Konoha's New Yellow Flash

The Assassin of the Mist!

I stared at the boat, eye twitching. Everyone was looking at me expectantly. I stood on shore, frozen in fear. Why you ask? Well it all started back when Naruto and I were kids.

~Flashback~

I had just beaten up the bullies bothering Naruto, when they cornered me in the woods. They were pissed off at me and threw me in the river. I never learned to swim so I clung to the rock they stood on.

It was fall so the water was freezing cold. I struggled against the current as it tried to bring me to the bottom of the steep river. I held onto the rock for dear life. My clothes were wet and felt like weights on me.

One of the boys found a long stick and used it to push my head under and keep it there. I moved to the side and went back up, clinging to the rock. But they just kept on using it to keep me under. Finally my grip on the rock loosened and the current pulled me away.

I screamed as I struggled to stay above the raging waters. I was pulled under and couldn't swim up. So naturally I couldn't hold my breath longer.

Then I was covered in cold darkness. When I woke up I was at the end of the river where it nears the academy. Naruto hovered over me, soaking wet. Tears were in his eyes. "Nar.  . . u. . . .to?" I asked. More tears welled in his eyes and he picked me up and cradled me to him.

~End of flashback~

I wasn't breathing and my heart had stopped beating. He had found me in the river and dove after me. So you see where I have a little issue with large bodies of water.

As if seeing the flash back with me, Naruto got out, put me on his back, and then brought me into the boat before setting me down behind him, next to Sasuke.

They kept on sending us curious glances, but we ignored them. What? It was a traumatic experience for us!

So then we were on our way.

It's so misty. A bridge came into view. It's huge! I admired it, my eyes sparkling, while Naruto was getting scolded for being loud.

So then Kakashi asked for Tazuna to tell us the truth.

We all waited on his explanation. "The one who seeks my life is a very short man who casts a long and deadly shadow."

So . . . a guy with a temper as short as him. I snickered at my own joke. "You know him. At least I'm sure you've heard his name before. He is one of the wealthiest men in the world. The shipping magnet Gato."

Gato? "You mean Gato of Gato Transport?" I asked. Sakura looked at me. "You know him." I rolled my eyes. "Not personally he's just a rich guy who ships in goods from all around the world. He's a business leader."

"Gato is a very powerful tycoon from a famous company, that's true. But below the surface, with the same ruthless methods he uses to take over businesses, he sells drugs and contrabands using gangs and ninjas."

So he's a drug lord. Alright. And since Tazuna is a bridge builder he's probably blocking him.

I can see it. "It was one year ago when Gato first set his sight on the Land of Waves. He came to our island and used his vast wealth to take total control of our transport and shipping. Anyone who tried to stand in his way simply disappears."

I zoned out in the rest. I understood the situation more or less. Naruto still seemed confused so I helped him.

I took out pieces of paper and a pen and started drawing. "Gato bad." I stated. I pointed to the chibi picture of him with horns. I then showed him the next chibi drawing of Tazuna. "Tazuna good." He had a halo. The next one was of chibi devil Gato standing over a cry baby Tazuna angel. "Gato wants to hurt Tazuna." The last was of a chibi Naruto stepping on a defeated chibi devil Gato. "We fight bad." Then for effective measure, I drew one of a bowl of ramen. "We eat ramen as reward."