

But the pocket was empty.

His eyes widened, before he dived into the other pocket.

Also empty.

Franticly, he began shoving his hand into every pocket he had.

"Do you have an itch or something?" Sasuke asked annoyed.

"No, I just... Maybe it's in my backpack," the blond replied, flinging the pack of his back, before ripping it open so he could sift through its content with the manic movements of a starving badger.

The three others observed, Sasuke annoyed, Sakura dumbfounded and Kakashi amused.

"No, no, it's gone," he howled. "Where could it be?"

"As entertaining as this is, could you fill us in? I'm dying to know what apparently life essential item you've managed to lose," Kakashi inquired bemused.

"My coupon."

"Your what now?" Sasuke groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "All this over some stupid coupon?"

"It's not just any coupon," Naruto insisted annoyed, as he repacked his backpack. "It's a coupon my dad gave me. For one free portion of one of our luxury ramen dishes."

Sakura blinked. "You have to show a coupon to eat?"

"Well, if I want the expensive stuff, yeah. That or pay up," Naruto replied, as he put on the backpack. "That stuff doesn't grow on trees. I mean, some of the ingredients do, but not around here. My dad pays ryo through the nose to get that stuff. Goes into our most expensive dishes. So of course, he's not just giving it to us for free all the time. But that coupon..." He clenched his hand. "I need to get it back. I probably dropped it somewhere back at the bridge."

"No, we're not going back for your stupid coupon," Sasuke insisted. "That's just ridiculous."

"Hey, you're not the boss of me," the blond insisted.

"Kakashi, tell him to stop being an idiot," the raven-haired teen sighed.

"Actually, this could be a good team-building exercise," Kakashi commented, rubbing his chin.

Sasuke's eye twitched. "Are you... What's wrong with you?"

"I'm serious. Helping each other out with everyday things, like finding lost items, is essential to nurturing a healthy team relationship," the jonin continued. "Remember what I told you, Sasuke. Teamwork has to exist outside of the missions too."

"I mean... I guess we're not in a hurry," Sakura mumbled.

"Ugh, fine," Sasuke said, throwing his arms in the air. "Let's go comb over the entire island for a coupon. Not like this idiot couldn't have dropped it just about anywhere. It could currently be at the bottom of the sea alongside Gato for all we know, but sure, let's go look." Then he stomped off back from where they came.

"Thanks, Kakashi-Sensei," Naruto said. "You know, I should invite you all over for some ramen when we're done. Just to thank you."

"That would be nice," Kakashi replied, as the three of them began following Sasuke.

...

Tsunami swept the floor of the living room, humming a tune to herself as she did. She paused, as she noticed something colourful get swept up in the brush. She blinked, before bending down and picking it up. It seemed to be some sort of coupon. Putting the broom away, she turned and headed towards the kitchen.

"So then, Zori slashes the douchebag and he tries to fucking dodge," Waraji said, sitting across from Inari. "But he's too damn slow and Zori leaves this long cut across his fucking back. And then, thinking I'm hot shit, I rush in to cut the bastard down while he's in pain. But Kakashi, that sly motherfucker, he's prepared, just pretending he's in deep pain, so he... Oh, hello," he said, noticing Tsunami.

The mother sighed. "Must you speak like that? I'd rather not have Inari pick it up."

Waraji blinked. "The fuck are you talking about?"

Tsunami looked to Zori, who was reading the newspaper.

"Yes, my partner is that oblivious," he said, not even looking up. "You get used to it."

"Right. Then I have an idea," she muttered, getting a small plastic bottle from one of the kitchen shelves. She put it on the table right in front of the tattooed mercenary.

He stared and opened it, pulling out a small white pill. "The Hell is this shit?"

"That's a mint," Tsunami said. "Every time you swear, you take one of these. I'm sure that will at least help you limit your profanity."

Waraji stared at the pill, then Tsunami, then a smirking Zori.

"Take two, Waraji," the beanie-clad mercenary said. "Don't worry, I'll help you keep track."

"I can fucking count, you smug twat."

"And that's four already."

Waraji rolled his eye and picked up four, before shoving them in his mouth.

"Anyway, I found this in the living room," Tsunami said, holding up the coupon. "It says something about Ichiraku Ramen."

"Oh, Naruto mentioned that place," Inari said, jumping out of his chair. "He lives there. Probably his."

"Must have fallen out of his pocket while he and the others slept in there," Zori guessed.

"Seems like it," Tsunami agreed.

"So what the fuck do we do about it?" Waraji asked.

"One more."

"Shut the fuck up, Zori!"

"Make that two more."

The shirtless mercenary growled and popped more mints in his mouth.

"Well, maybe they haven't gotten on the boat yet," Inari suggested. "I'll run after them."

"Okay, just be back as soon as possible," Tsunami said, handing the coupon over. "Your grandfather will be heading home in a couple of hours and then there'll be dinner." She turned to the two mercenaries. "Hope you don't mind potato soup and fish. We're still a bit low on varied food."

"Nah, we've been on the road, living of the land. This is luxury in comparison," Zori replied.

"Yeah, you wouldn't believe the shit we had to fucking eat at times," Waraji agreed, voice slightly slurred from the mints in his mouth.

"That's two more."

"How about I shove this entire thing up your fucking asshole?"

"As long as you take four first."

"Bah."

"Yeah, I better get going," Inari noted, putting on a pair of sandals. "I'll be back real quick, I promise. See ya."

The three said their goodbyes as the kid shut the front door after him.

