sun (naruto fanfiction)

twenty - speed

taiyou p.o.v.

     "naruto, you've gone too far!" sakura yelled at the boy as he got up from the table and walked out of the room.

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     i walked out onto the porch to see inari sitting on the edge with his knees close to his chest, looking out at the clear water. "hey..." i quietly said as i walked over to the child.

     the boy looked back at me, then quickly looked away. "can we talk? if you don't want to, i get it, but there's some things you should know." i looked down at the black haired boy with a faint smile.

     inari slowly nodded his head, and i sat down next to him. "do you remember what you said earlier after dinner?" 

     i sighed as the child nodded his head. "naruto's had a lot happen to him in his life. he grew up with no one by his side, not even a friend to lean on. the whole village had no remorse for him or anything, and just left him stranded in the dark. kind of how you feel now, am i right?"

     i looked over at the boy and noticed his eyes begin to get glossy. "naruto's a... special kind of person. no matter who does what to him, he's always stood by their side. i've never seen him cry or give up. naruto's always had this energy around him that's so happy, and i just can't figure out why. he's been knocked down time after time, but he just gets back up. i have no idea how he does it. when we were little, he was always this little ball of sunshine." i giggled to myself as some memories rushed into my mind.

     "i was never really close to him, but his joy would follow him everywhere he went. villagers would close it off and make fun of him for who knows what, but he still never let it fully get to him. he knows what it's like to be strong, better than anyone i know. naruto didn't mean what he said earlier, not fully. he always has his heart over his mind, and what you said got to him. he just told you what i think he tells himself everyday." as i finished my small lecture, i looked back out at the water. 

     "really?" inari asked me with a slight gasp. 

     "yes," i gave the child a closed eye smile, "really."

-----

     sasuke, sakura, kakashi, and i stood on the patio with tazuna, ready to take him to the bridge for another day of work. "okay, i leave naruto in your hands. he's pushed his body to the limit, overdoing it as usual, so he may not be able to move today at all." my sensei told tsunami as she gave him a bag of snacks for today.

     "what about you? you're still recovering yourself." the woman questioned.

     "why? do i look wobbly? i'll be okay." the jonin gave her a slight chuckle as i took the bag of snacks out of his hand.

     peeking into the bag, i began to count its contents. 'peanuts, tangerines, chips... and no dango.' i frowned a bit and closed the bag, realizing everyone was beginning to walk away.

     "ayeyo, wait up!" i shouted as i began to run after the group.

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     when the five of us got to the bridge, we saw that everyone had gotten attacked. bodies were laying on the ground, and some were groaning out of pain. as my eyes widened at the gruesome sight, my heart began to pound. 'i have a really bad feeling about this...'

     "someone was here, someone got to them!" tazuna shouted with fear soaked into his words. 

     "sasuke, taiyou, sakura, get ready." kakashi demanded as mist began to surround the area.