__Sara Pov__

The next morning... we couldn't wake Naruto up. Go figure, he wore himself out completely and didn't even stir when I kicked him lightly. Kakashi finally decided to just leave him there since he wasn't up by breakfast. It really was his own fault.

We left all together and started to walk to the bridge, but in the far off distance I felt two hostile chakras, and they were headed to the house.

"Hey, Kakashi, is it alright if I meet up with you at the bridge? I forgot something at the house."

"What did you forget Sara?"

I thought quickly, I had my sword and kunais... "I forgot to bring my bow." I lied quickly.

"Why do you need your bow?" By now the group had stopped to look at me.

"Well... you never know when something like that will come in handy. Anyways I have better aim with it, and the arrows move just as fast as any kunais I throw."

He nodded thinking it over. "Alright, but if you aren't there in an hour I'm going to send Sasuke to come get you."

Both of us had looks of disgust at that. A walk with Sasuke? The emo who never talks? Yeah right, like that's happening.

"I'll be back way before that." I said quickly.

"You had better be." Sasuke agreed.

With that I went off in the direction of the house, but as soon as I was out of sight I went to find the two chakras. I saw the trail they had left, with slash marks everywhere, definitely not going to be a nice friendly chat. I quickly followed after their chakras, but only got there in time to see Inari standing up to the two men with a crossbow.

The men started to charge him, and I saw Naruto out of the corner of my eye. I rushed and grabbed Inari while Naruto freed Tsunami bringing her over to where I took Inari. Naruto then detained the two men.

"Inari, are you alright?" I asked him as I checked over the unconscious Tsunami.

"I'm fine Sara-nee, how's my mom?" He asked with evident worry.

"She'll be fine, she's just unconscious."

He sighed in relief, "Thank goodness. I didn't know what to do when they came to take her."

"You were very brave Inari, just like a hero!" He smiled widely.

"That's right Inari, but I was the hero as well, and the hero always shows up at the last minute!" Naruto boasted.

Inari started to cry again, but furiously wiped the tears away as they fell. "Darn it, you're going to call me a cry baby again Naruto."

"Inari, it's alright to cry when you're happy." Naruto told him. That just made him cry a little more.

"Naruto, get to the bridge and help the others, I'll stay here and take care of Inari and Tsunami." He nodded and rushed off.

"Good luck Naruto!" Inari cheered.

"Come on Inari, let's get your mom back to the house." After carrying her in she slowly woke up. She was perfectly fine, but had a headache.

Inari walked in then with a bowl strapped to his head carrying a small crossbow. "I'm going to help Naruto!" He announced.

"Not directly you aren't! I'm not letting you go to help without backup." I told him.

"What are you going to do?" Tsunami asked her son in worry at the same time.

"I'm going to get the townspeople to stand up to Gato!" He announced.

"You're going to need some help convincing them, I'll come with you."

"Sara, will you look after my son? Protect him alright?"

"No problem Tsunami, just have an amazing dinner ready for when we all come back... and probably a first aid kit knowing my teammates." I smiled at her and grabbed my bow. Then me and Inari left to gather the villagers.

_I think we have an emergency, I think we have an emergency (Emergency by Paramore)_

I couldn't believe that they were completely ignoring Inari. It was horrible to watch. He ran door to door, to people running the shops, to the poor begging on the streets, but every single one of them ignored him. I helped, but I knew that they wouldn't listen to me, it had to be Inari if they were going to change.

Eventually one man, the first Inari had spoken to, came up to me.

"Why is Inari doing this? He always was so solemn and the one to give up hope first."

"Probably because, deep down, he still hasn't given up hope. He thought he had, but seeing Naruto try so hard stirred it inside him. That combined with the memories of his dad... well, I hope we can get a few people to help us." I said shrugging.

"Well then, I suppose I can help out if others come along."

I smiled, but made sure you couldn't tell from my eyes. "I guess you better help to convince some people then, cause I'll force you either way now."

He laughed heartily, but seeing the look in my eyes knew I was serious.

After the first man came up and talked to me others did the same. No one had truly given up hope, they just needed the push of that first person. Soon we had all the town with us, and they were armed with pitchforks, torches, and other farm implements like rakes. It would be a mob if I didn't control them.

"EVERYONE!" When they saw me standing on one of the stalls in the market we were gathered in they quieted, paying attention. I was yelling still as I spoke to them but in a softer voice, it brooked no argument. "Now that you have decided to take back your town, and country by fighting Gato, you need to work together! With our numbers he will not argue! This is the time for you to stand up for what you believe! Never give up on the hope you are feeling right now! If you fall into despair again, nothing will change! NOW LET'S GO KICK SOME BUTT!"

The last sentence I spoke rolled over the crowd, and slowly the cheers came and rolled over them, doubling, tripling in strength. I hopped down and pulled my bow off of my shoulders raising it they followed me to the bridge.

_-_

The scene at the bridge was sad. Sasuke was lying surrounded by water. Sakura crying over him while Tazuna stood to the side. Kakashi and Naruto stood beside each other, Kakashi to one knee. We had arrived in time to see Zabuza stab Gato in the chest and sent him off the end of the bridge to his death. Zabuza was then impaled my the angry men that Gato had hired.

