Chapter 1
Shuriken sparked against thrown shuriken as shadows raced through a forest of trees. Gouts of flame were spat forth by one, searing through the air in an attempt to burn the other shadowy combatant. The hitai-ate with clouds glinted in the muted light as ninja replaced himself with a log evading the roiling flames. He threw six shuriken at his opponent in rapid succession and at different speeds. Two of his own shuriken collided in the air and ricocheting slightly, they moved along diverging paths as a third shot between them. The change in trajectories allowed the spread of shuriken to evade the ones sent to intercept them as they headed for their target, Uzumaki Naruto.
Only the boy was no longer where he had been standing. A simple bunshin combined with a short range shunshin created an afterimage that vanished as the thrown projectiles sailed through where he had been. Naruto raced up to enemy from outside of the man's peripheral vision. He seemed to disappear from one place only to reappear in another, ready to attack. Kumo shinobi struggled to parry Naruto's first blow, aimed at his temple. He was barely able to dodge a kick and took another hit in his short ribs that left him gasping. Next moment the blond boy in a burst of chakra closed the distance and struck with kunai into his throat. Wind chakra enhanced kunai almost decapitated Kumo shinobi and his body fell to the ground.
In the same time another Kumo ninja rose from the earth in silence, he blurred through handseals releasing Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu into the canopy of a tree. Only Naruto already wasn't there anymore.
Kumogakure shinobi was forced to draw upon the remaining fire chakra left over from his last technique to perform a sealless Katon: Hiendan that incinerated the wind chakra enhanced kunai that flew toward his face. He threw one kunai toward boy's hiding place as he dodged the hot metallic ashes that came from the destroyed kunai.
The boy jumped from the tree and somehow completed the handseals for an earth release technique in mid air while upside-down. When his hands hit the ground from his flip, Kumo ninja was forced to jump away from his position as earth rose on either side of him, forming a fanged mouth. It slammed shut with a thud that shook the ground slightly. He answered with a lightning jutsu that leaped at Naruto from the man's index and ring fingers which continued to spark lightly for seconds afterward. It was easy to avoid but the low level Ration jutsu would have dulled boy's movements had it hit, perhaps even immobilized him. Naruto replaced himself with the boulder and while being hidden by the tree did a Rat handseal. Immediately, the surrounding area was covered in a thick frost in which he camouflaged himself.
Shimogakure no Jutsu, flashed in Kumo shinobi's mind as he recognized the support jutsu for silent killing technique that was developed by one of the strongest Kiri jounin, Chūkichi. It was bastardized version of elemental manipulation of kekkei genkai Yuki clan.
He didn't sense the transparent figure behind as it stuck kunai into his head.
"Welcome to the Bloody Mist." Naruto breathed as his lips morphed into predatory smile. He glanced at the position of the sun in the sky. "Hmm... Guess, I'll return home during the night."
XXX
Kirigakure no Sato always smells of the sea; the bitter icy scent invading every lung and breath. It rises from the ground and settles in every shadow. There are storms and winds and vengeful days of tempest and days of miles and miles of silver bright oceans. And for many decades there have been Kiri shinobi venturing deep into the mainland, always knowing they are not home when earth and sky are clear and green and blue and not right. And they know only the death live in Kirigakure no Sato.
One of these shinobi was twelve years old Uzumaki Naruto.
Raindrops ran through his hair, soaked through his clothes, and ran like tears down his whiskered cheeks. Flowers lay at the grave stone before his feet, hanging limply as water flowed around petals and marble.
This grave stone was completely normal, no different to thousands of others, but for young Naruto it was very special. For in this grave under the stone was buried his late mother, Uzumaki Kushina, who defected from Konohagakure no Sato on the day her son was born. She left the sunny village and came into dark and cold Water Country to save her newborn son from the fate of being jinchuuriki. Naruto was eight years old when his mother died of injures received during his birth and extraction of the bijuu and sometimes he hated the world and cruel fate that gave them so little time together. Sometimes he was happy that fate gave them time at all.
His eyes hung heavy from lack of sleep but nevertheless preferred the rainy night to another restless in bed.
Naruto occasionally wondered what would happened if his mother didn't run away from Konoha and Kyuubi was sealed in him and not merely defeated by Yondaime. Would he became a hero, a protector, an ultimate shinobi praised by Konohagakure or would Konoha people scorned him? From what he heard, when three years after his birth, Kyuubi reemerged and was caught and sealed before it can cause any damage, Konoha citizens started to hail as greatest hero their young jinchuuriki, Sarutobi Konohamaru, who was Sandaime Hokage's grandchild.
Drenched by the rain, his clothing began to sag on him like training weights. He stepped away from the grave stone, away from the name that used to breathe with life.
Naruto didn't leave, just stood with his eyes closed, letting the water beat upon his head. He would eventually have to drag his body to bed, wake up, and rush to another mission for only in battle he felt alive.
"What do you want, sensei?" Naruto's voice echoed through the raindrops.
A golden haired boy thought that Chūkichi-senseiwould have learned by now that their chakra sensory abilities were on the same level. He didn't even need to concentrate to know there was a shadow watching him.
