First off, this story is inspired by Brownphantom's Hidden Bloodline challenge. Just came up with the idea one day when I was reading his profile after checking out one his stories (Naruto's Kit, I think). Anyway, you can kind of figure out the basics of his bloodlines from the events of this chapter, but as an introductory chapter it's not too explanatory on how the whole thing works. Still, it was a fun idea, and I think it will be a good story. So, read up! Story is staring during the bridge fight of the Wave Mission.
disclaimer-this holds true for all chapters and needs only be said once-I do NOT own Naruto
"Didn't you say he was your friend? That you were going to kill me?" Naruto stood still, his fist mere inches from Haku's face as he reccognized the boy that had shown him kindness in the forest. Even now he could see that the other boy had a good heart, and this stopped his blow.
"This is no good," Haku said. "You need better conviction to be a true shinobi. Many people make this mistake, the mistake of letting their enemy live."
"How, how can you say that," Naruto demanded, shouting. "How can that be all there is?" Haku held a hand to his heart, smiling softly.
"Shinobi are tools, tools to be used by another. That is our reason for living. In Zabuza-sama, I found my reason to live. He is my precious person, the one I would give my life for, but he has no need for a weak tool. I am broken, and my reason for living is gone now. So, finish me. Find the anger you had for killing your friend, and finish what you started.
"No way! Not for a guy like that," Naruto yelled with all his being, trying to reach Haku, to turn him from his course. Haku just looked up.
"I once...had others precious to me; they were my family, but where I come from blood lines are feared. My whole clan was wiped out before I was ever born. The few remnants left went in hiding, like my mother. She had hoped, I suppose, that I would not inherit our blood trait, but I did. For this my father tried to kill us, and I killed him without even thinking. I killed him with my hated blood, not even knowing how I did it. I was so alone, with no cause to live. Then I met Zabuza-sama." He paused. "Do you know what the most painful thing in the world is," he asked. Silence follow his question. "It is to be unwanted, to live with no reason.
"I had lived that way for some time before I met Zabuza-sama, and in his eyes I saw the same loneliness as was in my own. You told me your dream, to be acknowledged in your village. Zabuza acknowledged me, and desired this blood of mine that everyone else hated. I was...so happy," he said, smiling brightly, eyes closed at the memory. "I was needed; I was wanted. I was important to someone, even if it was just as a tool. Zabuza left his country soon after, his dream being to come back and take it over again. But all that mattered for me was that he wanted me, and would use me to fulfill his dream. For that happiness he gave me, I galdly give my life to help him. So now, Naruto...you must kill me."
Naruto tried to fight it, to convince Haku that he was wrong, that he didn't need to die, but it was to no avail. So Naruto set his heart and moved, intending to strike for the kill, though he kept his eyes closed so he wouldn't have to witness Haku's death. Then, at the last instant, his momentum was stopped. His eyes went wide and his hand shot open once again right infront of Haku's face. It looked...so different now. There was a new determination rather than his resigned gaze he had moments before
"I'm sorry, but it looks like my usefulness is not up just yet," Haku said, bringing up a hand for signing. "Good luck, Naruto," he said, fluxing his charka. In the instant before he completed his jutsu Naruto reacted, fluxing his own chakra as he looked deep into Haku's eyes. There was a small flash and a scream. He wasn't sure he recognized the vioce. His head swam. He saw colors and stars and shadows.
"What, what happened? Kakashi-sensei? Anyone?"
"...Naruto?"
"Yeah, it's me; what's going on, I can't see!" Kakashi looked back and forth across the now clear bridge taking in what he saw. Haku, the boy who followed Zabuza, was now impaled on his lightening blade, but he wasn't. He was right infront of him, but he wasn't. He looked back and forth again, seeing Naruto's body on the ground, a very Naruto like Haku scrambling around as he tried to regain his sight.
"Naruto just sit tight; I'm sure your sight will return in a moment," he said. I have no idea what's going on, but I'll have to make sure this is finished before I can safely help him. "I'm sorry, Zabuza, but it would appear that even Haku's speed wasn't enough to save you this time." The missing nin's eyes were wide as his witnessed the same thing that Kakashi did. An ethereal Haku stood between them, but without a body it did little to stop Kakashi's lightening blade from peircing his heart. Even now he could feel the life slipping out of him.
"H, Haku..." The image began to fade as the boy turned to face his master.
"I'm sorry, Zabuza-sama. I guess my usefulness was over after all."
"No, Haku...don't go...it's not over for you!"
"I will miss you..." Haku faded into nothingness as he spoke his final words. Then Gato appeared, clapping and mocking the dying Demon of the mist.
"My my, it looks like the demon got beat," he cackled. "Too bad; at least you seemed to manage killing a few of them before you died. It saves me the trouble of having you all killed," he shouted, pointing to the mass of mercenaries behind him. "It's also too bad that your brat is still alive," he said, pointing his cane at 'Haku.' "I was gonig to enjoy torturing him for breaking my arm!" Zabuza growled.
"Kakashi, the moment you remove your hand, my blood will flow freely, and I will die in seconds," he said softly, "but I will not tolerate him speaking of, of Haku like that. The boy deserves better. Please, send me at him before I die." Kakashi nodded, dismissing his hounds that still clung to the nin and using his free hand to lift his sword and place the handle in his hand.
"You have one chance," he said, "but I will ensure that he dies if you don't get him."
"...thanks, but I have to get him. It's personal, you know." Kakashi nodded.
"I know. Here you go." With that Kakashi and Zabuza placed themselves, and the mist nin was thrown through the air as the now empty hole in his chest spewed his blood across the bridge.
