Chapter 2
For those reading, I've simply been editing chapter two (the 'update'). However, consider skimming through it. I've added a name which I forgot to add and I changed the characters of Kisame and Zabuza to be more IC, I hope. Chapter three will be up in a week or less - Triplecross
-- Mentorship --
With Raven in tow, Kakashi, Cat, and Hawk bounded back to Konoha. As the shock of combat wore off, Kakashi couldn't help but worry. They were going to catch hell for letting the kid die, especially since he had the Nine-tails sealed in him.
The four reached the gate of Konoha and they were promptly let in, their animal masks all the clearance required. They jumped to the roof tops, and took off at a run toward the Hokage tower. Hawk held Raven, still restrained by wire, under his left arm, his right arm wielding a kunai in case the prisoner tried anything funny. They spring boarded off a shop, landing in front of the Hokage tower, before dashing through the double doors. The clerks inside gave the four a bewildered look as they sped past them, intent to reach the Hokage.
They went up the spiral staircase, Kakashi leading the way, before they burst into the Hokage's office.
"Hokage-sama!"
Sarutobi took his smoking pipe out of his mouth. "Yes, Kakashi?"
Kakashi knelt and bowed his head. "We have failed."
Sarutobi's eyes widened. "Surely not! You've lost the baby?!"
There was only silence as Sarutobi regained his composure. "Alright. This is bad. So what happened then?"
Kakashi kept his voice monotone as he related the chase and his fight before Cat and Hawk took turns giving their own accounts.
Sarutobi sighed as the story ended. "So the baby's dead."
His eyes hardened. "I didn't really want this getting out because of the Kyuubi sealed in him but... the baby was the Yondaime's son."
Kakashi felt ill. "Minato-sensei's...son?!"
The Sandaime could only nod. "Take the Uchiha to Ibiki, Kakashi. The rest of you are dismissed."
As the four ANBU left the room, the Sandaime buried his face in his hands. "You wanted the boy to be a hero, Minato...and not even a day after you died, the baby's already been assassinated. A hero... What kind of ninja could've he been? I guess...I guess... We'll never know, huh? At least...at least the Kyuubi's dead with the boy. Your sacrifice was not in vain..."
The Sandaime raised his head and looked out the window. A light rain was starting as the night grew darker.
The next day, when Kakashi walked over to the Memorial stone, he noticed that the list of fallen had grown longer than the day before. But there was one name in particular that caught his attention :
KIA : Namikaze Minato and Son
A few kilometers from the Seven Swordsmen's base camp, a blue man with gills on his cheeks was fighting - massacring - the populace of an entire village. His sword, Samehade, was both taller and wider than the average human, though that didn't stop it from whizzing through the air, rending bodies apart. The shark-like man also wore a metallic armor made of shining green lizard scales and a pair of navy blue cargo pants. Over his shoulder swung a satchel, full of explosives, kunai, shuriken and other dangerous goodies. On his forehead, an intact Hidden Mist hiate screamed to the world that he was, albeit unwillingly, an agent of the Mizukage. A shinobi of the Hidden Mist.
A hardened killer who would kill anything for the Mizukage and of course, for his own self amusement as well.
Kisame ducked under the bone 'sword' produced by another nameless Kaguya before taking Samehade and thrusting it into the man's gut. The man fell, gasping in pain. Kisame didn't bat an eye as he swung his sword again, beheading yet another bloodline holder. He was the last one, the so called village chief who wasn't worth a shit.
He looked at the empty village, taking his time to scan the various Kaguya corpses that decorated the ground, their blood gathering in small pools. They had fought desperately, but in the end it didn't matter. Kisame hadn't suffered a scratch. Taking care to wipe away the crimson stains that dotted Samehade on a nearby tree, Kisame turned to leave the scene of death and blood before hesitating. It seemed like he was forgetting something.
Ah yes.
Taking a bundle of explosive tags out of his satchel, Kisame threw it into the village square. Covering his ears, Kisame detonated the package with a burst of chakra, erasing the village from the face of the earth. Not even ashes remained.
Kisame smirked. The Mizukage would like it better this way. Hell, he might even be paid extra for it.
Mission accomplished.
