Naruto: Another Side, a New Story
Prologue: Prelude Part 1
Land of Waves
The night air was very calm as it passed through the Land of Waves, giving no hint of danger or suspicion at all. In the town, people were still celebrating the day's events. Not only had their land been rid of the evil Gato, but the people had finally found their courage and were able to drive the remnants of his corruption away. But while everyone was busy celebrating, something started to stir on the top of a hill outside of town where two graves sat silently in the darkness of the night. These were the graves of Zabuza and his student Haku, who had been defeated by the heroic ninja team of Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi earlier that day. The two of them had been laid to rest upon a hill top, overlooking the village below.
For a few minutes, everything was quiet. The ground remained still and the wind barely blew at all. But then, the ground beneath Zabuza's grave began to stir and shake, as if something was trying to escape.
"Mph, they should've…buried me…a little deeper…" said a gruff, stern voice from beneath the ground. Suddenly, an arm burst from the earth that quickly grabbed onto the surface, pulling with it the body of Zabuza Momochi! As Zabuza pulled himself from the earth, he rolled over on his back and began gasping for air. "That…was not pleasant," Zabuza groaned, "but at least they didn't bother to put me in a coffin; that could've made things even more difficult."
"Well, well, good evening Zabuza," said a gentle voice, "nice to see you are finally out of that hole. I was starting to wonder if you would ever get out."
Zabuza turned his head to see his young student, Haku, sitting on the ground just a few feet away. His legs were crossed, his hands resting on his knees, with a bright smile across his face.
"Haku," Zabuza started to ask, "how long have you been sitting there?"
"Oh, about ten minutes or so," Haku answered casually.
"Then answer me this," Zabuza asked in an irritated tone, "if you were already out, why didn't you help dig me out while I was still down there?"
"Hm, well," Haku said, shrugging his shoulders, "I guess I could have helped you, but knowing how stubborn you are you would have been complaining even harder when you got out."
Zabuza was quiet for a few minutes before he started laughing and put his hand over his eyes. "Yeah, I guess that's true, though it would've been nice to get out a little sooner." Zabuza lay on the ground for a few more minutes before he finally stood up, brushed the dirt off of himself and filled in the hole he had just popped out of. "So it looks like we fooled them all, Haku, even Kakashi was fooled by our little performance."
"He sure was," Haku replied, "though, I have to admit, if his attack had been even a little bit off…"
"Don't talk like that," Zabuza interrupted, "you know I was prepared for just such an occasion. There was no way I was going to just let you die, you know that."
"Yes, I do," Haku said, a small tear escaping his eye and trickling down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away as he stood up next to Zabuza, looking out over the illuminated village.
"Well, nice to see you two are getting along," said a voice from behind the two companions. Zabuza and Haku turned around slowly; looking into the woods they saw a lone figure walk from the shadows of the trees. He was tall, with blue eyes and spiky yellow hair, exactly like Naruto's. He had a Hidden Leaf forehead protector and was wearing a long white cloak with orange flames on the edges of it.
"Hmph, if it isn't the Fourth Hokage of the Leaf Village," Zabuza said.
"Come now, Zabuza," the Fourth Hokage said, "You know I am considered dead. I do not go by that name anymore…"
"Then, what should we call you?" Haku asked.
"Well, if you need a name, it might as well be my real name," the Fourth Hokage answered. "Call me, Minato…Minato Namikaze."
"Minato, huh…?" Zabuza said, shrugging his shoulders. "Well then, Minato, it looks like you were right about that child, Naruto Uzumaki. He really is a special one."
"I did warn you, didn't I?" Minato said with a smile. "Though, I must admit, he surprised even me. I would never have guessed he would become so strong; Naruto…" Minato was lost in thought before Zabuza coughed and snapped him out of it. "Well, I guess since you two are alive, I suppose that means you are willing to take us up on our offer?"
"I guess it does," Zabuza replied frankly.
"Well then, if that's the case, please follow me," Minato said as he started to walk back into the forest, "your escort is waiting for you. It's best not to keep them waiting."
"Right, come on Haku, let's go…"
"Yes, Zabuza," Haku replied as he started to follow behind his master. But he quickly stopped after just two steps when he realized something. "Wait, Zabuza, your sword…" Haku quickly ran back to Zabuza's "grave" before he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.