"Come! Die at the hands of the demon of the mist! Die, Gato; DIE!" THe diminutive man squelled and ran, trying to hide in the mass of men behind him, but none of them could stand to the short seconds of onslaught that came as Zabuza flew over them to Gato, swinging his great blade with all he had left, landing infront of his former employer. Gato uttered a cry of primal fear and fell over backwards.
"No! You're dead; die! Just, just die!" Zabuza grinned.
"Of course; as long as you go with me," he said, and the last of his strength was used to once again swing his massive blade, cleaving Gato's head from his body. Fear was the last feature etched into his face as the larger man's body fell onto his. "Haku...it's done. I'm sorry...I'll never...see you...again..."
Kakashi sighed. Death was nothing new to him. It was the life of a shinobi to fight and to die, but he honored the worthy dead, those like Zabuza who died for a good cause. For Zabuza, it was for Haku that he spent his last seconds fighting. For a friend, rather than the tool her traditionally treated him as. Paying homage would have to wait till later. For now there were other matters to handle...like the mercs shouting out across the whole of the bridge as they decided what to do now that they're employer was dead.
"He, he killed him!"
"Who's gonna pay us now?"
"What about the village?"
"Hey, yeah; that's a great idea!"
"Yeah, let's rensack the place."
"Oh boy," Kakahsi muttered. "This isn't good."
"Hey Sensei, I think I'm starting to see again! it sounded like that Zabuza guy killed Gato; did he sensei? That would be awesome!" He still had no idea that he no longer inhabited his body.
"Er, yeah," he replied, finding it odd to address his student in such a form. "Yeah he did, but now the mercenaries are going to be a bit of a problem."
"What? Oh come on," he cried. "Well, nothing for it then...shadow clone jutsu!" Several Haku's then appeared, but not in the numbers that Naruto was looking for. Of course he didn't know that. Neither him nor his clones could see well enough to tell the difference. "Alright guys, let's take 'em out!"
"YEAH!" With that pronouncement they all proceeded to run off the bridge or into each other, all of them dispelling. Naruto ended up tripping over his own body.
"Ooff! Eh, heheh; guess I should have waited till I could see again, huh sensei?" Kakashi sweat dropped.
"Yeah...probably. Still, I think I can...oh no...?"
"Gone? He's...gone!" A new voice, much deeper and more powerful began to speak, then laugh. "Hahahaaa! He's gone! I'm going to be free!" The bridge was washed over with an immense chakra, causing the mercenaries to flee in fear, thinking that this other ninja must be more powerful than they thought, images of the now dead Zabuza fresh in their minds, cleaving many of them in two even as he dying with the hole in his chest.
"Not good," Kakashi muttered, leafing through his bag. "Good thing the Hokage gave me one of these just in case." Implement in hand, he shot off towards Naruto's body. It was enveloped in the kyuubi's chakra, but he was struggling to make the body move.
"More, more, mooore! I'm gong to be free!"
"Sorry, not in the plans, Kyuubi," Kakashi declared, slamming a paper seal on Naruto's forehead. "You're staying put still we can get Naruto back in this body of his."
"What? Nooo! I was so close! Darn you Kakashi; darn youuuuuuu!" The chakra spiked as the kyuubi tried to overpower the seal, but it was to no avail Naruto's body slumped and the fox's chakra receded.
"Too close," Kakashi said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Though granted, I doubt anyone could have expected that."
"Umm...sensei? What just happened? Is Naruto okay?"
"Of course I'm okay, Sakura-chan. Can't you tell? I'm right over here!" Naruto, sight returned well enough to see basic shapes, had spotted Sakura's pink hair as she and Tazuna moved closer.
"What? What are you trying to pull! What's that guy trying to pull sensei?"
"Er, actually...I don't know how, but that is Naruto."
"WHAT! But Sensei, I can see Naruto right there!"
"Eh? Sakura-chan, why are you pointing over there? I'm right here," he said, walking carefully forward. His vision was clearing rapidly now and he could see his sensei leaning over something orange. Strange; wasn't he the only one wearing orange? And why was it so hard to walk? It felt like he was wearing clogs or something. "Sensei? Is Sakura okay? I mean, she isn't having vision problems like me, is she?"
"No...but I think you need to wipe your eyes. Maybe it'll help clear up your vision the rest of the way," Kakashi suggested. Naruto began to do so as Kakashi continued. "Just so you know, I can't explain this, but I will do everything in my power to help you fix this."
"What are you talking about sensei? Fix what? Everyone's talking too weird; why can't someone-oh look, one of my clones is still around!" Kakashi stared for a moment, face palming himself before he spoke.
"Naruto...that isn't a clone. Look at your body."
"Eh? Why? Is there something-aaaahhhhh!"
"Now calm down Naruto, I'm sure-"
"Where's my jumpsuit! How'd I get into Haku's clothes! Wait...my, my hair..." Naruto's panicked jabbering calmed down as the real crisis dawned on him. He looked back and forth between his body lying on the ground, and the one he was in. "S, sensei, that, that's just a clone, right? It's just a clone? And, and I'm in a genjutsu, right? RIGHT?" Kakashi shook his head.
"Sorry, Naruto; I'm can't explain it, but this is your body. Right now, you are in Haku's body."
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
*end of chapter; please review*
So, that's the first chapter down. Unique to my other stories, this one is actually fully plotted out. I know pretty much the whole story. A couple small nuances may occur, but I'm not expecting anything major to change from my original plot. There is only one pairing that I'm going to focus on in this story, though a couple mothers may be mentioned in passing. Also, most chapters will be a little longer. After all, this is an introductory chapter. It's meant to be shorter.
Anyway, let me know what you think. Next chapter will be the return to Konoha. How will they deal with the kyuubi being the sole inhabitor of Naruto's body? With Naruto's inability to return to his body? Just what IS his blood line? These answers and more to follow in coming chapters!