Waraji suddenly seemed to realise something. "Shit, I forgot to finish my fucking story."

"And that's two more," Zori noted with a smirk.

He had to jump out of his chair with a laugh as Waraji lunged for him. "ALRIGHT, THAT'S FUCKING IT!"

"Make that three more."

"I'M GONNA SHOVE YOUR FUCKING HEAD RIGHT UP YOUR ASS!"

"Five more."

"FUCK YOU!"

"Six."

Tsunami sighed as the two mercenaries rushed around the table, Zori laughing and Waraji cursing up a storm in-between shoving handfuls of mints in his mouth.

...

Inari rushed along the woodland path as fast as he could, hoping that he could reach the docks before Naruto and his friends did. He halted as three kids stepped out of the bushes, blocking his path. Inari just eyed the leader of the trio, a brown haired kid. "Hello, Akane," he flatly greeted him.

"Where you off to in such a hurry then?" he sneered.

"Dunno why you care, but I'm making a delivery." He moved to step around, but the three boys scuttled to the side to block his path. He sighed. "Yes?"

Yamabuki, a large, slightly pudgy kid with notable muscles and very early onset balding, pointed at him and said:" You've been acting all high and mighty lately. Like you're somebody."

"I am somebody," Tazuna's grandchild stated flatly. "I'm Inari."

"Oh yeah?" the last kid, a spiky haired lad who squinted a lot by the name of Ichigo, retorted, before walking up and poking him in the shoulder. "That doesn't make you a somebody. Walking around thinking you're cool just because your friends are ninjas."

Inari stared at his finger annoyed. "Alright, what are you three going to do about it?" he asked, looking back at them. "Try to drown me again?"

Ichigo jumped back as if the kid had electrocuted him. Even the two others looked blind-sided by the comment.

"Wh-what? Tha-that's ridiculous," Akane insisted. "We-we didn't try to drown you. It's your own fault. You live on an island, you should be able to swim. How were we supposed to know?"

"By asking," Inari suggested, slightly annoyed. "Look, if all you wanna do is stand there and try to make fun of me, can it wait? I still have a delivery to make."

"Don't act so tough," Yamabuki insisted, puffing his chest out in an attempt at being more intimidating. "We all remember how much of a crybaby you were. That's all you did. You cried over everything."

Inari rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Yeah," Ichigo added. "I bet now that those ninjas are gone, you're just a crybaby again."

"Okay, you got me. I shot a millionaire and now I'm a crybaby again. Can I go now?"

"I... No... Because..." Akane tried. It was obvious from the way he strained to finish the sentence that the encounter was not going the way he imagined it.

"So the ninjas are gone, eh?" came a rough sounding voice from the surrounding forest. The leaves rustled as a small group of thuggish looking men and women stepped out, blocking the path behind the trio.

"Who-who are you?" Ichigo nervously asked.

"Ah, just some enterprising people recently out of work," the ringleader, a scruffy looking woman, said. "You know, after that one killed our boss." She pointed at Inari.

"Great," the kid sighed.

"I... I think... I think I hear my mom calling," Akane tried, as he and his friends slowly stepped away. "We-we gotta go." They ran past Inari, only to find their path blocked by a couple more goons.

"Where are you going?" a scarred man asked. "We're going to have a party. And you're invited."

"Can we... Decline?" Yamabuki nervously tried, as Inari facepalmed.

The man smiled unpleasantly. "Oh no. I gotta insist."

Tazuna's grand-kid cursed himself for stepping outside of his home without a weapon on him, as the goon began moving in on them. "So, what, you're going to kill me?"

"Of course not. It's not like I cared about that bastard Gato," the woman said, before chuckling. "But I did care about my paycheck. And I'm sure that your parents will pay out big time to get you snot-nosed crotchspawns back."

...

Team Kakashi looked around on the bridge, where dozens of builders were hard at work constructing the structure.

"Man, this place was never this lively before," Naruto commented. "Finding Tazuna's going to be a pain."

"If sight fails you, use your other senses," Kakashi advised.

"Eh?" the blond inquired.

In the distance, cutting clear through the dense soundscape of industrial work, one could hear Tazuna yell: "GIICHI, REINFORCE THOSE SCAFOLDINGS BEFORE THE WHOLE THING TIPS OVER ALREADY!"

"For example, if we follow his relentless bellowing, we'll have a much better chance of finding him than by just staring at people," Kakashi explained, as the group began moving in the direction of the bridge-builder.

Tazuna was observing the workers, when he noticed the group approach him. "What happened, did you get lost?" he asked. "I sent you off not even a couple of hours ago, why are you back? Miss us already?"

"Actually, we're looking for my coupon," Naruto said. "It has a red edge and says Ichiraku Ramen on it. Have you seen it?"

"If I've... Do you think it's somewhere around here?" the man asked confused. "Listen, boy, if you dropped it here, I'm afraid you have a chicken in a fox den's chance of finding it again. You'll be lucky if it's just been trampled underfoot."

"Oh," Naruto muttered disappointed.

"Well, this was a waste of time then. Let's go," Sasuke said and turned around.

"Now, now, not so fast," Tazuna added. "Why do you think you lost it here?"

"Well, I mean, we did a lot of fighting;" Naruto replied.

"True. But couldn't you have lost it back at the house?" he continued. "I mean, you did undress there and so on."

Sasuke groaned loudly while staring at the sky. "Please don't encourage him."

"Now, now, Sasuke," Kakashi gently said. "Helping a teammate sometimes requires sacrifices. Even less dramatic sacrifices, such as one's time."