A relatively large man with three distinct, broad, blue striped markings on his face and a pair of small red glasses, flickered beside him. Chūkichi smiled when he heard the voice of his only apprentice. The kid was talented and ruthless as the best Kirigakure ninja could be and it was a god's blessing that the boy was sneaky bastard when he wanted to be. Otherwise, he wouldn't have survived being shinobi of the Bloody Mist.
"You have a mission."
"I just returned from one." Naruto paused, "And it's middle of the night." He said, the night ached and called him to a bed.
Chūkichi kept silence for a moment then said. "Ao have a mission for you."
Naruto shook his head and slipped into shunshin, rushing to the building that served as Hunter-nin Department Headquarter. The rain evaporated before it touched his skin.
"What do you want of me, old man?" Naruto demanded.
Ao, the Head of Hunter Ninja, rubbed his temples with a huge sigh as he observed Naruto who burst into his office and was dripping water on the carpet.
"Why, in the old days..." Ao started to scold the golden haired boy only to stop seeing how unimpressed he was. "You have a mission, brat." He threw him a scroll that Naruto caught, but didn't open.
Uzumaki shrugged his shoulders with a nonchalant expression, "I wouldn't came here otherwise."
A hunter-nin mask was placed upon the desk.
"We have received information about Momochi Zabuza." Ao said in an exhausted voice.
"So... a mission?" Naruto questioned, looking at the mask quizzically, it wasn't the one that he painted himself.
"I wouldn't send a little genin like you to be butchered by the Demon of Mist. No, you will just confirm his whereabout and trail him until I send a squad to take him out." Ao picked up the hunter-nin mask and held it aloft, "Apparently, one of Zabuza's companions have the mask painted like this, don't mistake him with the real hunter-nin."
Naruto scratched the back of his head, "So you want me just to confirm this info you received and wait for a team. This is lame. Wouldn't it be better if you send a squad of ninja with me to kill Zabuza?"
Ao raised an eyebrow but did not reply for a second. Damn, kid was right, of course, but he couldn't tell him the real reason for sending him away of Water Country. "No genin should question their orders, Uzumaki. Actually, even full-fledged hunter-nins don't question my orders. You will leave Kirigakure tomorrow morning. Dismissed."
When Naruto has left, Ao turned to greet the man that entered his office through the hidden door. "You owe me for this, Chūkichi." He said to the man in the shadows.
"And you know as I do that Kirigakure couldn't afford to lose a promising ninja like Naruto." Chūkichi stepped closer to the Head of Hunter-nin Department, "Did you confirmed it?"
"Yes. Someone is indeed controlling Yagura. We have no choice, but to side with kekkei genkai rebels and Terumi-san for the good of Kirigakure."
"I'll pray that this coup will be more effective then Zabuza's."
XXX
Naruto walked the street towards his apartment, a rare sight to see a ninja walking, but he enjoyed the quiet streets and the moon lazily watching from above. It stopped raining while he was briefed by Ao. He had thoughts to sort but he found them too much of a jumbled mess to organize properly. As he walked, the quiet clean street turned into ominous pathways of dirt. The Kirigakure no Sato gradually twisted and deformed into the darker areas. Cheap apartment complexes and rowdy bars lined the streets. Naruto stepped nonchalantly to the side as a man was thrown out of a second-story window.
There where whores on the street corner, shady characters selling drugs, thieves pawning stolen items, and gangs stalking their territory. It was the part of Kirigakure that went ignored by the Mizukage. After all, this was a ninja village and ninja needed some kind of escape from their harsh lives.
This was home to Uzumaki Naruto. His apartment building has been in the center of this illegal wasteland since the death of his mother.
Standing on the corner of the street right next to his apartment was Hikari. She had come from a ninja family but her parents died on a mission a long time ago, leaving her an orphan and struggling to survive the orphanage system until she fled from it.
Hikari leaned against the building wall. Short skirt, low shirt and high heels were covered by the raincoat. "Where have you been?" She asked, a cigarette between crimson lips.
"Mission," Naruto replied. A pause occurred in the conversation and smoke filled the air. This was the part where Hikari should have offered her services but it hasn't worked in past and it wouldn't work now.
"One of your ninja buddies was snooping around here."
"Oh, do you know –"
"The white haired bitch," Hikari interrupted. "You fucking her?"
Naruto blushed and Hikari snickered, "Geez, just asking. You are such a baby." Hikari could tell a lot by just looking at boy, and it was so easy to get the one standing before her completely red in the face. With a drag of the cigarette and a snake of smoke she added, "She seemed pretty worried."
Naruto knew Hikari like to tease him, but he never got used to it. After he recovered from the embarrassed flush, he suddenly felt guilty. Yuuki was a girl they graduated Academy together and who had a crush on him. There was a mission when her team was killed and she captured, it was a sheer luck that he and sensei were in the same area and saved her. Since that time her love only deepened, but twelve years old Uzumaki wasn't sure what he should do about it.
"Thanks," Naruto gave her a smile but she didn't buy it. She took one look at his ANBU attire and the bags under the eyes. He couldn't fool her.
He made his way up the stairs and coins rang on the concrete, falling at Hikari's feet. Her eyes burned afire, "I told you Uzumaki, I don't want your fucking money!" She yelled up the stairs. "Don't you fucking pity me!"