"You killed our payer!"

"What do we do now?!"

"LET'S RAID THE TOWN FOR MONEY!" The mob of would be thieves cheered at the idea.

They started to run down the bridge toward us. They were met by a swarm of arrows. Inari's initial arrow landed on the bridge in front of them, it being a low powered toy. I sent a volley of 7 arrows in their direction in the space of 10 seconds. All my arrows buried themselves in the thigh of 7 different people. Then the string of my bow snapped as I tried to send an 8.

The mob froze as the fog cleared revealing the villagers brandishing their weapons. I threw my useless bow to the side and drew my sword.

Naruto and Kakashi turned to see me with Inari at my side and the villagers behind us. Naruto then made hundreds of shadow clones and Kakashi followed suit.

Let's just say in simple terms, they ran for it. The wounded from my arrows were carried of course, but they ran like no other.

I watched as Kakashi stood and walked to a dying Zabuza. After a brief talk he carried Zabuza to the boy that pretended to be a tracker nin. I watched in silence as did everyone else as snow quietly fell around them and drifted onto the ground. It was sad watching that, but ninja don't cry, and there lay a man who lived his life any way he pleased. He was strong, I knew that, same with the boy who lay dead beside him.

I quietly walked over to my team who were surrounding Sasuke, that was never a good sign. I heard Sakura's wails of pain and grew worried. Naruto wouldn't look at him, and Kakashi just stood to the side with Tazuna.

I walked up to see Sasuke and knew already that he was dead. I put an arm around Sakura in comfort and began carefully pulling needles from his body. Surprisingly after a while he stirred and tried to sit up. Knowing that would make his injuries worse I held him down. The fake tracker nin, whose name I still didn't know, must have put him in a near death state like with Zabuza. I finished pulling the needles from his body and took out bandages.

I wrapped all of my teammate's wounds including Kakashi's. It was still quiet and I finished getting all the bleeding and serious wounds taken care of. I then turned and faced everyone who was still standing there in silence.

I said in a low voice that was still audible over the crowd, "We won."

It took a moment, but then the people who had come to fight were cheering. For a long while that was all they did, and it made me happy to know they had gained strength. I turned when I felt someone pulling on my skirt.

"Hey there Inari. How's the bravest kid in the village?" I asked him.

"Sara-nee!" He glomped on me and cried into my shoulder in happiness.

"You did good Inari." I held him with one hand and ran my hand through his hair.

My team then left, except Sakura, to get their wounds looked after by Tsunami. I made Inari go back with them. The villagers dispersed and Sakura and I walked back over to the two ninja who lay dead.

"You both fought well, may you rest in peace." I prayed for them quietly. Sakura and I then took them to a cliff that overlooked the sea. I carried them and she grabbed Zabuza's sword. We dug their graves and marked them with sticks held together by twine. We put the sword in the ground and the head of Zabuza's grave.

When we got back to the house an hour later we were met by half the village, who invited us to a feast the next day. We agreed, because I feel if we had said no they would have kidnapped us and drug us along anyways.

Naruto filled me in on everything that had happened and how he fought Haku, the tracker nin. I listened politely to the tale.

That evening was peaceful and we all rested well.

_-_

When we finally finished the bridge a week later my team and I packed up to head off. The entire village came to see us off and thank us. I knew that this village had a strong future and was happy for that.

Inari and Naruto had become almost like brothers, and were facing each other trying not to cry, eventually though they parted and both burst into tears. I walked over to Inari to talk to him.

"Inari, remember to never give up, you'll become the strength of this village one day, I know it. Look for a present sometime next month alright? I'll come visit and see how you do with it sometime, alright?"

"What are you going to send Sara-nee?" He asked between sobs.

"You'll see when it gets here, but remember to practice, alright?" I messed up his hair again.

"Alright! See you!"

We then began the walk back to Konoha.

_-_

When we were within a mile or two of Konoha Kakashi had us take a break for lunch.

"We're so close though Kakashi-sensei. Why not continue?" Sakura questioned for all of them. I already knew why.

"Because it's nice out here with a good view, why not have one last memory of the mission before we go back?" He said it like we were picnicking... which we pretty much were now.

"Alright then." all my teammates sat down in a small clearing while Kakashi and I walked off with the excuse of gathering vegetables.

"So, Sara, isn't it about time you told me why you want to talk to the Hokage?" He asked when we were far enough not to be heard.

I sighed. "Alright I suppose, but remember that the other three hear nothing of this."

"Go on then." He motioned with his hand in a rolling gesture as he said that.

"Well I guess the best way to put it..." I thought for a while. "Would be that I want to leave this team."

"You what!?" He exclaimed.

"Hey, keep it down, though dense our teammates aren't deaf."

"Right, sorry. Anyways, what do you mean leave the team?"

"Alright, here's what my idea is in it's entirety. Listen close, because you're supposed to support me fully on this, otherwise your book will have a watery grave. Got it?"

He nodded and I explained my idea. He agreed whole heartedly when he heard it, as I knew he would. Now I just had to convince the Hokage and all the Jonin senseis about it.