The Uchiha teen glared at him.

The workplace whistle rang out, signalling everyone to take a break.

"Well, timing," Tazuna noted. "I need to go home anyway for some stuff. Giichi!"

"Yes?"

"I'm gonna head home with this lot for a couple of minutes. You're in charge for now. If you think you can handle it."

"Alright, Boss."

The group left the workplace behind, following the road back towards Tazuna's place.

Sakura rubbed her chin as they walked, before asking: "Mr. Tazuna? There's something I've been wondering."

"And that would be?" he replied.

"Well... Why did Gato hire people like Zabuza and the mercenaries to deal with you? I mean, he already had dozens of people working for him. Wouldn't sending one of them to... Well, you know... Wouldn't that be... Easier?"

"Well, Gato certainly thought so the first four or so times," Tazuna replied. "But... Well, I am still part of the militia. I'm getting older, but I'm not that old. Taught my daughter and grandson what I could. And Kaiza, well, he was a former soldier. He also wanted them to be able to protect themselves. It was actually him who taught Inari how to handle a crossbow."

"And boy did he handle it," Naruto remarked.

"Yep. So when three thugs show up saying they need to bash Grandpa's skull open, well..." Tazuna shrugged. "Didn't go that well. For them, that is. Gato tried sending a couple more goons. Last time, the thugs just stood at a distance, took a smoke break and left. Guess they heard what happened to the ones that came before them. Inari shot one of them in the face." He shook his head. "I was sure Gato would just send a mob to burn our house down, but I guess he still wanted to play it subtle. So he hired Zabuza. And the rest you know."

"I see. That does explain a lot," Sakura noted.

Tazuna sighed. "I guess that was why I was so shocked when I found out how old you three youngsters were. Inari knew how to fight, but... I imagined he'd at most have to fend off a shark. Or maybe a mugger, if we were unlucky. This whole Gato thing... It really ate away at him. 'Specially after poor Kaiza died. So the thought of others just volunteering their kids for stuff like this... Took me by surprise." He looked to Kakashi. "Still don't approve, but I guess that's just how it is out there."

"If it helps, we try to only send them out on missions they are ready for," Kakashi replied. "Keyword being try. This whole Gato incident will make for an interesting report."

"Look, old man, I think we managed to prove that we are more than capable of handling these things," Sasuke said annoyed. "So if you could stop calling us kids, that would be nice."

"Well, you certainly proved you're lucky enough to handle it," Tazuna replied dismissively. "Honestly, the lot of you were in awful shapes. Dunno how you think that proves anything."

The raven-haired teen looked ready to hurl him into the ocean.

"Oh, look, we're here," Naruto said, hoping to defuse the tension. "Boy, I sure do hope my coupon is there."

"So do I. Maybe then we can go back home where our skills are appreciated," Sasuke added sourly.

"I'll ask for you if I need someone to fetch a cat from a tree," Tazuna replied. "What with you being so great at climbing and stuff."

Naruto opened the front door, hoping to hurry things along before they got explosive.

Inside, he noticed Tsunami observe something with concern. He followed her gaze and his eyes became like dinner plates. Zori looked kinda roughed up, but also utterly amused. But it was Waraji that really drew gazes. His cheeks bulged and he could barely keep his lips closed as he stared out into the air with a grim expression. His cyclopean gaze fell on Kakashi and his grim expression intensified.

Kakashi waved back.

"What in tarnation is going on here?" Tazuna asked.

"Tsunami here wanted to see if she could cure my buddy of his foul language," Zori said, pointing to his comrade with his thumb. "I'd say it worked. He can't say as much as a single curseword right now."

"Not that he can say anything else either," Tsunami sighed, turning to the group. "Oh, hey everyone. Why are you already back?"

"They're looking for a coupon," Tazuna said. "Think they might have dropped it here."

"Oh, did it say Ichiraku Ramen?" the mother inquired. "I found it in the living room where you had all slept."

"Told ya," Tazuna added.

"Great. Can I have it back now, please?" Naruto asked.

"Ehm... The thing is that Inari ran off to give it to you," Tsunami explained. "He's probably by the docks."

"Come on, really?" Naruto asked despairingly, as Sasuke began beating his forehead against the doorframe. "We could just have stayed put and it would have come to us?"

"Well, you couldn't know," Kakashi said, turning around. "Let's see if we can find Inari then."

"I hate everything about this," Sasuke grumbled, as he ceased hurting himself. "Six Paths, this ramen better be the best ramen in existence, or I will break you. In half"

"It is the best. Believe it," Naruto added with a grin, as Sakura followed with a sigh. "I'll buy you a bowl sometime and prove it."

"So what about you, Dad?" Tsunami asked, as the door closed behind the group.

"Eh, just need to get some stuff," the man said. "You have fun educating the foulmouthed one over there."

Waraji just glared in silent fury.

...

Inari was more or less tossed into the darkened room and he fell to the floor, ropes wrapped tight around his arms and torso.

"Now be a good bunch of brats and stay there until your families pony up," the woman said, before slamming the door shut and locking it.

Inari stayed on the floor for a few seconds. "Great," he muttered, as he squirmed to get upright. "Just great." He managed to look up and scan the room. It was dark, kinda dusty and full of crates. Not far from him were Akane, Yamabuki and Ichigo, all bound up like him and looking very scared. His eyes then fell upon the unexpected fifth resident of the room, a girl about the same age as Inari, her brown hair arranged in twin bunches. She looked rather sad, not that Inari could blame her given the situation.

