Disclaimer: Own Naruto I do not. Kagen I do though. IOW: I don't own the series. Just my character.

Naruto, Sakura, and Saske leave the hidden leaf village on a mission to escort and protect the master bridge builder. Little do they know that they are already being watched.

The unknown ninja hides in the trees, waiting, following, and calculating. He watches as other ninja attack the group and fail. He laughs as he hangs upside down from the tree nearest to the master bridge builder.

The whole group looks in his direction and Naruto throws the kunai that he had just used to drain the poison out of his system. Kagen deftly dodges and says, "Is that all you've got? Those ninja must've been weak if all you could manage was that."

Kakashi says, "Calm down Naruto. You could've killed the bridge builder and been on your way. If you aren't here to do that then why are you here?"

Kagen replies, "I was sent to kill the bridge builder. I just want to know why I was sent. I want to know the bridge builder's side of the story, before I end up killing the wrong person."

Kakashi says, "Yes, I would also like to know why you did not mention that you were being chased by Ninja. Bridge builder, you owe us an explaination."

"I am trying to free my people from oppression."

Kagen says, "Continue with the explaination."

"In an island nation, the people are governed by the sea. A shipping tycoon has been oppressing the people of my nation. His name is Gato. He has hired Ninja to hunt me down and kill me, to prevent my completion of the bridge."

Naruto asks, "What is so important about this bridge?"

"It will connect the island to the mainland, bringing commerce that is not drained by the influence of Gato."

Kagen nods at that and asks, "Ok, then. Kakashi, may I join you in protecting this bridge builder?"

Kakashi asks, "What about your contract?"

Kagen says, "I was to be paid when I returned. So I have no commitment to finish the mission. I don't kill very often anyway, at least, not for money."

He drops down and looks around. He says to Naruto, "What are you staring at? You'd better stop your bleeding."

Kakashi bandages Naruto's hand.

Naruto asks, "Kagen, how did you do that?"

Kagen asks, "Do what?"

"Hang upside down."

Kagen says, "I think I'll let your sensei teach you that."

They continue down the road until Naruto randomly throws a kunai knife into the bushes almost nailing a white rabbit.

Kagen notices the color and immediately leaps into the trees. He thinks, 'Zabusa is here.'

Naruto asks, "Where did Kagen go?"

Kakashi says, "I don't know." He thinks, 'So he noticed that the rabbit was from a replacement jutsu, as well.'

Saske says, "He probably got sick of you trying to show off and went to do some real scouting."

They reach the river.

A thick mist comes in. Kakashi orders a defensive formation. Kagen attacks Zabusa with a volley of shuriken. Zabusa blocks them with a kunai. Kagen is there in a heartbeat with his own kunai. They both are standing on the water. Zabusa blocks the kunai thrust throws him back a few feet. Kagen regains his balance and ducks beneath the water to avoid shuriken. Kagen attacks from below and is blocked in turn.

Kagen moves back into the mist and disappears. They soon hear, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Suddenly ten Kagens are running across the water at Zabusa. He draws his sword and slices two of them with one strike. 3 of them get past his sword and land some hits on him. He gets rid of those with another slash of his sword.

The remaining 5 stand by waiting for an opening. They suddenly all rush him at once and are thrown back into the water. They splash and then disappear as the real Kagen appears, kicks Zabusa in the face, and then in the shoulder. Zabusa shakes off the attack and punches Kagen in the chest, sending him flying, knocked out cold.

Naruto and the others flinch as they hear a splash.

Sakura starts to move to find him, but Kakashi stops her.

She says, "But, he could drown sensei!"

Kakashi says, "He won't. There he is right now."

Kagen has washed up on the far bank. (Partially because Zabusa hit him so hard)

A/N: I shall skip this part because it would still go as it does in that episode.

Kagen wakes up as the giant vortex, created by Kakashi, slams him into a tree hurting his broken ribs, causing him to yell in pain.

Sakura runs to check on him and sees that he is fine.

The tracker ninja kills and carries Zabusa away.

Kagen thinks to himself through the pain, 'Why did that tracker not just kill Zabusa himself and dispose of the body, before we went though this trouble? If he was that close to finding him, then surely he had already caught up with him.'

Kagen stands up after the tracker ninja leaves. He says, "I need some help setting my rib bones back in place."

Saske walks over and helps him by punching him in the chest.

Sakura says, "Saske! He already was hurt there!"

Kagen says, "Calm down. That is exactly what I needed. Now I can set them myself."

He puts a stick in his mouth and sets his bones with a snap. When he is done he lies back with a sigh and rigs a set of crutches and bandages up his damaged ribs.

Sakura asks, "Are you alright?"

Kagen smugly grins and says, "What doesn't kill me, will just make me stronger. Anyway, I can feel them mending already. I always was a fast healer."

They continue until they reach the bridge.

When they get there, Kagen jumps up to the bridge while the others continue on.