When Kisame returned to the compound, he immediately sensed that something was amiss. The normally loud area was dead quiet. The clangs of knives and swords were not present, nor were the bgoongs of training dummies being blown to pieces. The mist also seemed to be thicker than usual.
Could they have been attacked?
Kisame walked a little faster, though still not terribly worried.
The fact that there was no sign of a struggle told him that it wasn't likely anything... bad had happened. The Mizukage, though no doubt power hungry, had not consolidated his position enough have the balls to attack the Seven. And if attacked, the Seven wouldn't die easily. Five men would die for every scratch one of the Seven took.
After all... they were the Seven. The strongest in the Hidden Mist, next to the Mizukage himself.
But the Mizukage was a coward. Unless he had personally come with the half Mist ANBU corps, there was no way that he could've beaten Seven.
And besides... the loss of the Seven would badly cripple the Mist's power, which the Yondaime Mizukage could ill afford - especially after his questionable ascent to power. He had taken the seat when the previous Mizukage died of 'bad water'. However, nobody believed it, especially when an infiltrator was caught holding a vial of poison just a few minutes after the Sandaime's death was discovered.
But it couldn't hurt to cautious.
Kisame held his Samehade ready and quickly slipped through the compound gate. Still quiet. All he could hear was the light shifting of the mist and the soft whisting of the occasional breeze.
The grass under his feet gave a small cracking noise as he stealthily bypassed the main entrance, instead heading around to the back. He jumped up, sticking to the compound using chakra before walking up vertically. He reached the second story window and withdrew a knife. Using the tool, he carved a hole in the window before sticking his arm through the hole and undoing the latch. With it now unlocked, Kisame pulled the window up and crawled through, landing silently in the upstairs hallway of the compound. On the opposite end was a stair case which led to the lower level of the compound.
He stepped quietly to the bottom of the staircase and crouched down before peeking over the guard rail.
What he saw shocked him.
Each of the hardened, battle worn Seven were gathered around a cradle. In it was a wailing, burbling baby.
The entire stealth act had been a total waste of time.
Or had it?
Taking advantage of his hidden location, Kisame did a quick scan of his comrades.
He noted that two of the swordsmen, though next to the newborn baby, looked mostly apathetic and would sooner strangle the brat than hug him. The one on the right was named Keichuu. He wore a black combat suit with steel plates covering vital areas and leather pads on top of the joints. His hair was jet black and his eyes were no different. His features were hidden behind a wooden mask with a small cross in the center, in between where his eyes supposedly were.
Kisame knew that the man wielded a katana of tempered steel and was listed in the Bingo book as the 'Invisible Man'. Having seen him fight, Kisame could understand where the name came from - the fact that his victims died instantly from his blade left his face unknown to all.
On the other hand, he didn't know the one on the left all, but for his alias, Verrater. The man had joined the ranks of the Seven very recently but had a formidable reputation as an elite mercenary and had no doubt trodden over dozens of bodies to build it. He was usually heavily clad in brown cloth, and always wore a turban-like mask around his head. The turban hid his face in shadow, and like Keichuu, hid his identity. Rare jewels dotted the hems of his robes as well his his turban and what looked as to be a large butcher's knife swung easily, tied to his back.
Rumors said he had bought his way into the Seven, paying the Mizukage thousands of ryou. It was no doubt to enhance his repute and being part of the Seven Swordsmen brought its own noteriety. He was silent and his eyes were veiled, looking upon the baby.
Zabuza, the vaulted Demon of the Mist, was ridiculously cradling the baby in his arms, the motion seeming to quiet to crying baby. Another swordsman, or more precisely, a swordswoman was cooing over the baby and making cute little gurgling noises.
Raiga was standing behind Zabuza, trying to look nonchalant. Kisame wasn't fooled. Raiga was definetly interested in the baby. The man had always liked kids. Kisame wasn't sure why. Kids were usually fools and easily got into the way. Haku and Ranamaru were different because of their blood lines, which actually proved useful, but even then, Kisame cared little for them.