"You all got captured too?" she quietly asked.

"Yeah. Unfortunately," Inari replied, finally managing to get upright. "Who are you?"

"I'm Tomoe."

"Hey, I've seen you before... I think," Yamabuki noted. "Your grandmother works in the market, right?"

Tomoe nodded.

"I-I'm Yamabuki. My father works at the docks."

"Oh, I know him. He sometimes buys things with big bunches of fishes instead of ryo," the girl noted.

"And-and these are my pals. Akane and Ichigo."

"Okay. And you're Inari, right?" she asked, turning to the boy in question.

"Yep."

"I thought you looked familiar. My grandmother can't stop talking about you."

"Seems like nobody can," Akane muttered hostilely.

Inari rolled his eyes. "Okay. We need to get out of here," he said, managing to push himself up on his knees.

"What? Are you crazy?" Ichigo asked. "The-they'll just kill us. We better stay here. Our parents can scrounge enough money together. I think."

"Even if they can, do you really think they'll release us?" Inari asked. "No. They'll keep us as long as they can squeeze money out of our parents. And then they'll probably kill us anyway. That's the kind of monsters Gato liked to hire."

Ichigo stared at him in horror, before muttering:" Yo-you don't know that."

Inari just rolled his eyes, then walked over to the door, placing an ear against it. From the sounds of clinking glass, it sounded like the goons were partying amongst themselves.

"Hey, Mori," one called, voice slurry from the alcohol. "How about we get one of them kids out here for some real fun, eh?"

"No," the scruffy woman replied. "I want them looking good for when we let the parents see them. I don't trust you blockheads to not leave marks."

"Come on. We'll just say that they tried to flee."

"I said no. Leave it for later or will cut your fucking balls off."

"Tsh. Whatever."

Inari's eyes widened and he looked to the others.

They looked even more terrified.

"Okay," Ichigo squeaked, pale as snow. "You're right. What do we do?"

Inari looked around the room. "Not getting anywhere in these ropes," he muttered. "Come on, help me search this place."

...

"Don't like the look of those clouds," Naruto commented, eyeing the darkening skies overhead, as Team Kakashi followed the earthen path through the woods.

"Could look like rain, yeah," Sakura agreed. She paused. "You think Inari is waiting for us by the docks?"

"Dunno. Maybe he heard we hadn't left and went back home," the blond suggested.

"Then we're leaving," Sasuke stated annoyed. "If you want to run around this entire island looking for a coupon, be my guest, but I'm going back to Konohagakure."

"Geez, why are you so grumpy?" Naruto asked.

"I'm not grumpy," the Uchiha scion replied grumpily.

"Is it because your plan against Haku failed?"

"My... Wha... What are you on about?" the raven-haired ninja asked, confused.

"You know, how you tried to get me to defeat Haku and then when that didn't work, you tried to get us out of that there mirror thing he did?" Naruto explained. "Which also failed. Did you forget that when Haku knocked you out?"

"Right. Of course you of all people wouldn't figure that out?" Sasuke groaned.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Allow me to spoon-feed you the facts then," the Uchiha teen replied. "I lied. I lied all the way. I was using you as a decoy so I could figure out how Haku's jutsu worked."

"You... You what?" Naruto asked shocked, before his expression changed to one of anger. "You used me as bait? What's wrong with you? Do you have any idea how painful that was?"

"Considering how often I got stabbed, yes, I have an idea," Sasuke replied dismissively.

"There's a difference between getting lightly stabbed in the arm and having a needle go through your eye!" the blond replied, pointing to the organ in question. "You only had to die once. And even then, Haku was nice to you. I've died tens of times in various ways, thanks to my clones' memories. We're a team, how can you do that to me, Sasuke?"

"Would you have said no if I'd asked you to distract him?" the Uchiha ninja inquired.

"Well, no, but..."

"If I had not lied, he would have known what we were up to. We would have been screwed. So I did," the Uchiha teen explained. "I trusted you'd volunteer for the job if I had asked. That's teamwork too."

Naruto looked really strained for an argument, before turning to Kakashi in the hopes that their teacher would aid him.

"He is right," the silver-haired ninja said. "As frustrating as it might be, deception is the ninja's greatest tool. Sometimes, even one's allies must be deceived. For example, when I pretended that the enemy had killed me, I also fooled you. Had to, for the ruse to work."

The blond looked ready to argue, before folding his arms while pouting. "Fine. Doesn't mean I have to like it." He paused, then suddenly sniffed. "Huh?"

"Something wrong?" Sakura asked.

"I mean..." The blond sniffed again. "This is... This is going to sound weird, but... I swear I could smell Inari for a second."

"You could... How would you even know what he smells like?" Sasuke asked, looking both confused and disturbed.

"I don't know. I just smelled something and... I just knew that was Inari," Naruto replied.

Kakashi paused, closing his eye. "No, he's right. That's Inari's scent."

"And how do you know that?" Sasuke asked, still disturbed.

"My family is related to the Inosuka clan. Not a close relation, but I did inherit their sense of smell," the jonin replied, tapping his nose. "As for why Naruto can do that, I'm not certain. I do not think he's a relative of the Inosuka clan."

"Look, I don't know, okay. But..." The blond eyed the bushes. "It smells like... Smells like he went that way."

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows. "Odd. No reason for him to go that way If he was heading for the docks."

He and Sakura approached the shrubbery.

"What have we here?" the raven-haired ninja said, fishing a coupon up. "It's this stupid thing. So Inari was here."

