"I'd like ya to meet my sweet daughter, Tsunami!" Tazuna emphatically introduced Tsunami, specifically making sure Mikoto, Kakashi, and Zabuza saw her.

 

"Nice to meet you all," Tsunami bowed. "I take it some of you are Leaf shinobi, but.." She hesitantly looked towards Zabuza and Haku. The two glanced to Mikoto, who nodded.

 

"We work for the girl. Whatever she wants us to do, we'll do. At the present, we mean you no harm." Zabuza casually implied that the situation may change.

 

"Zabuza, you shouldn't just say that." Though an admonishment, Haku did not outright deny the possibility.

 

"They won't harm you." Mikoto resolved the matter before it could go out of hand.

 

"That's good, then." Tsunami breathed a sigh of relief; in her heart she had been incredibly worried after seeing Mist shinobi, remembering rumors of them being in Gatou's employ. "So, what now? Will we finally be free from Gatou?"

 

"Yes, and no," Kakashi answered. "For the time being, we plan to wait and gather info. Although I'm not completely spent, the last battle is going to put me out of commission for at least a few days. I'm sure it's even worse for Zabuza over there."

 

"Yeah," Zabuza replied, "about that. It took everything I had to walk over here," he said as he collapsed.

 

"Sir!" Haku rushed to his side, catching him before he could hit the floor.

 

"There you have it. We're going to have the kids train for the next few days before doing much of anything. As the team leader, it's my responsibility to make sure they can handle themselves in the field. Due to someone's negligence in reporting the mission contents, the difficulty is far above what they should be expected to handle."

 

Tsunami looked at Tazuna. He lowered his head.

 

"I apologize on behalf of my father." She bowed, then looked to Haku. "There's a futon in the room to my right, please let Mr. Zabuza lie down." Haku quietly carried Zabuza off.

 

"It's no big deal. We decided to continue on with the mission ourselves. From this point on, we're responsible for our own lives."

 

"Yeah! We're all gonna get strong enough to kick this Gatou dude's ass!" Although Sakura and Sasuke did not explicitly voice their approval of Naruto's statement, their agreement was written on their faces. Sasuke wore a light smirk while Sakura was nervously smiling.

 

"You're just going to run off and die." A small boy walked into the house.

 

"Who's the brat?" Surprisingly, Sasuke was the one who spoke up.

 

"I'm sorry, that's my son, Inari. Come here, dear. Take your shoes off and greet the guests. They're shinobi from the Leaf Village, here to help free us from Gatou's reign." Tsunami beckoned to Inari, who stood away from the group, looking at them with aversion.

 

"Mom, Grandpa, I'm home," Inari said as he side-eyed Team 7. "What makes you people think you can beat Gatou? Other than the old man with only one eye, the rest of you are kids like me."

 

"What makes you think we can't beat Gatou? Even a single shinobi is worth tens of normal people." Even Sakura was beginning to grow irritated.

 

"Nobody can beat Gatou. Every time someone tried, they died. You'll die too, ugly girl."

 

"Why you-" Sakura barely managed to hold herself back. "I bet that compared to all the people who tried before, we're way better. By the end of this, you'll be worshipping us!"

 

"What do you know?" Inari shouted. He ran out of the entryway and up the stairs of the house, slamming the door to his room.

 

"…Did I say something wrong?" Sakura felt awkward as everyone stared.

 

Tazuna sighed, "No, you didn't. You couldn't have known. Just… Don't worry about it. Try to not bring it up again."

 

"I'm sorry." Sakura limply hung her head. The room was plunged into an awkward silence.

 

"Alright, so! About that training!" Mikoto decided to break the silence. "Sensei, I'm sure you have your own ideas, right?"

 

"Yeah. Frankly speaking, the idea you came up with sounds a little extreme. One wrong move could lead to death. I think it may be better to start with something easier."

 

"Such as?"

 

"Chakra control. In the end, your training idea is an absurd usage of chakra control to push your body beyond its limits. Without proper control, or resilience," his eye flitted to Naruto, "trying your technique would end in death."

 

"I see, in that case, let's go with your idea for a while." Mikoto nodded.

 

Kakashi led his team to the back yard and stopped in front of a tree.

 

"Mikoto, could you do the honors and climb this tree?"

 

"I'm not a monkey, you know. Humans have long since evolved."

 

"Enough, you know what I meant. Use your chakra to adhere to the tree."

 

"Sure." Mikoto started casually strolling up the tree.

 

Step by step, her altitude grew as she scaled the large pine. She reached the tip of the tree without any suspense, then hopped back down to the group.

 

"Good enough?" she asked.

 

"Yeah. I guess it only makes sense that you have good chakra control, but it's surprising to see a freshly graduated genin climb a tree so easily."