He encounters several traps and disarms them. He thinks, 'These were skilled traps, probably done by an expert.' He senses something coming and leaps away.

A mist ninja congeals and looks around. He says, "I thought I heard something." Another forms next to him. She says, "It was nothing."

As they turn to leave they notice their traps have been disarmed. They both say, "There was someone here!" They look around and finally decide to dissipate the mist to see better. Kagen strikes as the mist clears. He pins them both in one move. He throws shuriken at the first and pins the other Ninja's limbs with his own, holding a Kunai to her throat.

He asks her, "Why are you here?"

"To kill anyone who works on the bridge. And anyone who stands in our way."

Kagen says, "That is not what I meant. Why are YOU here? Do you want to kill an innocent? Do you get your kicks like that? Or can you not operate and make your own decisions?"

She trembles and says, "I don't really want to. But I have my orders."

Kagen says, "So did I. Why can't you just say no?"

She says, "I…I…"

Kagen says, "Having trouble finding a reason? That is because you don't have one. I'm going to let you up now, if you attack me, I will kill you."

He gets off of her and she stands up. She asks, "Why didn't you kill me? I am your enemy."

Kagen says, "I just don't think it is right to kill people."

"What about him?"

Kagen says, "He'll be fine. I just knocked him out and pinned him. Even I couldn't reason with both of you conscious. You wouldn't have let me get a word in edgewise. I would've had to kill you both."

Kagen pulls the shuriken out of the wood and then the other Ninja attacks, flinging him to the other side of the bridge. Kagen slides and falls off. He hangs there for a second and then they both look over the edge. They see nothing but water.

Suddenly the boards smash up behind them and Kagen flips up through the hole.

The male ninja says, "How!"

Kagen is at his throat in an instant. He says, "Surrender. I don't want to have to kill you."

The Ninja jumps backwards and sends shards of ice flying at Kagen.

Kagen puts his hand up and the ice smashes harmlessly against his metal fist. The shards slice his arm. Kagen then does a hand sign and the metal on his hand spreads to the other hand. Suddenly kunai blades extend from the metal on both fists.

Kagen says, "Kunai Fists Jutsu! You can't win. Give up. I don't want to have to kill you."

The male ninja creates water clones and sends them toward Kagen. Kagen ducks the first one and punches through two more. He then flies through the water towards the Water Ninja.

He punches at the ninja and he barely dodges, getting a slash on his side. The water clones fall apart and Kagen strikes again. The water ninja creates an ice shield and backs away. He is now gasping from the effort.

Kagen asks, "Getting tired? Give up and I'll let you live."

The Ninja throws shuriken at Kagen and he deflects them with his fists.

Kagen smiles and he attacks again. He slices right through a log. He smirks and says, "Attack me again and I won't hold back. I'll slice right through you!"

Kagen blinks and his eyes change. They become slitted and have symbols in them.

A/N: They look like sharingan.

Kagen stands up straight and puts his arms to his sides. The Ninja attacks from his left.

Kagen sweep kicks him and then slams him off the bridge with a roundhouse kick.

He then jumps off and gets below him, standing on the water. He knees him back up onto the Bridge and then moves in for the kill. Then he stops and blinks. He looks at the downed ninja and then at the other one. He says, "I'm sorry. Leave and don't return. Get some medical treatment for him."

She is shocked. She says, "You said you would kill him. Why didn't you?"

Kagen says, "Go! If he doesn't get medical treatment soon, he will die. He has internal bleeding, and a lot of broken bones. Tell him when he wakes up that I'm sorry. And to leave the bridge builder alone. If either of you attack him, I will kill that person."

Kagen leaps off into the mist to check the rest of the bridge.

An hour later at the bridge builder's house.

They are having dinner. Kagen knocks at the door and says, "I cleared the bridge. A few traps and a few Ninja, but nothing serious."

Sakura says, "Nothing serious! You could've been killed!"

Kagen shrugs and says, "What else is new? I live like that everyday. You have to when you have no village."

The bridge builder says, "You have no village?"

Kagen says, "It was destroyed before I can remember. Somehow I got this from it." He holds up his right fist.

Kakashi asks, "Do you happen to know what name the village might have had?"

Kagen says, "I've checked all the records and found nothing. I did find this when I searched the wreckage." He hands Kakashi a piece of paper.

He looks at it and sees nothing. Then he looks at it with his sharingan and sees a name. His face drains of color as he reads the rest. He thinks to himself, 'If this is correct, then he is from the village that was destroyed 15 years ago by a 7 eyed jade dragon. That dragon was never seen again after that day. Somehow they must've sealed the dragon in Kagen. I must consider this closely later on.' He stashes the notebook page.

"So, do you know how my village was destroyed?"

Kakashi jumps an inch and says, "No, I'll have to do a little research when I get back to the leaf village."

Kagen says, "You are withholding information from me, aren't you?"