Naruto was used to the yelling as he unlocked his door, undid the traps and seals, and went inside. Hikari stopped her curses when the door closed. She looked at the money at her feet. It wasn't much but was better then nothing. She picked it up. No point in wasting it.
Hikari knew she could just pick another corner, but she kept coming back.
Everyone knew Uzumaki Naruto was probably the only decent guy in this neighborhood. He had taken Hikari in when she had a rough night with a client. He shared his ramen with the many orphans roaming the streets. Everyone knew that they were safe in his home. What Naruto didn't know is that the denizens kept tabs on him almost obsessively. He was one of them. He was their protector. He belonged to Kirigakure no Sato.
They all knew that being a prostitute, or drug runner, or thief was better than the life of a ninja. This neighborhood was no stranger to shinobi looking for an escape. Ninja came with haunted eyes to buy an alcohol, or a woman. Their hands might be filled with money, but at the same time they were covered in blood. All ninja died, either on the battlefield or a little bit inside until they became walking corpses.
Shadows smeared the streets of Kirigakure no Sato.
Hikari settled against the brick wall of an abandoned building with the coins nestled in the safety of her bra. She was the one who pitied him.
XXX
Naruto collapsed onto his bed, his room as messy as he felt. The stocked cabinets full of instant ramen, vitamin bars and canned meat was the only evidence Yuuki had stopped by. He tried to go to sleep but the couple down the hall was arguing again. Although, that had never stopped him from falling asleep before.
Then he heard a footsteps running up the stairs outside. By the time Naruto opened the door, an ebony streak of hair crashed passed his legs and stumbled onto the floor. Naruto closed the door and turned as his visitor picked himself up.
Kota wasn't an orphan, but soon he would be. His mother was critically ill and constantly in and out of hospital. They barely had enough money to pay the medical bills so Kota had stooped to doing errands for the local gangs. Judging by the heavy bleeding on the left side of the kid's face and the limp in his right leg, it wasn't going so well for him.
"You know where the bandages are," Naruto said and decided to make some ramen. He watched from the corner of his eye as Kota pulled the first aid kit from the cabinet. Naruto could offer to help but he knew it was better this way. He knew what it was like to be too stubborn and too proud. Sometimes Naruto wished he could enlist sensei's assistance but the children didn't trust sensei, they trusted him. They ran to him when things were desperate. More often than not, only in silence did he receive their gratitude.
The ramen was ready by the time Kota fixed himself up. He limped over to the table where a bowl was waiting for him. Naruto was never one to eat in silence, especially when he had company. "How is your mom?"
"The doctor says she's getting better," Kota slurped his noodles loudly, "but they're lying."
Naruto could see the fear cross the boy's face. The fear to lose a precious mother.
Sometimes Naruto wondered why he was alive for two years already when stronger and more experience ninja died everyday. Maybe because there were unspoken words and mutual understanding. There were unshed tears and long nights over bowls of ramen even when everyone else knew that ramen could not fix everything. Naruto couldn't leave these kids alone. For most, he was all they had.
A knock came at the door. It was hard, rough, and threatening to break the door down.
"I didn't do it," Kota and Naruto said quickly, at the same time. Kota gave him a suspicious glare.
"I swear, I have no idea who break the window in the teashop," Naruto chuckled.
Kota smiled, "I swear, I have no idea who stole that watch."
Naruto shrugged his shoulders with a grin and walked over to his door. He opened it to reveal four thugs crowded in the hallway.
"Where is that punk?" The smallest one with a pock-marked face demanded. Even though he was small he was the most dangerous. He was a fifteen years old ninja retired due to injury. He looked over his shoulder and found Kota sitting at the table, eating ramen, and giving him an obscene hand gesture.
"I haven't seen any punks," Naruto replied innocently.
The retired ninja poked his finger at Naruto's nose. "You can't protect him forever."
No, Naruto couldn't. His home was just a safe place, before you had to wake up and deal with life. And life always came for them, whether they want it to or not. Everyone had their demons to face.
The thugs bristled, but they knew who they were dealing with. While young, Naruto was deadly. They had no choice but to back down. The retired ninja addressed Kota with a growl. "Next time kid, I'll kill you."
"I find him dead and I'll kill you." Naruto replied in turn, the words came easily to his mouth. The urge to kill was strong. Uzumaki was radiating killing intent. The thugs collapsed under the weight of it and scrambled down the hallway in fear.
Naruto sighed as he closed the door.
He turned around and Kota was eating his ramen much more happily. The boy kicked his good leg in a happy rhythm under the table. The kid's dark and troubled eyes brightened just a little.
"You were gone. Mission?" Kota asked.
"Yeah," Naruto said as he threw off his shirt.
Kota's eyes might have lingered a little too long on Naruto's bruises. "I still don't understand why you're a ninja."
"They're cool and they kick the shit out of thugs," Naruto suggested.
Kota stirred the noodles, then whispered into his bowl. "But ninjas die, like my dad."
"Not me. I've got to become Mizukage first so I can declare a national holiday dedicated to ramen and sushi."
"They'd never let you do that. Inarizushi is so much better."
Naruto looked appalled, "Now I'm going to have to kick you out of my house."