Continuing the look around, Kisame's eyebrows suddenly rose half a centimeter. It was definitely surprising to see the famed swordsmistress 'Ghost' Katta, coo to a baby. Most people, when thinking of her, think of the hundreds of people, civilian and shinobi alike, that she had run through with her sword. It had been said that nobody has ever managed to touch her in combat. She came and went like a ghost. One second she was in front of you, the next second behind, and the next second you were taking a nap in your own blood.
Kisame didn't dwell on it too much. She was, after all, a woman. And women were weak emotionally.
The last one wasn't actually next to the baby per se, but instead looked on with interest from the far corner of the room. It was he that raised his head and looked right at Kisame.
"Kisame-san. I see your back from your mission. Stop acting like an idiot come join us. Zabuza-san has found something of interest..."
Kisame obeyed for the last man was the leader of the Seven and strongest by far. It was rumored that he had the skill to fight even one of Konoha's legendary Sannin to a standstill. He had no name, having been abandoned in an alley at birth. However, he was soon found to have potential as a master swordsman, after the Sandaime Mizukage had taken him off the streets and sent him to the shinobi academy. After forty years, that potential had been realized and he was now one of the strongest ninja on the continent.
Alas, he had retired five years ago with the assassination of the Sandaime, though his skills with the sword were still peerless. He was known through out the shinobi world as "Kris" - not so much a name as a reference to the weapon he used. As far as everyone knew, "Kris" had no real name.
Landing in between Raiga and Zabuza, Kisame turned his yellow eyes to the baby. The baby, noticing his stare, stared back blankly before suddenly pointing at him and screaming, "Gaaaaa!"
Kris smiled lightly. "He likes you."
Kisame eyes remained impassive as he examined the baby from head to foot. "He's an idiot."
Zabuza snorted at Kisame. "You're the idiot.Think about why I might've wasted my precious time bringing this brat all the way back here."
Kisame looked into the blond baby's eyes again, but this time he felt a tinge a chakra tickle the air. "This kid... The little bastard's already giving off a chakra signature."
The baby, uncomprehending, clapped gleefully at Kisame's words.
Katta, across from him nodded. "Yes, he will grow up to be a very strong man."
"Which is why he is here." Zabuza said. "There is no doubt this child will be strong. And as a baby he is still malleable...we can train him and bring him into our cause."
Zabuza's voice turned hard and business like. "He will be a valuable asset in the future. The combined powers of us Seven, the child and Haku, will no doubt be powerful enough to cleanse the Mist of the corruption of the Kages, the manipulation of the Daimyo and the greed of those fat-ass business men."
Verrator, now leaning against the corner opposite Kris, gave a light cough. No one noticed it.
Kisame nodded in sudden understanding. "So this is what you have found! A weapon. A weapon to aid us in destroying the Mizukage and those loyalists who make up the ANBU corps. With their demise, we could bring the Mist into a new age of prosperity - and secure our power in the Mist."
Zabuza nodded. "Exactly."
Kisame gave a sharkish smile and picked up the baby before tossing it into the air. The baby gave a great cry of terror before it landed back in Kisame's hands. The entire room, save Verrator, was glaring at Kisame. Kisame shrugged awkwardly before putting the baby back in its cradle.
The seven, or eight if you include the baby, fell awkwardly quiet.
A moment passed before Kris broke the silence, "However...you are all still young and impetuous. You forget, in your haste, that this child is only a baby. It will be years before he will be able to even hold a sword."
Checking to make sure he had everyone's attention, Kris continued, "Which now raises the question, who will act as the boy's guardian?"
Silence filled the room again, no one wanting to claim the responsibility for the baby. However, the baby had its own ideas as he pointed at Kisame again and giggled.
Kris smiled benignly. "You've been volunteered Kisame. So whats his name?"
Katta looked shocked. "KISAME?! The baby will die within a week!"
Kisame looked shocked as well. "Are you shitting me?"
Kris gave a grandfatherly smile. "Perhaps it will teach you responsibility, Kisame. What's his name?"
Kisame's left eye suddenly developed an incessant twitch. "Bu- but..."
Kris glared at him. "Perhaps you misunderstood me. I believe you are quite irresponsible. I ORDER you, as the Leader of the Seven Swordsman, to serve as guardian and mentor of this child until he is old enough for the Temple of Swords- "
Now it was Zabuza who spoke up. "Are you crazy? Entrusting a kid like that to him?"