"And look," Sakura said and pointed at the soft ground. "There're footsteps everywhere. I think those really deep ones are Inari's. He must have intentionally stomped all the way."

"That sounds weird," Naruto said, as Sasuke handed him his coupon. "There's no way Inari would just throw my coupon away and stomp off into the forest."

"Unless he had no other choice," Kakashi noted, his cyclopean gaze wandering over the scene. "Several of those footsteps were left by adults. I think Inari was kidnapped."

"Oh no," Sakura exclaimed. "What do we do?"

"We follow, that's what we do," Naruto insisted. "We can't let Inari get hurt."

"Then we better get going," Sasuke said, holding out a hand and catching a falling raindrop. "Because soon the trail will be washed away."

...

With one final tuck, the nail sticking out of the crate ripped Ichigo's ropes apart.

Inari breathed a sigh of relief. "That was the last one," he quietly stated, before turning around. "Hear anything, Tomoe?"

"No. I think they've fallen asleep," the girl said from her position by the door.

"Great. Akane, how's the window coming along?"

"It's getting there. Just this stupid thing that..." A click sounded from the window's lock. "There. Finally."

"Okay. So everyone remember the plan, right?" Inari asked.

Yamabuki nodded. "We sneak out, quietly get to the forest and then haul butt until we're back in the village."

"Haul butt?" Ichigo asked.

"My mother doesn't like it when I swear," the bald boy muttered, fiddling with his fingers.

"Whatever, let's get out," Akane muttered and swung the windows open. Immediately, the sound of clinking metal rang out through the room, shattering the silence.

The five kids stared in horror at the windows, where small bells had been strung up on the outside.

Then, their gaze shifted to the door.

"What was noise?" came a sleepy voice from the main room.

"Sounded like... Bells," another noted.

"IT'S THOSE DAMN BRATS!" came Mori's voice, as her footsteps thundered towards the room.

"NEW PLAN! RUN!" Inari yelled.

The leader of the remnants kicked the door open, just in time to see Tomoe vanish out the window. "YOU GET BACK HERE, RIGHT FUCKING NOW!"

Outside, the five kids charged across the grass, rain pelting them from the dark skies above. As they reached the forest, they could hear a door get smacked open behind them.

Inari looked over his shoulder. Dozens of the deceased Gato's goons stormed out, armed with a variety of weapons.

"COME BACK HERE, YER LIL' BASTARDS!" the large, scarred man yelled. "I'M GONNA CUT YER FUCKING LEGS OFF!"

The statement only spurred the kids on to run even faster.

Shortly thereafter, they hid in a large bush, the sound of screaming and yelling henchmen filling the air.

"I've... Never... Run.. So fast... In my... Life..." Akane gasped.

"Yeah. I think... We broke the sound barrier for a second," Ichigo agreed.

"Well, I heard a pop. But I think that might have been my heart," Yamabuki gasped, clutching his chest. "My everything hurts."

"But we can't stay here," Inari said. "They'll just find us."

"But the village is so far away," Tomoe gasped. "They'll catch us for sure."

"Dammit," Akane cursed. "We might as well have stayed. Now they'll cut our legs off."

"But I like my legs," Ichigo whimpered, clutching his appendages.

Inari mulled it over. "Maybe if we had a distraction."

"Like what. A rock?" Yamabuki asked. After a short pause, he asked: "A big rock?"

"No. That wouldn't work," Inari said. "I was thinking... If I get their attention, maybe I can lure them away."

"Are you crazy?" Tomoe asked. "They'll hurt you."

"Only if they catch me," he replied. "I have an idea."

"What...? No... You..." Akane looked ready to explode.

Inari eyed him. "Yes?"

"Why do you always have to be so cool!?" the boy hissed, managing to remain quiet despite his obvious frustration.

"Why do I... What?"

"You... It's... Everyone... Everyone always talk about... About how awesome you are. How you helped defend your grandfather. How you rallied the village and mercenaries. How you killed Gato. Even my parents. I just... I just..." He looked at his feet. "I just wish someone would think I was that cool."

The other boy blinked for a moment. Then he put a hand on Akane's shoulder. "You know what I think would be really cool? If you'd help them get back to the village while I distract those idiots."

Akane sniffed, before softly replying: "Yeah. Yeah I guess that would be pretty cool."

"Hey... Ehm... Thanks man," Ichigo tried.

"Yeah. Sorry about before," Yamabuki said embarrassed.

"And please don't get caught. We'll be back with help as soon as possible," Tomoe pleaded.

Inari smiled. "No problem. As I said, they'll have to catch me first. And I have a plan. Good luck to you all." Then he ran out into the open. "HEY, FUCKFACES! I'M GETTING BORED WAITING FOR YOU!"

"OH YEAH?! JUST YOU WAIT YOU LITTLE PUNK!" one of the goons yelled, as they began charging after the laughing Inari.

The other kids remained hidden as the henchmen passed by, before hurriedly sneaking off.

...

Waraji tapped his finger against the table. Outside, the rain and wind pelted the house, as Tsunami expertly cut the large fish she intended to serve for dinner. He eyed his partner, who smirked. "The fuck are you smiling at?"

"Oh, just admiring the minty freshness of your breath," Zori replied with a carefree gesture. "By the way, that's forty-five of them you'll have to chow down on."

"For the last fucking time, ain't any more of those shitty mint things left," the one-eyed mercenary said, holding one of the empty bottles up. "Get it through you thick fucking skull, ya beanie-wearing gimp."