 

"It's not a big deal. Training chakra control is something I've had to do since I was a toddler, I'd have to get good at it eventually. I've controlled my own chakra pool starting from nothing, it would be embarrassing to be lacking." Mikoto casually summoned up a few balls of natured chakra and wove complex symbols in space.

 

Did that mean anything?

 

Just checking if the runic language worked or not. I may despise it, but it still has its uses, specifically for spell cards. They could act as a form of insurance, in case someone is caught off guard. It's a sub-category of enchantment. It's a pity that there was hardly any resonance, otherwise I could have created a few. I'll still need to do a few more tests.

 

At least there was some resonance. Good luck, I'm sure it won't take long for you. I'm going to go take a nap, it seems as though nothing interesting is happening right now. If you wake up the other me, let me know. At this point I've realized that he just sleeps most of the time, only checking in whenever he can sense me.

 

Will do.

 

"Me first!" Naruto practically pounced on the tree, only traveling about ten feet up before the bark beneath his feet cracked and he was sent flying.

 

"Heh, as if you could get it on the first try. Watch and learn." Sasuke leapt up to the tree as well, making it only slightly higher than Naruto before being thrown off.

 

"Ha! Good one, Sasuke! I had no idea you were such a joker!" Sasuke couldn't help but glower at Naruto's remarks.

 

While the two argued, Sakura had been probing the tree with her chakra and began slowly climbing up it, step by step. By the time the argument ended, Sakura made it up to the first branch and was resting. The duo stared, slack-jawed.

 

"Good job Sakura, looks like you have far greater control over your chakra than those two over there. Keep up the good work." Kakashi complemented Sakura and was about to go in before Mikoto called out to him.

 

"Sensei, is there any particular reason chakra itself isn't used directly in attacks except by the Hyuga clan? If even chakra from a genin's feet can damage a tree, couldn't a jonin severely injure most opponents just by striking with chakra?"

 

"Hmm… It's a matter of efficiency. Most people won't have nearly endless reserves of chakra like those two, and to an extent, you. Chakra would be lost with every strike. To damage a weaker opponent would still be costly, but damaging an opponent on the same level as you would be nigh impossible. You've most likely noticed, but the more chakra one possesses, the more resilient they become. My body is far stronger than a genin's body. You could probably use me to cut down a tree and I would be fine. I don't need to explain to you why the Hyuga are capable of using chakra to attack opponents when you're from the clan."

 

"I see. Thanks."

 

"No problem." Kakashi turned and started walking back inside when he heard a loud crash behind him. As he turned, a large gash was seen on a tree. "What…?"

 

"It's a chakra whip. If I don't let my chakra escape while attacking, there won't be any net loss until I dispel the improv weapon." Mikoto was holding a dark purple rope that writhed around, seemingly searching out a new target.

 

"That shouldn't be possible." Not even bothering to hide the sharingan, Kakashi lifted his forehead protector and stared at the whip. To his surprise, no chakra was leaking from the whip at all. It was perfectly controlled.

 

"Like I said, I've controlled every single bit of my chakra from early childhood. There's no way I wouldn't be able to do this."

 

"I'm… not even going to question this. I'm going to go rest."

"Okay!" Mikoto waved Kakashi off.

 

The rest of Team 7 had been watching from the side. The display of control from Mikoto and Kakashi's genuine surprise ignited a fire in their hearts. The would strive to reach Mikoto's level one day!

 

"Sasuke! The last person to make it up the tree has to train with Mikoto for a day!" Naruto challenged teammate.

 

"It's almost like you're asking me to lose. What gives?" Sasuke looked suspicious.

 

"Mikoto's training is was scarier than you would expect…"

 

"It sure is," Mikoto interjected. "You're both going to be training with me anyways, but you'll be working on different things. When you make it to the top of the tree, I'll start the next round of training, Sensei probably won't mind. Sakura, did you want to train as well?"

 

Sakura looked at Sasuke, and then Mikoto.

 

"No, I'll be fine on my own." She looked frustrated.

 

"Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me."

 

So, until nightfall, the forest was filled sound of bark breaking, crashes, and the voice of a girl saying, "too much" and, "too little." Sakura had made it to the top of the tree long ago and had gone inside to rest. Naruto and Sasuke's progress was immense. They were very close to reaching the top. Haku had come out a few times to observe their progress and report on Zabuza's condition. Mikoto, while giving pointers to the two boys, was lazily using her chakra as a walking chair, giving it all sorts of forms. It wasn't training so much as a way to relieve boredom.

 

"Just you wait, Sasuke! I'm gonna pass you again with this one!" Naruto dashed up the tree, just barely clearing above Sasuke's previous height. He was only a few feet away from the top. "Oh yeah!'

 

"Don't celebrate too early!" Sasuke dashed up and barely surpassed Naruto's newly made mark.