"Leave it, Haku," Zabuza said solemnly, "that sword is…was meant for the Demon of the Hidden Mist Village. I am no longer that beast; besides, if my sword goes missing, we could easily redraw attention to ourselves. So just leave that accursed blade where it is to rust, I don't need it anymore…"
"Yes, Zabuza," Haku replied. He turned around and started to walk into the forest, following Minato and Zabuza to their awaited for their escort. He only stopped once to look back down at the illuminated village, thinking of the young, blonde ninja who had come to respect and even admire a little.
The next day, in a remote area near the Rain Village
In a peaceful, serene forest, just on the outside of the Rain Village, stood a small little house that was discretely hidden within the trees of the forest. As the sun slowly crept over the horizon, its rays filtered through the trees, branches and eventually the windows the hidden house. As the rays entered the house, they fell upon the face of one of the residents of the dwelling. He had blue skin, marks on his cheeks that looked like gills, and dark blue spiky hair that stood straight up. He was Kisame Hoshigaki, the scourge of the Hidden Mist Village. As the rays warmed his face, he did not open his eyes. Instead, he just cringed and rolled over in his bed.
Kisame finally opened his eyes after a couple of minutes to look into the face of a beautiful woman. She had sea green hair with sea foam lipstick on her lips; she was wearing a light blue sleeveless nightgown. Her name was Nami Hoshigaki, Kisame's first true love and his wife for the past several years. As Kisame's vision came into focus, he could also see the light scarring on her arms; scarring she had received from years of abuse, all because the Hidden Mist Village needed some measly funds. When this thought entered his mind, it made Kisame's blood boil. It was because of what happened to her all those years ago that he left the Hidden Mist Village and became a rouge ninja. But it was worth it…she was worth it.
Kisame continued to just stare into her lovely face, his anger subsiding with each passing minute. He wanted to just reach out and caress her soft skin, to feel her warm lips against his just like the night before. He wanted so much to feel that pleasure again, but he held himself at bay. He just yawned quietly and slowly got out of bed, trying hard not to disturb Nami. He got out of bed, wearing nothing but his sea blue boxer shorts. He then crept out of the room as quietly as he could; even if Nami was asleep, his wife was still were alert. Once, when he had simply stepped on a creaky board, Nami nearly took his head off with a kunai knife, thinking an enemy had entered the house. After all, she was a ninja of the Hidden Mist Village too, just like Kisame. Kisame got his clothes out of a drawer and then quietly headed to the bathroom.
Once Kisame made it to the bathroom, he took a quick shower and threw on his clothes. Once he exited the bathroom, he was wearing a sleeveless black shirt that showed off his muscles and black pants. He then made his way to the kitchen, where he proceeded to make himself breakfast. He would've preferred Nami's cooking, but this was probably the first time she had ever slept so peacefully since they had been together. Kisame didn't want to ruin it for her. Once he had his breakfast, he made his way to the living room.
The living room was a bit more decorative than many of the other rooms in the house. Several paintings of the open ocean were hung on the wall; some were just the sea by itself while others had whales or sharks in them. Kisame admired the paintings for only a few seconds before he found what he was looking for. Among the many items in the room, there was a soft couch that faced an open fire place that really warmed the house during a cold day. Right above the fireplace was what Kisame was looking for—his treasured sword, Sharkskin. It had been wrapped in bandages so that dust wouldn't collect on it. Kisame had a wide grin on his face as he reached up and took Sharkskin from its resting place. Right above where Kisame's sword had been hanging was a pair of swords that were each about half as big as Sharkskin. These swords belonged to Nami; their names were Wave Breaker and Storm Crusher. Looking as those two swords reminded Kisame of just how strong his wife was, which only made him happier that he had married her.
With Sharkskin in hand, Kisame started to walk towards the door. He hand just slipped on his sandals when he heard a soft voice right behind him.
"Daddy, are you leaving already?"
Kisame turned around slowly to see a boy who was about eight years old. His name was Samemaru; he had dark blue hair, emerald green eyes, and was a long night shirt that went all the way down to his knees.
"Yeah," Kisame answered softly as he laid his sword against the wall. "I'm afraid so, son…"
Samemaru was Kisame's son, though he had only inherited his father's hair. The rest of his traits he got from his mother. He then noticed a tiny little head poke out from behind Samemaru. This time it was a young girl, who looked shyly up Kisame.