"I'm starting to think my idea didn't work," Tsunami sighed, as she chopped the fish's head off.

"Maybe soap would have an effect?" Zori suggested innocently.

"Mate, I'm gonna fucking kill you if you keep this bullshit up," Waraji warned him.

The front door opened and Tazuna walked in, drenched to the bone. "Has Inari come back?"

"No. I figured maybe he was trying to wait out the storm with Naruto and the others," she replied. "No way they'll be leaving until the weather calms down."

"Yeah. That's what I thought too," Tazuna continued. "But then I ran into some of the others on the way back. Some of their kids are also missing. They're just gone."

Tsunami stopped chopping the fish, looking back at her father with great concern. "How many children?"

"Ah... Let's see... Akane and his two friends. And Tomoe, the store clerk's granddaughter," Tazuna said, counting on his fingers. "So five kids in all. I don't think that's any coincidence."

Waraji and Zori exchanged glances and got out of their chairs.

"We'll go round up the other mercenaries," Zori said. "You go get as many villagers as you can. Then we'll start a sweep of the island."

"Yeah. If anyone has laid a finger on that lil' squirt, I'll fucking rip the shithead open and choke them to death with their own fucking intestines," Waraji growled.

"Sounds good," Tazuna said, then changed his attention to Tsunami.

With one smooth move, she cleaned the kitchen knife with a rag and inspected the blade. "I'll be right behind you," she assured him.

...

Inari kept running, mud splashing up against his legs as he charged through the woods, a deluge of water falling from the heavens above. His gasped for air, his limbs burning as he forced himself onwards. Finally, he broke through a couple of bushes. Around him, the forest faded, giving way to a cliffside. He ran to the edge and looked down. Far below, the waters of the river rushed by, fed by the ceaseless rain that currently pounded the island.

"Game over," Mori said, as she and the others stepped out of the forest. "Now, be a good little kid and tell us where your friends went and maybe we'll just settle for breaking your legs instead of chopping them off."

"You wanna know where my friends went?" Inari asked, smirking. "The other way, while you dummies were distracted by me."
"What?" the woman growled.

"I'm a distraction," the kid replied. "They'll go warn the village and tell them exactly where your little hideout is. You're done."

Mori's teeth began grinding against each other as her anger began smouldering.

"I say we kill this one," the large scarred man next to her stated. "He's more trouble than he's worth."

"Oh I quite agree," she replied. "But not too quickly."

Inari tilted his head. "Man, Gato hired some dumb people. You still don't get it. I didn't run here on accident."

"So, what, you ran into this dead end on purpose? Do you fucking think we're stupid?" the man asked, drawing his club.

"Yes and yes," Inari replied and took a step back, right to the edge. "But it's not really a dead end. Not for me."

"GET HIM! HE'S GONNA JUMP!" Mori yelled and immediately the group sprang into action.

Inari waved with a smile and leapt out into the air. The wind and rain rushed against his face and with a splash he dove into the river, instantly soaked to the bone. His arms and legs windmilled as he tried to regain a feeling of what was up and down. With some effort, he broke through the surface. He gasped and began swimming, struggling against the rushing water. He battled against the waves, trying to push himself towards the riverside, even as the rough river threatened to push him under. The current was strong and Inari fought on, knowing that there was more than one rock he could end up smashed against if he wasn't careful

Suddenly, someone grabbed his wrist. Inari looked up, surprised.

"Gotcha!" Naruto declared, a broad smile on his face. Sakura, Kakashi and Sasuke held onto a rope tied around his midsection. With a grunt of collective effort, they hauled the two of them out of the wild waters.

"Th-thanks," Inari gasped, as he looked around. Judging from the machinery and piles of wood, they were at one of the island's logging sites. "I thought... You were down by the boat."

"We were. Then this clod found out he dropped a coupon and suddenly nothing else was more important than finding it," Sasuke commented, pointing at Naruto with his thumb. He paused. "But I suppose it was for the best. You might have drowned if we hadn't shown up."

"The coupon? Oh, right." Inari began patting his pockets.

"Don't worry, we found it on the way," Sakura assured him. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." He shivered. "Bit cold though."

"HEY, THERE HE IS!" someone yelled.

The group looked up to see the club-armed man leading a group of goons entering the site.

"Fantastic. More of them," Sasuke muttered.

"Boss, it's them ninjas," one of the henchmen said.

"THEN FUCKING WIPE THEM OUT!" the man yelled and the goons broke into a roaring charge.

"Sakura, keep Inari safe," Kakashi ordered, as he drew his kunai.

"Okay," she said uncertainly, taking position by Inari's side.

Sasuke rushed forward before hurling his dai-shuriken, the whirling blade cleaving through a man.

Kakashi dodged a clumsy swing from a sword, stabbing the assailant in the neck and ripping it open.

Sakura couldn't help but wince. It seemed so easy. Too easy. She eyed Naruto, whose clones overwhelmed three of the goons. At least he seemed to stick to just hurting his enemies, but even then, he did it easily, almost gleefully. She couldn't help but glance at her hands. She had always seen killing as a grim, unfortunate necessity of ninja life. But now...

"You okay?" Inari asked.

"No. No I'm not," she replied. "Ever since I thought I killed the Devil twins, I... I've been afraid."

"Of what?"

"Myself."

Inari seemed to think it over. "Sorry, but I don't get it."