Kota scoffed as he stuffed the rest of the food in his mouth and jumped on the couch in defiance, "I'd like to see you try."
When Naruto ate his serving of ramen and canned meat, Kota was already asleep. Uzumaki walked into his room and collapsed into the bed. He didn't know what it was, perhaps Kota's snoring that finally lulled him to sleep.
Naruto woke up in the early dawn but when he walked into his cramped living room, Kota was already gone – along with all the money in his wallet. Naruto didn't seem to mind. He have purposely left it there. Uzumaki knew no matter how much money he had, it would not save Kota's mother but at the very least, give him more time with her. Every kid deserves more time with their mother, Naruto knew that from his own experience.
There were reasons why the young genius was the poorest ninja in the village. Even though Kushina left him a hefty sum she earned selling fuuinjutsu like storage scrolls and explosive tags.
There were so many things he wanted to change in Kirigakure. But first he had to become Mizukage, and in order to do that he had to survive. He have to become the strongest. This bloodthirsty village was his home and these desperate and sometimes vicious people were his people. He was part of this village and was one of the people who shared the curse of living in Kirigakure. This was everything Naruto had and he treasured it.
In the sink lay two washed bowls, the only clean items in the entire house.
XXX
"Want to talk?" Naruto asked as he crossed his arms and leaned against the railing on the ship. He was dressed in his hunter-nin attire similar to ANBU with Shinigami mask he had painted himself.
The two ANBU who too were send to the mainland and traveled on the same ship looked at one another, but kept their silence.
Naruto sighed, "Look, I'm not trying to get info on your mission or something like that. I'm just bored. Do you play cards?" Uzumaki asked.
Shark and Crab silently conceded that it wouldn't be bad to play cards for they were bored too.
"Do you know how to play goldfish?" Shark asked as he sat down and shuffled the cards that appeared in his hands seemingly out of nowhere.
"You're going to have to teach me that one," Naruto answered. Sometimes he wondered how he managed to talk his way into things, like a card game with two Kirigakure ANBU who had a rivalry with hunter-nins.
"Do you know anything about Momochi Zabuza?"
"Right mean bastard he is," Crab answered. "Powerful too. My buddy and his squad were butchered by the Demon of the Mist last year."
Shark scoffed. "What did you expect? Zabuza is one of the Seven Swordsmen and I heard that he is on the same level with late Hōzuki Mangetsu. Only this freak Hoshigake Kisame is stronger."
"Well, do you know why Mizukage-sama hasn't announced a new generation of Swordsmen?"
"Who the fuck do we have right now to be one?" Crab asked angrily. "Kiri isn't what it used to be. I heard whispers that rebels obtained Hiramekarei and gave it to some kid, but I think it's a lot of crap."
"What if this kid really is good enough to be a Swordsmen?" Naruto asked curiously.
"If he's that strong, if he's the real deal," Crab shook his head. "Then rebels are much more powerful then we thought. I've spent a few years spying in Konoha and the difference between our villages as night and day. In Konoha shinobi clans and fucking civilian council share power with the Hokage. In Kirigakure, it is the Swordsmen that share power with the Mizukage. They are the power, they have the respect, a good team of swordsmen faithful to the Kage is the only thing that can keep Kirigakure together for long."
"But Zabuza wasn't strong enough to overthrow Yagura."
"Mizukage-sama," Shark corrected.
Crab answered, "An assassination, a coup, a mutiny, its not exactly anything new. Zabuza didn't have enough supporters and our Mizukage might be killed only by another monster on the level of Kisame."
"Hey, do you think they will make me a Swordsman if I kill Zabuza and get Kubikiribōchō?"
The air shook with laugher. The thought that this young hunter-nin might kill Momochi Zabuza was so funny that two ANBU could help but laugh.
"Listen, kid, don't even think about it. Zabuza was named as Demon of the Mist for a reason." Crab said.
"But they will have to make you a Swordsman if you kill him." Shark added with hint of amusement in his voice.
Naruto glanced at the island that appeared on the left to the ship. He dropped his cards and stood up. "Thanks for the game guys. This is my destination."
Two ANBU watched as young hunter-nin was running on the water's surface in direction of Wave Country.
"Interesting kid." Shark said and stood up from the floor. His partner nodded agreeing.
XXX
"Who's there?"
The golden haired boy quietly stepped out of the shadows and cautiously walked towards the group of men sitting around a blazing fire.
"A kid? What do you want, boy?" The one with bare chest and great zanbatou on his back asked, his eyes never leaving the boy, tracing every movement of the intruder in tattered and frayed old clothes.
The boy surveyed the group gathered carefully before answering softly. "I was wondering if you were ninja."
One of the men in metal masks and horned hitai-ate laughed, and soon the other one joined in. "That we are, kid. What of it?"
The boy continued to watch them carefully as he picked his words. "I heard you could use magic. Like disappear into mist and make the waters attack. Is that true?"
The laugher returned, but the boy didn't flinch or shy away. His eyes were glued to the beautiful girl who smiled gently. The blonde waited patiently until the boisterous men regained their senses.
"You're talking about ninjutsu, kid, and seeing as we're ninja, you'd be right to assume we can."
"Can you show me some?" The boy's expression hadn't changed, his eyes reflecting the firelight eerily as he watched the ninja – taking in every nuance, every motion.