Kakashi thinks to himself, 'How could he know? He is only a genin.'

Kakashi says, "Yes, I did find something on the paper. A symbol not able to be seen with ordinary vision. But I can't remember what the village's name was."

Kagen says, "Alright then, could you draw it for me?"

Kakashi draws it in the dirt and Kagen looks at it. He says, "Thanks, Kakashi."

He then leaps away into the darkness.

Kagen takes a jade green headband from his pouch and puts it on the anvil. He levels his right fist over it and concentrates. Metal drips off of the hand onto the headband. It forms into a plate as Kagen's hand starts to glow green from him concentrating his chakra there.

Then the metal starts to change. Lines appear in the center. They soon reach all the way through to the fabric. Kagen continues working for an hour and then relaxes looking at his creation. It now has a swordlike symbol cut out of the metal and the green fabric is visible through it. Kagen puts it on and looks in a makeshift mirror. He then returns to the bridge builder's house and goes to sleep.

They all wake up and Naruto sees Kagen's new headband.

Naruto asks, "So what is that supposed to be?"

Kagen says, "The symbol of the village I will recreate. It was destroyed years ago and it is due time for it to be restored."

Naruto asks, "So what does it mean exactly?"

Kagen says, "I don't know yet. But I'm sure to find out if I wear it."

Kakashi thinks, 'I'm surprised, I didn't think that he would do that to find out. A jonin would know what that symbol means and immediately concentrate on him. The village who's symbol he is wearing was highly known for the strength of their ninjutsu and taijutsu. Some even said that a few of them could control metal with their chakra.'

They head for the woods to train.

Kagen sits against a tree to watch.

When Kakashi walks up the tree Kagen sighs and says, "I think I'll make more progress on my own."

With that comment he leaps off into the bushes. He finds a place he likes and takes out a kunai knife. He holds it loosely and settles into a meditative state. He concentrates his chakra in his hands and opens his hands. The kunai knife floats up and hovers a few inches above his hand. He continues to meditate like this for the whole day and into the night.

Kagen opens his eyes and aims at a tree. The floating Kunai knife flies directly at the tree and sticks in it. Kagen smiles and retrieves it. He then heads back to Tazuna's house and starts to mar the glint from his weapons and sharpen them. Sakura sees Kagen sitting there and asks him, "Why are you so serious?"

Kagen simply responds, "I have to be."

Sakura asks, "Why? I know a ninja has to be ready, but why are you so…"

Kagen says, "Intense?"

Sakura says, "Yes, well… no. That isn't what I meant! Why are you so stressed out all the time?"

Kagen opens his mouth to respond and then closes it in thought. He finally says, "I never have given myself enough time to think about it. It may be because I am the last of my ninja in my village. Well, after my sensei died."

Sakura asks, "How did he die?"

Kagen says, "In his sleep."

Sakura asks, "Was he assassinated?"

Kagen says, "No, he just died of old age. I was 5 years old then."

Sakura says as she puts her hand on his shoulder, "That must've been harsh. How did you survive?"

Kagen's eyes open as he goes into a flashback, dragging Sakura in with him.

A younger Kagen is kneeling in a clearing, crying. His fist is deep in the dirt from him pounding the ground. Kagen hears a sound and dodges as a demonwind shuriken buries itself where his left hand just was. Kagen makes a handsign with his left hand and then he disappears. The ninja leaps at the spot where he just was and looks around. A hand grabs his ankle and starts to drag him down into the dirt. The ninja screams as he is buried inch by inch. Kagen rises up where the ninja had sunk. He has an eerie glow about him and his eyes are narrowed to slits. A spike starts out of his right hand and Kagen seems to snap out of it. Kagen pulls out a piece of metal and makes a handsign. He then puts the metal on the spike's root and holds it there.He begins to scream as the metal starts to flow around the spike and pulls it back into his skin. The metal then absorbs into his hand and a seal appears on his right hand. Kagen looks up at the sky.

Kagen and Sakura gasp as one as they are released from Kagen's flashback.

Kagen clutches his right hand and runs off into the forest.

Sakura starts to go after him but Kakashi, who had come outside while they were in the flashback, stops her saying, "No Sakura."

"But why sensei?"

"He has to deal with this on his own. If you go after him… he might hurt you without meaning to."

Sakura sits down on the step as Kakashi walks back inside. 'What was that that I saw? Was it one of his memories? Probably after his sensei died. Did he mean to do that or was it just an accident? Did I see it because I was touching him?'

She blushes and thinks to herself, 'That kind of intimacy is… well no wonder he rarely touches anyone. To think of the awkwardness that would bring. I wonder if he knows that I saw his memory. Is that why he ran away? No, he was holding his right hand. The same one in the memory! Is it acting up again? Should I tell Kakashi? No, I can't. It is Kagen's memory. I can't share one of Kagen's secrets without his approval. Will Kagen explain the memory to me? Will he come back?'

Tell me how I did.