Kris ignored him and continued on, "-or perhaps, we shall settle this with our blades?"
Kisame bowed his head in defeat. Fighting Kris would be tantamount to suicide and he might as well take the path of least resistence. "Fine, old man."
Kris's icy glare suddenly crinkled in happiness. "Good! So what's his name?"
Kisame stared blankly. "Name?"
It was a hard question. So many names! Maybe something fierce, like Jagged Longpaw, or Dark Smoke Puncher...Or hmm...
Kisame looked at the baby's sapphire eyes and as he gazed into them, he couldn't help but envision a storm. And it came to him.
"Naruto...Hmm...Uzumaki Naruto."
Kris smiled again. "Whirlpool maelstrom? Fitting, I think. I expect great things from this lad, great things."
"Hn."
A few feet away, Keichuu grunted, "Well if this affair is settled, I'll be leaving now. This is getting way too cute for my taste. See if I can find some more of those bloodline wielders the Mizukage hates so much to sheath my blade in."
The group quickly dissipated, but before leaving, Kris whispered into Kisame's ear, "He may be a tool but he's human too. Don't forget that."
With that, Kris swept out of the room and Kisame was left alone with the baby. 'Forced to take care of a god damn brat. My shitty luck.'
Kisame spat distastefully. He was a ninja for crying out loud! He didn't have time to babysit this kid!
But then again... If he trained the boy well, in just a few years the rewards could be mind blowing. He could picture it: Kisame and 'Uzumaki Naruto' cutting thorugh scores of ANBU loyalists. Their faces being engraved on moutains.Their strength the stuff of legends! And they, along with the other six swordsmen, being immortalized in the annals of history for bringing the Mist into a new golden age and for bringing the Mizukage an early death.
Not bad at all.
Kisame chuckled with a greedy anticipation and took the baby upstairs into his room. Tomorrow, he'd hire some genin to go get him baby stuff, whatever that was.
The experience of raising a baby was obviously new to Kisame, but he got help from both Kris, who had always wanted a son, and Katta, who's womanly instincts compelled her to keep Kisame from killing the baby. In the end, it was probably them who supervised Naruto most of the time. Apparently Kisame was too blood thirsty to focus on domestic tasks for more than ten minutes. Even with the baby, Kisame's share in the organization's missions never slackened.
However, this didn't mean that Kisame had no part in Naruto's upbringing. The baby was fed, clothed and changed by him and it was he that read Naruto numerous bed time stories on the violent exploits of great shinobi (and more than one featuring him). However, when Katta found out about that, he was quickly removed from bedtime duty.
And in hopes of the baby learning via observation and perhaps osmosis, Kisame took the baby to the training area once a day to watch him obliterate training dummies with water jutsus and his Samehade. Even though Naruto was more prone to gazing at the numerous buzzy dragon flies than observing the shark man, Kisame was rewarded with the sound of clapping and laughter when ever he destroyed a dummy in a particularly interesting way.
Days turned to weeks turned to years... and life marched on.
--Time Skip--
Naruto came bounding down the stair full of energy. He now officially eight and today was the first day of school! He was now going to go to the same school as Haku! He was excited, worried, impatient, scared, eager, hesitant all at the same time. And it was more than he could bear as he rushed toward the kitchen, snagging his bag pack along the way. "Kris!"
The old man, now in his early sixties, smiled at him with twinkling eyes. "Naruto, my boy! Already eight?! And to the Shinobi Academny too!"
"Yep! Is breakfast ready?"
Kris nodded, "Your favorite - pancakes!"
Naruto's face lit up. "Yeah!"
Pancakes and the maple syrup that came with them were a rarity, being imported from the mysterious 'West'.
A voice came up from upstairs, sounding a lot like Kisame, "Quiet, Naruto! How many times have I told you that noise will get you killed?!"
Naruto whispered back, "Sorry Kisame-sempai."
The shark-man ambled down stairs, a long bavy blue cloak over his normal lizard scale armor. "Today is your first day! Now what have I told you about not fucking yourself over?"