"Why should we do that, kid?"
The boy slowly brought a bag from where it had rested on his back and set it before him. He opened it as the ninja watched on, only to pull out a small square-shaped object wrapped in paper. "I've made some food. I'm not great at it, but it's probably better than what ninja carry with them. I was wondering if we could... trade?"
"So you'll give us food if we show you some jutsu, eh? Sounds a bit fishy." The ninja with great zanbatou paused for a moment in thought. "Then again, our rations are pretty shitty." He stood up and walked towards the boy – whose eyes still latched onto his every movement – until he could reach down into the bag himself. He quickly removed another wrapped morsel and held it out to the boy. "Eat it." There was a hint of menace in the speaker's voice.
The child took onigiri from the man and unwrapped it before devouring it enthusiastically.
"Looks alright to me. Alright kid, you've got yourself a deal."
The boy nodded stiffly and approached the campfire behind the older man.
"What is your name?" The beautiful girl smiled at the blonde with strange marks on his cheeks; he couldn't be that much older...
"Um, it's Naruto, miss." The boy answered shyly and the whole group blew up in laugher. The girl shook her head, "I'm a boy. My name is Haku."
Now identified Naruto almost jumped in surprise. "But-but... you are so beautiful! How can you be a boy?"
Haku didn't answer, but took the onigiri from the bag, "It's very delicious, Naruto-kun."
Bright smile appeared on the boy's face, "Yeah. My mom taught me how to make onigiri..." he trailed off with faraway look on his face.
Haku furrowed his brows, "I see." And he did, it was so easy to understand that the boy's mother was no longer alive. Their eyes were the same. They sparked with life yet bore such cold defiance.
Blonde shook his head, and turned his gaze on Haku once more. "So... What kind of magic you will show me?"
Haku smiled, "Hmm... let's see..." His gaze drifted to his companions who were quietly discussing something. "How about this –"
Hyōton user's hands blurred and next second from the closest puddle rose an exact replica.
"Wha –" Blond boy jumped on his feet and pointed his finger at the clone. He observed it with suspicious and disbelieve.
The man with bare chest and bandages on his face shoot a glance at Naruto, but after a moment scowled and turned away to continue his discussion with the other two men.
"This is Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu. As you can see, this ninjutsu creates a water clone." With the flick of his fingers, Haku dispelled the mizu bunshin.
Naruto huffed, looking at empty spot where the clone stood just a second ago, he moved closer to Haku and whispered, "Hey, can you teach me how to do that?"
Haku shook his head, "It's not that easy, Naruto-kun. You'll need years of practice with chakra."
"Cha-tra?"
Haku giggled rather girlishly, "No. It's chakra. Anyway, I can't teach you this jutsu." Seeing defeated look on the blonde's face he added quickly, "If you want, I can show you the handseal that will help you to access your chakra and maybe in a year or two you will be able to do some ninjutsu."
Naruto's face lit up with excitement, "Cool!"
Haku slowly and carefully made a Ram handseal, so Naruto can see it, "Now, you try to do the same handseal."
Hyōton user's eyes shifted at Naruto, who to Haku's amusement, did completely different handseal – Snake. "This is not right."
"Sorry." Uzumaki Naruto mumbled and released his chakra.
"Wha-" The tree rose from the ground and bound Haku with it's branches. It was a genjutsu, Haku realized. He couldn't move, he could barely breath...
Haku's blurry vision showed him how Zabuza slowly brought his hands together to release this genjutsu.
"Kai!" Zabuza roared, but nothing happened.
"It's useless. I added my own chakra to the onigiri you all ate. Magen: Jubaku Satsu is very potent genjutsu by itself, but now it's unbreakable." Naruto's voice held new undercurrent in it, the one of power and finality.
Haku watched in despair as Naruto slit Zabuza's throat with kunai. Demon Brothers followed a moment later.
Hyōton user closed his eyes and welcomed the death. His life was desperate and worthless to the very end. But maybe on the other side he will find happiness?
Uzumaki Naruto sat on the log before the roaring fire. He didn't give the second glance to the four bodies laying on the ground. There was no need. They were dead and later he will seal them into storage scroll, but now he needed a couple of seconds to gather his thoughts. It's not like you kill a legend, everyday, right? And Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist was a legend.
No matter how powerful your enemies are, they can be killed. This philosophy was drilled into Naruto by his late mother, Uzumaki Kushina.
Kushina never really gave a great deal of thought to death. She lived in the moment, loved and hated with all her heart, and never thought about the future. She fought like a demon even without the Kyuubi, because it suited her and it made the enemies nervous.
Naruto shook his head and moved into the dark forest to emerge only a seconds later with couple of storage scrolls in his hands.
He released the first one and quickly changed into his normal attire with body armor, Shinigami mask and ninja-to strapped on his back.
The second scroll he used to seal the bodies of Zabuza, Haku and Demon Brothers, after his clone robbed them out of their possessions.
Naruto weighed Kubikiribōchō in his hand and smiled feeling that due to the perfect balance he was able wield it easily.