"It's okay. Just... Forget it. It's nothing. I..." She noticed a blur to her side and turned, kunai drawn. The club wielding leader had managed to sneak around the stack of timber while the others were fighting his men. "There you are you little piece of shit," he stated menacingly, hoisting his club. "I'll take out both you and that dumb pink bitch at the same time." He roared and charged.

Sakura tried to raise her arms, but froze. Suddenly, she was back at the bridge. Back fighting the Devil Twins.

Kakashi heard the roar and looked over his shoulder, watching as the thug approached. His eye widened. "SAKURA! MOVE!"

She stared into nothing, as the goon got ready to crush her skull.

"WAKE UP!"

The voice cut through her mind and the pink-haired ninja reacted on pure reflex. Her fist shot forward, slamming into her opponent's torso. Audible cracks echoed through the air as several of his ribs shattered and he stumbled back with a gargled cry of pain, his weapon dropping to the ground, before he fell, clutching his agonized body.

"Sakura! You okay?" Kakashi asked, as he and the two others approached, a pile of defeated thugs behind them.

"Yeah... I'm..." She shook her head. "Who... Who yelled 'wake up'?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "No one. Unless Inari here did it."

"Wasn't me," the kid replied. "I didn't hear anything."

"Really? I could have sworn," she continued, clutching her head.

"Man, that was close," Naruto said, eyeing the man Sakura had downed. "How are you feeling?"

The pink-haired ninja stared at her hand. Even now, she could feel at sort of satisfaction at having surprised someone who thought she'd be easy prey. And it sickened her. "Not good," she admitted. "But... I think... I'd rather feel bad than let Inari get hurt." Steely resolve manifested in her eyes. "I'd rather feel bad than letting anyone get hurt."

Kakashi put a hand on her shoulder. "Do remember," he started softly. "That anyone includes yourself."

She nodded.

The bushes rustled and Mori stepped out, followed by a quite larger group of mooks. She eyed her fallen comrades and spat at the ground. "Good job, you useless sons of bitches." She glanced at the group. "Ah, you guys. Thought you had left the island already."

"Nope. Still here," Naruto said, raising his kunai. "And we're not letting you have Inari."

"Have him? At this point, I just want the little shit dead," she said, flanked by a wall of goons. "He's been a fucking pain in the neck for far too long. Shot my brother in the head when he tried to get rid of old man Tazuna, rallied those yokels back in the village, shot my boss before I could even get paid and now he's ruined this. High time someone gutted the lil' bastard."

"Didn't you learn your lesson on the bridge?" Sasuke coldly asked. "We're more than a match for any of you."

"Well, this time, we're at least five men for each of you. So I think you're proper fucked now," the goon leader said, smiling unpleasantly. "Get ready to die."

A short, but strange sound cut through the rain.

The henchmen turned as one of their numbers managed a staggering step, before their body bloodily slid apart in two pieces.

"What is it with you people and hurting kids?" Zori asked, sliding his blade back in its sheath. "It's rather unbecoming. Those little ones we picked up back there said you threatened them with some rather nasty things."

"So for that, we're gonna fucking gut you shit-for-brains instead," Waraji stated. "How does that sound, you pansy-ass gang of hooligan douche-clowns?"

Behind them, mercenaries and villagers filtered out of the trees, armed and ready.

And then they charged the remnants of Gato's goon army.

Shakai danced through the battle. He slid aside as a goon tried to chop his head off with an axe. As the mook prepared to attack again, the pale mercenary drew something from his side. A quick slash caused the henchman to drop the axe, blood pouring from his wrist, before the rapier slid between his ribs, puncturing the heart and lung. Shakai pulled the weapon out, leaving his opponent to die in the mud as he advanced.

Miyabe eyed the crowd of goons, smoke drifting from her cigarette. She lifted her massive weapon, turned it sideways, flipped a switch, aimed and fired.

The goon she had aimed at was lifted off her feet as a harpoon penetrated her chest, before two other mooks were run though and grimly nailed to a stack of wood.

"Three," the archer muttered. "Good start."

"You would think given previous circumstances that these malcontents would realise that this situation would not go in their favour," Souma noted, casually slamming an opponent aside with his hammer.

"Indeed, but I rather suspect that Gato focused on hiring people eager for violence, but limited in their intellectual faculties," Hotta responded, flinging a mook into the raging river.

Mori gritted her teeth, as her gang was slaughtered with ease. Her eyes widened in fury as she looked around, spotting Inari and his ninja protectors, fighting off anyone who got close. She roared and made a mad dash for them, holding her blade high as she screamed in fury. Seikanji stepped in her way and blocked a blow with his wooden staff.

The two fighters glared into each other's eyes.

Mori snarled, spittle flying from her lips, as she pushed the older man back. She felt his strength wane and pulled her blade back, before bringing it down with great force. The veteran mercenary's knees shook as he tried to resist her.

"You stupid old fool," she hissed. "I'm gonna fucking break you in half."

Seikanji seemed to come to some sort of decision and reached into his coat.

Mori grinned as his hold on the staff was weakened, then paused as he pulled something out. It looked like a small metal tube on some sort of handle. "What...?" she managed.

A loud bang rang out, cutting through the thick sound of battle. Everyone stopped and looked.

Mori fell over, her face ruined, blood seeping from her penetrated skull.

Seikanji blew away the smoke sifting from his weapon. "Anyone else?" he asked, letting his gaze wander across the group.

Wet plops were heard as the remaining goons dropped their weapons.

...

The next day, the skies had cleared and the sun shone on the boat dock.

"Well, guess this is goodbye then. Again," Tazuna noted. "Hopefully, next time will be a lot calmer."