 

This situation had repeated itself many times over the course of the day. Mikoto had no need to give advice anymore. The two had practically grasped the technique, the just needed to refine it.

 

"Hey! Time for dinner!" Tsunami called the three into the house.

 

"You two should really wash yourselves before sitting at the table." Mikoto glanced at the two that were covered in dirt and bruises.

 

"Aha…" Naruto looked embarrassed.

 

"It's fine," Tsunami said, looking at the two with affection and a hint of sadness. "They can eat just like this. It's been a long time since my house was so lively!"

 

"If it's okay with you, then there's nothing I can say." Mikoto took a seat next to Kakashi. Naruto sat next to Mikoto, then Sasuke next to Naruto, and finally Sakura next to Sasuke. Zabuza and Haku sat on Kakashi's other side while Tazuna's family took up the rest of the table's free spots.

 

Dinner was a lively event. Naruto and Sasuke had begun competing over everything; their particular obsession was currently how much they ate. Mikoto and Sakura had a good time teasing the two. Although Sakura wasn't incredibly pleased to be on the same wavelength as Mikoto, she had a good time nonetheless. The atmosphere was light. Although he was somewhat awkward, Zabuza enjoyed the show while chatting with Haku and Kakashi about the future. Tsunami looked across the table and couldn't help but smile. After seeing the power of the people in front of him, even Tazuna couldn't help but relax a little. Of course, all good things must eventually come to an end.

 

"Why are you all so happy? Aren't you supposed to be protecting my grandpa?" Inari glared at Team 7.

 

"We will protect him! It'll be a piece of cake. With all of us here, Gatou won't be able to touch a hair on your gramps' head!" Naruto proudly proclaimed. "…Not that he has many left," he said, a smug grin on his face.

 

"Hey, brat-" Tazuna was about to scold Naruto.

 

"Enough! Be serious! If you wanna die so bad, just go do it right now! All you ninja have it easy, you don't even care about us when we're paying you! You don't know anything about loss!" Inari was shouting at this point. His final sentence froze the room. Three pairs of eyes locked onto Inari.

 

"Inari, I think it may be best to drop this…" Tsunami tried to console her son.

 

"No! If my dad- if my hero couldn't save this town, there's no way these dumb kids could!"

 

"Hey, Inari," Naruto softly spoke up, seeing the tears in Inari's eyes. "I know it must be hard for you, but-"

 

"You don't! You don't know anything! You would never understand what it's like to lose your loved ones! You wouldn't know what it's like to feel this alone!"

 

Both Naruto and Sasuke's expressions became pained.

 

"Child." A chilling voice rang out from the other side of the table. "You should watch your words."

 

No pressure was emitted from Mikoto, but her tone struck Kakashi and Zabuza as incredibly dangerous. They exchanged glances and nodded. Kakashi spoke up.

 

"Mikoto, take it easy."

 

"I won't go too far. He doesn't know what he's done wrong."

 

"And what have I done wrong?" Inari was still shouting, tears leaking from his eyes.

 

"Let's give you a brief history lesson about our pasts." Mikoto looked at her two teammates. "You two don't mind, right?" They shook their heads.

 

"I'll start with myself." Mikoto paused, as if collecting her thoughts. "I was born on the night my village was attacked by a horrible beast, one that took many lives."

 

Hey.

 

"It took the lives of my parents as well. I was adopted into the Hyuga clan, where I lived my days as an outcast, a pariah. Everyone in the clan despised me. Teachers were specifically instructed to abuse me during training. One day, it was decided that I should be exiled from the clan, and after trying to defend me, the clan head attempted to permanently cripple my adoptive mother. She was a promising figure in the clan, but from that moment she lost any chance of being a powerful shinobi. For the rest of her life, my mother will have to live with this pain. She tries to hide it, but I can see it in her eyes. Every single day I wish I could bring her eyes back to the way they were. Despite how it may seem on the surface, I will never forgive the clan head for what he did."

 

"Mikoto…" Naruto's eyes watered.

 

Naruto was the only one who had heard the full story before. The rest of the table was stunned into silence. Kakashi was especially shocked, as the Hokage had only informed him that the incident Mikoto caused was a result of feuding in the Hyuga clan. Inari stopped speaking, surprised that Mikoto could be so carefree when living with so much pain.

 

"It's fine, Naruto, thank you." Mikoto sighed. "Inari, you're right that Naruto will never experience the loss of a loved one. That's because he's an orphan, just like me. However, his life has been harder than mine. Until just recently, everyone hated Naruto, they called him a demon child. From adults to children, nobody could stand Naruto. When he was your age, he was shunned everywhere he went. Naruto has been completely alone for over half of his life. Even if Naruto wanted to reach out to someone, he couldn't. They wouldn't hear a word he said. Even then, Naruto has never once lashed out because of this. He took every single bit of abuse from everyone in the village, and he's done his best to move past it."