It's been two weeks since he arrived to the Wave Country and they were spent searching Zabuza and developing a plan on how to kill him. There was no point in staying any longer, but Naruto had his orders to wait a team. Also he remembered information on Gatou who apparently wanted to hire Zabuza. This might be interesting if he played it right, after all, he needed money and there was no point not to get some from this Gatou character.
XXX
Four days later Naruto woke up when the detection barrier he placed around the clearing was breached. It took him a second and one cross-shaped handseal to make three kage bunshin that he henge-d in Zabuza's companions while he himself transformed in Demon of Mist himself. It was Kushina who taught him Konohagakure's kinjutsu, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, but due to relatively small chakra pool the blond boy had, he wasn't able to do more then five of clones a day. Still this jutsu was much more useful then Mizu Bunshin.
When three man entered the clearing Naruto smirked. He recognized the short, fat one, it was Gatou. The two other were some kind of ronin.
"Zabuza, I have decided to hire you to kill a bridge builder." Gatou sneered and pointed walking stick at Naruto. "But I'm not gonna pay you two millions for this assassination as you want."
Naruto narrowed his eyes and released a bit of killing intent. "Then I'm leaving this shitty country. You can send your goons for the old man." He nodded at two ronin and stood up.
Gatou's face turned red, but under the pressure of killing intent he didn't open his mouth. When killing intent disappeared he breathed in relief, and chewed his lip. "No, wait. I'll pay."
Naruto gave one of his most charming smiles, knowing full well how predatory it looked on Zabuza's face. "Where is the home of this bridge builder?"
Gatou started to sweat, "Hmm... well, you see... Yesterday, I learned that Tazuna left the country. He went to Konohagakure to hire some ninja to protection."
Naruto closed his eyes, "Four millions."
"What?!" Gatou yelled, but shut his mouth as one of Naruto's clones that was henge-d as one of the Demon Brothers put a clawed hand on his shoulder from behind. Gatou didn't even see the movement.
"Don't raise your voice, trash." Naruto seethed. Gatou gulped and nodded. "Four millions. Do we have a deal?" Kiri shinobi added.
"Yes." Gatou felt as ninja behind disappeared. "Zori escort Zabuza and his people to the hideout we prepared for them."
XXX
Naruto henge-d as Zabuza watched from the trees, dark gaze focusing on the scene below him. He held out a hand, signaling to one of his clones standing in the shadows of the foliage. His keen eyes never left the figures gathered on the road beneath him. He felt the clone behind him disappear and he reached to his back, fingers curling around and gripping the smooth hilt of the blade strapped to his shoulders.
He smirked. The creases in the white bandages wrapped across his jaw were visible.
Two teams of Konoha ninja. Two jounin and six genin.
And of course his target, the bridge builder.
Theoretically this would be a piece of cake, easiest mission in the world. There were thousands ways to kill a civilian. At first he wanted to attack without parading as Zabuza and kill all enemies, but after some thought decided against it.
Turns out his precaution was just, because one of the jounin walking down that dirt path was none other than Hatake Kakashi.
Hatake fucking Kakashi. Sharingan no Kakashi. Copy nin Kakashi. The Kakashi, student of his father, Yondaime Hokage. Son of White Fang. Creator of S-ranked assassination techniques and an Elite Jounin of Konohagakure no Sato. A legend in the shinobi world.
Adrenalin and chakra were boiling in Naruto's veins, he already killed one legend, should he try to take down another one?
Golden haired boy wasn't really worried about anyone besides Kakashi. Once the fight started, most of them would be a dead weight. Literally.
The hand on the hilt of Kubikiribōchō jerked, urging him to engage now. Just to get it over with. But Naruto hadn't got to where he was now by being impatient. His shinobi instincts begged him to engage but his survivor instincts told him to run. He had a job to do, and it took two years of fine-tuning, two years of constant fighting to hone your instincts and hold your urges back.
But it didn't matter, they would all die today. At least Tazuna would die for sure.
To a shinobi, there was no such thing as a flashy entrance. The word flashy did not even exist in the vocabulary of a ninja. It shouldn't. And it was the first thing Chūkichi-sensei purged from the mind of Naruto.
You kill first and celebrate later.
Don't take time thinking of a great entrance, it will get yourself killed. Killing the opponent, cutting first, burning, drowning, maiming him beyond recognition should be your main goal. It should be the thought hovering at the back of your mind all the time.
How can I kill him fastest?
His hand gripped the blade on his back. They were close now, almost passing the grove of trees directly in front of him. His fingers curled tighter around the hilt, sliding down the length to the unguarded blade of the massive weapon.
It would soon be time.
His clones would attack from the back, killing the genin or in Naruto's preference, the target. From there he would take apart the jounin or retreat. Naruto still had the element of surprise. Hopefully it would be quick.
He watched the Konoha ninja pass the grove, watched as the first of them set his foot past his threshold. Subconsciously, Naruto began to draw the mist around him, gathering moisture from the lake up ahead. It was one of the two elemental manipulations he was taught to support the silent killing, one he could do without even thinking. He wasn't an apprentice of silent killing master for nothing. In the last twenty years, there were only two silent killing masters in Kirigakure, his sensei and Zabuza. Now Zabuza was dead and Naruto planned to became a master himself.
Uzumaki was taught to take any environment and change it to suite himself.
The mist thickened.
They were on his turf now.