"What about Gato's henchmen? Did you and the others come to a decision?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah. We're gonna have these guys keep an eye on them, until we figure out what to do," Tazuna said, gesturing to Zori and Waraji. "Pretty sure their friends can keep them under control. That one creepy woman even said they looked tasty. Pretty sure she'll eat them if they try anything." He shuddered.

"So you're staying then?" the jonin inquired.

"Yeah. We're still gonna do some jobs here and there, but when we're not on the move, we'll assist the local militia," Zori stated.

"So the Sandals finally found a place to stay," Kakashi noted bemusedly.

"The Sandals?" Naruto asked.

"Both our names are old words for types of sandals. They used to make fun of us, that way," Zori noted.

"Until we showed those chucklefucks just what we could do," Waraji said with a grin. "Still places where 'stomped by the Sandals' means getting royally fucked."

"'Course, our reputation took a dip when this one managed to get the better of us," the beanie-clad mercenary added, gesturing to Kakashi.

"Look, that crime boss had been a thorn in the side of the mayor for years," the silver-haired ninja noted. "You shouldn't be surprised that they'd hire a professional to deal with him."

Waraji scoffed. "We'll see how easy you take it when someone gouges your fucking eye out."

"You mean again?" Kakashi asked, lifting his headband.

The one-eyed mercenary blinked. "The fuck is that?"

"My friend donated one of his special eyes before he died."

"That's bullshit," the tattooed mercenary insisted. "Nobody gave me any fucking magic eyes. How..." He paused, then slowly looked to Zori. "Say..."

"No," the beanie-clad mercenary immediately stated.

"Oh, come the fuck on. You have two."

"I'm not giving you one of my eyes, Waraji."

"We could just share the damn thing."

"I don't even want to know what kinda infections you can pick up from passing an eye back and forth like a beach ball."

"So, anyway," Tazuna said, as the two mercenaries continued to argue. "Got all your stuff?"

"Sure do," Naruto replied, padding his pockets. "When I get home, I'll..." His smile slowly faded, as he began digging into his pockets.

Sasuke stared at him. "No."

"Ehm... I'm sure it's here... Somewhere..."

"You did not."

"It's gotta be here... It's... It's..." The blond sighed sadly. "It's gone again".

Sasuke screamed incomprehensibly into his hands.

"Where do you think you lost it?" Kakashi asked.

"Maybe back at Tazuna's place again," Naruto suggested. "If we go back..."

"No. No. You lost it when you jumped into that stupid river," Sasuke insisted.

"But what if..."

"It's gone. Drowned. Sunken. It's eaten by a fish, which was eaten by a shark. I'm going home." Then he jumped into the boat and sat down, folding arms and legs. "And if the rest of you want to endure another scavenger hunt, then you can stay here. I'm going back to Konoha."

"Where's your sense of teamwork?" Naruto asked accusingly.

"Followed your stupid coupon into the depths. It's gone. Going home. I've had enough."

"But..." Naruto tried.

"Sometimes," Kakashi said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We have to make sacrifices for our teammates. Sometimes these sacrifices come in the form of coupons."
The blond sighed and then slinked into the boat.

Sakura was about to follow, when her teacher stopped her with a: "How are you feeling?"

She paused. "Not entirely sure," she admitted. "I've not given up on being a ninja... But... I guess I've learned some things about myself that I'm... Not happy about."

"Nobody is perfect. If you need anything, just tell me," the silver-haired jonin said. "Even if I'm too dense to help, I can probably find someone who knows what they're talking about."

She giggled. "I guess so." She paused. "Thanks, Kakashi-Sensei."

"It's what I'm here for." He watched as she stepped into the boat, before turning to Tazuna. "You take care now."

"Will do," the older man said.

The jonin followed his students into the boat and it sailed off.

"So, everyone ready to go home?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes," Sasuke stated sourly. He looked at his arms, faint marks from his injuries still visible. "Back to training. I need to get stronger."

"You always say that," Naruto commented.

The Uchiha teen looked ready to kick him overboard, before sighing. "If I can't even beat someone like Haku," he said sombrely. "Then I'll never avenge my clan. What good am I then?"

The blond looked taken aback. "I mean... You've still got lots of other things going for you. Can't your clan be happy with that?"

"That's not how it works." He sighed. "Forget it. You wouldn't understand."

Naruto rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in frustration. "Whatever. Be like that. I may not know what a proper ninja is, but I'm going to find my own road to being a ninja. Believe it."

"I suppose we all have to do that. Somehow," Sakura noted. "Nothing to do but move forward."

Kakashi nodded, smiling under his mask. "That's the spirit. Now let's go home."

Back on the coast, the three men watched the boat disappear in the distance.

Then they heard running feet and turned, as Inari, Akane, Yamabuki, Ichigo and Tomoe came running up the road.

"Weren't the others gonna give you some self-defence lessons?" Zori asked.

"Yes..." Inari gasped, reaching into his pocket. "But I found this back home." He pulled out a coupon.

The three men stared at it.

"Well," Waraji began. "Guess we're visiting Ichiraku next time we're in Konoha."

Hey everyone and thanks for reading. This concludes our first rewrite set in the Naruto universe. We hoped you enjoyed it. As stated back I chapter one, if you have any questions, feel free to either ask in the reviews, via PM or, if you don't mind others seeing your inquiry, on tumblr,. Special thanks goes to Warlord1 and Rhanar who've acted as beta readers. See you all around for our next project.