 

"It wasn't that bad… After all, I got to be friends with you and Hinata because of it." Naruto felt both forlorn and nostalgic, his eyes clouded as he remembered the past.

 

"Still, it's best to face what happened. You're strong, Naruto, but you don't have to be perfect."

"I- I'll do my best." Naruto laid his chin on the table, a complicated expression on his face.

 

Inari's face showed a complex mix of emotions, the anger failing to completely fade from his face, only slightly being offset by hints of sadness.

"Finally, we have Sasuke. Honestly speaking, I only know of the official details, mixed with some clues dropped by Sasuke, but if you're going to talk about losing loved ones, nobody has suffered more than him. Sasuke is from the famous Uchiha Clan. I'm sure that you don't know about it, as you're from the Land of Waves, but just before we entered the academy, the entire clan was massacred in a single night. He was the only survivor. At least, that's what it is officially. The Uchiha Clan had one more survivor, Sasuke's brother. The reason this information isn't entirely public is because Sasuke's brother killed everyone in the clan, including his own parents. I don't know exactly what happened that night, but just know that Sasuke lost everything."

 

"Before my very eyes…" Sasuke spoke, his face partially hidden by his hands and his voice low. "He killed my parents right in front of me. He mocked me. That bastard told me that I wasn't worth killing. Every single day my hatred grows and my only goal in life is to kill my brother. Mikoto is right, that you don't know what you've said wrong, but it's unforgivable that you think that just because we can enjoy ourselves that we haven't experienced hardship."

 

Sasuke's face was contorted with rage as he remembered the day of his parent's death. His hands were clasped together so tight that one could almost hear his bones creak. Every single part of Sasuke's body was tensed to the point of breaking. His eyes weren't focused on anything in particular, but looking at them made one want to avert their gaze. Although it was practically imperceptible, Mikoto noticed a faint amount of chakra gathering near Sasuke's eyes.

 

Looks like it's close to awakening.

 

As if I'd be happy about that.

 

The mood of the room was at an all-time low. Kakashi sat to the side, his eye closed and a slight frown under his mask. Zabuza looked at the two boys with newfound respect and kinship. Haku's face was slightly pained. Sakura was on the verge of tears. Tazuna kept his gaze on the table and shook his head. Tsunami was softly crying. The fury had completely left Inari's face and was replaced with grief and regret.

 

"I'm- I'm sorry…" Inari began sobbing. "I'm really sorry. I'm just so scared. I don't want to lose Mom or Grandpa. I just want them to be safe. I don't want to lose anyone anymore, not like how I lost Dad. I'm sorry."

 

Inari kept repeating apologies over and over. Tsunami pulled him into her embrace and Tazuna quickly moved over to comfort the two. The hurt family took solace in one another's warmth.

 

"It's all going to be okay, Inari. I promise that these ninja are super strong. Especially the girl with silver hair. She's just a brat but she managed to easily beat the big guy with shark teeth."

 

"Yeah, kid. I can vouch for my master's strength. You may not want to hear this, but I was among the strongest in Gatou's army before she beat me and made me join her side. I respect her strength, even more than I respect my values as a mercenary. Kakashi here is one of the strongest shinobi from the Hidden Leaf. If we really wanted, just the three of us would be able to take over the country within a matter of days." Zabuza clumsily attempted to comfort Inari; to his dismay, the boy only started crying harder.

 

"Zabuza, wait for me outside." Mikoto coldly smiled at her subordinate.

 

"Y-yes, ma'am." Zabuza stiffly stood and left. Haku followed him.

 

"Child, Inari," Mikoto turned her attention to Inari. "You have done something wrong, but at the same time, you haven't. There was no way to know what our lives were like. As you said, you're just scared. It's okay to be scared. You don't have to be ashamed of that. In a way, you're very strong, for doing your best as long as you have. Turn the pain you feel into strength. Grow up to be a strong adult, one who children will see as their hero. Take your lost father's legacy as your own. Become the kind of man that would make him proud. Be strong, Inari."

 

Mikoto stood up.

 

"Naruto, Sasuke, let's go train. Kakashi, you should come to. I'm going to speed things up a little bit. If things get out of control, you'll need to be there. Sakura, I know you don't really like me, but just know that you're my teammate. I will support you when you need it. If you want to train yourself in non-standard battle situations, just ask."

 

So, Team 7 left the building, leaving the family alone to process the conversation that just ended. They met up with Zabuza near the trees that had been marked with kunai knives. Zabuza saw Mikoto approaching and lowered his head.

 

"I apologize for earlier. I didn't think it would make things worse."
 

Mikoto lightly sighed.

"Don't worry about it. You did the best you could. That's not what I called you out for anyways. We have to talk about your sword."