He could feel the shadows pooling farther down the road, clones now moving into position. He could hear the soft padding of feet, the small spikes in chakra.
He closed his eyes. He let his senses take him over. He let them guide him. He let his battle instinct override. His 'sixth' sense.
They would all die.
Naruto sense their chakra, could hear their heartbeat, and feel their breath. He could 'see' everything there was to know about the shinobi in his path. He pictured each of them, laying out each of their weaknesses and strengths.
Uzumaki reached to his back, hand calm but eager to grip cold steel. His muscles rippled. Kubikiribōchō released from his hand with a hiss and shot like a boomerang through the trees, blade spinning on a deadly turn.
He could practically hear it screaming death.
The blade moved without resonance, piercing through the mist as it descended onto the path. The cold, dull gray steel flashed abruptly into existence, making its silent entrance out from the depths of the great trees surrounding the dirt road. Around the blade the mist churned, the speed of the projectile forcing the mist to part ways. It shimmered in the air; unseen afterimages burned the sky in its wake.
The kage bunshin could barely track the path of the blade, his keen eyes losing sight in the thick mist. But he didn't worry; his boss would have it all taken care of. If he could barely see it, what were the chances of the Konoha ninja being able to track the deadly edge of Kubikiribōchō?
The clone henge-d into Haku waited and listened. He closed his eyes, ears searching for that scream of pain, a scream filled with complete agony. The scream of torture as a blade pierced through the flesh and tore straight through bone. He listened, waiting for the gurgle of blood and the flopping of a lifeless body to the ground that would follow the scream.
"Duck!"
The clone heard the high-pitched wail come from somewhere inside the mist and the scream that tore from the throat of the boss' victim. He made no noise, feet carrying him through the foliage with speed and silence born and honed from years of killing. He could sense two other clones moving to their positions.
He analyzed the situation in his mind, his feet taking him soundlessly through the bloody mist. The kunai in his hand flipped, fingers reversing the grip as he traveled toward the helpless group of shinobi. Boss had done a perfect job of splitting them all up, now all he had to finish the task.
And Konohagakure believe itself to be the strongest of the Great Ninja Villages? Pitiful.
The clone faded into the mist right when blazing inferno struck the group of shinobi.
Fusion attack of Futon: Daitoppa and Katon: Gōkakyū executed by two other kage bunshin evaporated the mist and brought the cries of pain and death.
The mission was completed. Tazuna was burned to death.
The clone could sense his boss retreating in the speed of shunshin. The other clones released themselves for they had no chakra anymore.
There were only five people alive now. Two jounin and three genin that these jounin saved. He still have chakra and he still have a job to do.
Something was coming.
He tensed, muscles made of chakra coiling, bunching together. He could feel the presence behind him, the jounin ready to strike. It wasn't Kakashi. Shadow clone felt the enemy build up chakra, felt his anxiety. He could feel all of his projected emotions. His hand snapped forward, the kunai sliding out of the holster on his wrist.
He could feel jounin's surprise, feel him shift through the heavy mist that he summoned again and see his hands finish a seal. It was already too late. His kunai flashed into existence, barreling with incredible speed, coated in wind chakra. The kunai slapped into jounin's throat, shredding his neck into a thousand fleshy pieces. Blood sprayed into the mist, splashing across the ground.
Kage bunshin watched calmly, body already losing the tension it possessed only a moment before. The jounin was dead, no doubt about it. The force of his throw had shattered the man's throat and severed his head from the neck. He turned around and started to move, each step resounding oddly through his ears. Shadow clone stopped, body tensing again as he looked around. Something was missing. His gazed flickered from the surroundings back to the man.
Gone.
His body was fading away, bone, flesh and blood replaced by small grains of black ash.
Clone's eyes widened. Darkness consumed his body and the shadows played, casting their inky color onto the swirling mist.
"Kai!" The shadows receded. His eyes focused on the ninja in front of him.
Narrowed eyes, senbon in the mouth, hitai-ate as bandanna. Hands released from the seal they were holding a moment ago. Clone heard him speak, his voice somehow pounding into his throbbing pseudo brain.
"So you broke my illusion huh? That's pretty good... you're no ordinary ninja."
Shadow clone smiled, it was a beautiful smile that Naruto have seen on Haku.
"But you're going to die here!"
Clone paid no attention to this empty ultimatum. He was a kage bunshin, after all. He lunged forward, the chakra in his body fueling his already impressive speed. His kunai flashed through the mist.
"Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!"
The flames almost licked his clothing – the clone twisted away just in time. His kunai was knocked away by the jounin. He saw the young boy dash toward him, two blades poised to strike. White hair and angry scowl.
Everything passed by in an instant.
And then he was on the defensive.
The clone was caught in a dead lock, one hand holding off the jounin's attack while the other was pressed against the blade of the young boy that was threatening to pierce his body. His chakra swirled in agitation around him.
It was time. He smiled and murmured. "Boom!"
The world vanished into darkness in a fiery explosion. Bunshin Daibakuha was a nasty ninjutsu.
Only jounin was fast enough to jump away and survive.