"Hey there, Oki," Kisame said gently. She didn't respond, even though she was Kisame's daughters she was a bit intimidated by him. Kisame just smiled and he leaned down on one knee and invitingly held out his arms. "Come here, you two…"
In a flash, Samemaru and Oki both leapt into their father's arms and embraced him with all their might. Kisame returned the embrace with a gentle embrace of his own. This was a side of Kisame only his family ever saw; no one, not even those of Mist Village, ever saw his compassionate side. Once he released the two them, he first looked into the face of his son and then to his daughter. Oki was six and a half years old with light green hair and black eyes. Unlike Samemaru, she had inherited most of her father's traits; besides the black eyes, she also had two curved marks under each eye that looked like gills. She also had Kisame's shark-like teeth.
Once his children had loosened their grip and allowed their father to stand up, he saw that Nami was standing at the end of the hallway, leaning against the wall.
"Planning to leave with out saying goodbye, dear?" Nami asked with a little smile.
Kisame gave Nami one of his large toothy grins. "Well, I didn't want to disturb you," Kisame answered, "I know how you can be in the early morning."
Nami just chuckled lightly as she walked over to her husband, kissed him on the cheek and leaned into his arms.
"Please, be safe, Kisame," Nami whispered, "and if you happen to come across any Mist ninja…"
"Don't worry, Nami," Kisame quickly answered, "I'll be sure to make them pay!"
With those last words, Kisame released his wife. He turned around and grabbed a large cloak off of the wall; it was completely black except for a few clouds that dotted it here and there. Once he put his arms through the sleeves and closed the cloak, he then reached over to the sideboard, opened one of the drawers and took out his Hidden Mist headband. It was different from a normal Hidden Mist headband because it had a cut across the village symbol. This signified that Kisame no longer belonged to the Hidden Mist anymore. Once Kisame's headband was on tightly, he grabbed Sharkskin and flung it over his back; he opened the door, turned around, took one last look at his family and slowly closed the door.
It was a bright morning outside and Kisame's house had been dimly lit. So, when he was outside, it took him a while for his eyes to focus. Once his vision was no longer blurry, he could see a solitary figure leaning against a tree just a few meters away. This figure was drabbed in the same cloak as Kisame, but his headband was not of the Hidden Mist Village. His headband was of the Leaf Village. This figure had black hair that reached down to his neck and he had two oddly shaped scars beneath his eyes. When he turned to face Kisame, he opened his eyes to reveal the Sharingan.
"Well, well, greetings Itachi," Kisame said in his usual cold, cynical tone, "so nice to see you so early. I usually have to drag your lazy rear out of bed."
Itachi didn't say anything; he just continued to stare at Kisame with a cold stare. "Hmph," Itachi finally said after awhile, "let's get going. Our leader has a new assignment for us and the rest of the group."
"Right," Kisame answered with a nod.
In a split second, both Itachi and Kisame leapt into the trees and began to jump from branch to branch. Several moments of silence passed before Kisame spoke up.
"By the way," Kisame started to say as he looked at Itachi, "how is Yasumi doing? I haven't seen at most of our meetings lately."
"She was given a nine month pass," Itachi said, "that was five months ago."
Kisame didn't understand it at first, but after a few moments of thinking he realized what Itachi was saying.
"Oh, heh-heh-heh," Kisame chuckled, "you two have been busy, haven't you?"
Itachi didn't answer; he just continued to stare straight ahead. That silence was more than enough to confirm Kisame's beliefs. Kisame chuckled a little as they continued to leap through the trees. Neither one of them said anything for the next several minutes, until…
"Let's hurry, Kisame," Itachi said, "the sooner we receive our orders and carry them out, the sooner I can get back to Yasumi and you to Nami…"
"Right," was all Kisame said.
The two of them knew it would probably be months, maybe even years, before either of them got back. But they were used it, used to all the trouble they had to go through with each assignment; it was all necessary, for all the hidden ninja villages were either weak, corrupt, or both. And it was their job, the Akatsuki's job, to rid the world of all weakness and corruption!
To be continued…
Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto
Nami, Samemaru, Oki, Yasumi © M. Z. Hamma
Well, here is the first part of the prologue of my fanfic. Please read and review…enjoy!