XXX
Naruto was rushing through the trees when he received the memories of his last clone. Small smile appeared on his face. He could sense Kakashi closing on him. The man was enraged and that was understandable. Out of eight ninja and civilian only four were alive and from what he gleamed two genin who survived weren't unharmed. Deep down Naruto wanted to stop and fight Hatake Kakashi, but he knew when to retreat, he knew when he was outclassed. There was no chance he could beat Copy nin in normal battle. Not yet at least.
It was a strange chase.
Kakashi followed Naruto never closing to him while thousands thoughts rushed in the golden hair boy's mind – well, he wasn't golden haired now for he was transformed into Zabuza.
Uzumaki never considered himself to be heavy battle ninja. Naruto was too young, his chakra reserves were too small and his battle experience too little. He was tactician and strategist of unparalleled skill though. And it made him an ultimate assassin. None of his targets survived, he killed them all. While Naruto's jutsu repertoire wasn't large, he wasn't weak. He didn't practice any special taijutsu, his movements weren't fluid, it was quite opposite, they were ragged, unpredictable and deadly. He used both ninjutsu and genjutsu easily, sometimes fusing them together. This combined with incredibly fast chakra molding and jutsu casting made him deadly.
That being said, right now Naruto was the prey while the hunter was someone much more powerful. Someone who will totally annihilate him in normal circumstances. Good thing that Naruto was prepared.
He jumped to the clearing that was his destination and did a series of handseals erecting a barrier he prepared before. Ten seconds later, Kakashi dropped before the glowing red barrier and narrowed his single visible eye. He didn't use his implanted sharingan today yet.
"Hello, Hatake Kakashi, it's pleasure to meet you." Naruto said and took a small scroll from the pouch. He unrolled it and pressed the glowing with chakra hand to the fuuinjutsu array and in small cloud of smoke Kubikiribōchō appeared. Right after he killed Zabuza, Naruto placed summoning fuuinjutsu array to his new sword. He really didn't want to lose legendary weapon, after all, he planned to become one of the Seven Swordsmen.
"Momochi Zabuza, if you believe that Shishienjin will save you, you are mistaken. You will die on this clearing by my hand when the chakra in this barrier ends." Kakashi spat, the venom in his voice was unmissable.
Naruto smiled and Kakashi continued, "I never thought that the Demon of the Mist will run away from the battle like a scared dog."
Naruto's smile grew bigger, it was visible even under his face wraps, "I'm professional, Kakashi. There is no point to fight you after I did my job in killing the bridge builder. But do tell me, how many of your genin survived today?"
Kakashi exploded with killing intent, but next moment it completely disappeared. "There is no point to speak with a deadman."
Naruto sat on the ground and waived his hand, "You are truly an idiot, Hatake." It was a statement. "Why do you think I erected this barrier knowing that I basically blocking myself on this clearing?"
Kakashi narrowed his eye, and opened his mouth to answer, but stopped himself. Why, indeed?
"I know what you are thinking, Hatake. Probably, something about the reinforcement that I'm waiting, but you are lucky today. No one will come to help me." Naruto said casually, before pausing, "Now, I believe we chatted enough." He did a handseal and the barrier changed it's color to black. Making it impossible for Kakashi to see what Naruto was doing inside.
Copy-nin opened his sharingan eye, but even with doujutsu he could see nothing. Nasty feeling wormed into his heart, for he didn't know what to think about Zabuza's plan with this barrier.
Inside the barrier Naruto concentrated and started to do a long series of handseals. He will need a couple of minutes of calm and quiet to execute the technique. Kushina knew more then anyone else about Hiraishin except of her husband, so she created the version of this jutsu that was impossible to use during the fight, but otherwise was really useful.
Kakashi sensed the spike of chakra, but nothing happened with the barrier. He turned around and glanced at Genma who jumped from the tree top and looked like shit. He himself didn't look much better either.
"I left my shadow clone with Sasuke and Sakura, they are mostly unharmed but others..." Genma trailed off and cringed. Kakashi closed his single eye for a moment in understanding. There was only one genin who died today from Kakashi's team, Ruyjin, while Genma has lost all of his genin on their first C-rank mission. It was a disaster.
"So, is he inside?" Genma pointed on the barrier.
"Yes, but I don't understand why he blocked himself."
"I guess, we will find out soon enough... and then kill this mother fucker."
Kakashi nodded. "Yeah."
XXX
While Kakashi and Genma were standing before the Shishienjin, Naruto struck one of Gatou's goons with his zanbatou. The parts of other were laying on the floor of mahogany room. When the shower of blood erupted from decapitated corpse, Gatou pissed himself crouching in the corner of the room.
"Where is my money, Gatou?" Naruto spoke menacingly.
"The- they are all here." Sweating shipping magnate pointed to the safe and started to whine, "I didn't order Zori and Waraji to kill you. I didn't know about it, Zabuza."
Naruto stepped closer, "Oh..."
"I'll pay..." The man shrieked as Naruto's killing intent became suffocating. He opened his safe and pointed on the money. "I have forty millions here. Please, don't kill me!"
Naruto kicked the fat man away and sealed the money in one of his scrolls.
When he turned around and made a step to the door Uzumaki heard a relieved sigh from Gatou. He grinned and in one motion turned around and brought the Kubikiribōchō on shipping magnate, slicing him in two.
"Sorry, but I really don't like you."