Naruto quickly recited in between bites of pan cake, "Be careful of who you associate with. Pay attention to the teacher. Don't show off. Oh yeah, try not to get in any fights. "
Kisame glared at Naruto's nonchalance. "You better remember all of them, especially the last one. One bad move and the rest of the students will all be gunning for you. Just because you've been getting training doesn't mean you can defeat an entire class of academy students. And if you make me look bad..."
Naruto nodded, serious this time. "Of course Kisame-sama. I will not disappoint you."
Zabuza and Haku both appeared next to Kisame. "Haku, remember watch out and make sure Naruto doesn't do anything retarded."
More softly to himself, Zabuza added, "...especially now that his training is beginning."
"Of course Zabuza-sama." Haku had no problems carrying out orders.
Glancing at the clock, Kris proclaimed suddenly, "Its almost 8 o' clock! You kids are gonna be late if you don't leave now and move fast!"
Naruto's eyes widened. Late for his first day at school?!
He hopped from his chair, leaving his breakfast unfinished, and rushed out the door with his backpack. Haku followed him with a bag of her own. Sharpened pencils, notebooks and textbooks filled each of them. The Theory of Chakra, Shinobi Tactics : Beginner's Addition, Study and Uses of Projectiles, Important Battles of the Second Great War, The History of the Mist. All titles to be consumed within a year's time.
Zabuza and Kisame looked at each other as the front door slammed. "Well thats that."
Zabuza cocked his head. "Are you worried?"
Kisame laughed. "Of course not. If he screws up, its his job to unscrew himself, not mine."
Taking out a manila envelope, Kisame opened it. "...Today's assassination list. Not bad. This ones mine. Twenty-thousand ryou. Not bad at all."
Naruto stepped into his class room, Haku having left for a different class. Just as he stepped through the door frame, the late bell rang. 'Good. I made it on time.'
A Jounin with scars all over his face welcomed him icily. "Ah. So kind of you to grace us with your prescense -"
He checked his attendance sheet, since Naruto was apparently the only one unaccounted for, "- Uzumaki Naruto. As you can see, the rest of the class is here already."
Naruto looked at the ground. "Apologies sempai."
The Jounin nodded. "Take your seat Uzumaki."
Naruto strode to his seat, feeling uncomfortable as the class sized up the newcomer. The Jounin continued, "Now that our class is finally complete, let me introduce myself. My name is Anzen. You will address me as Anzen-sensei for the duration of the school year. Our first task as a group is to see how far along you little maggots are. Follow me to the training grounds."
Anzen opened the door and led the class outside the school. The training ground was a hopeless shade of brown, with brown training dummies to the left, brown projectile targets to the right and a large brown sparring field in the center.
Anzen took his place at the center of the training ground as the class lined up along the side. Naruto was standing unobtrusively in the center of the line, observing his new teacher. 'From his stance, he looks very confident... Confidence built on strength...He reminds me of the Seven Swordsmen...sorta.'
Anzen cleared his throat, "We'll begin now, left to right."
"You!"
A boy on the far left gulped. "M-me?"
"YES! Get your ass over here!"
The boy walked opposite to his teacher and literally put his fists up. Anzen almost laughed. It wasn't even a stance! There were so many openings...
Bang! In a flash, Anzen had crossed the distance from him to the unfortunate student and punched the boy in the face. The boy toppled over with a bloody nose.
"Pathetic. Next!"
A girl came forward this time. She was promptly dispatched with a kick to her forehead.
Yet another boy. Kneed in the crotch. Naruto winced.
It was the same thing over and over again as the line started to diminish. On the other hand, the pile of moaning and unconscious eight year olds grew in leaps and bounds.
Anzen, kicking another boy into a training dummy, sneered, "This is pointless! Can none of you even block my attacks? Are any of you really fit to be shinobi?!"
Naruto kept quiet when suddenly, a finger whipped out at him. It was Anzen. "You! Late boy! Get your ass over here!"
'Damn.'
Naruto walked out. Kisame had taught him meditation exercises to calm himself when he was five, but he couldn't help but feel jittery in front of the Jounin. He settled into a basic taijutsu stance, the Furoo (Flow).
Anzen cocked his head. "Finally. Someone who doesn't have his head stuck up his ass!"
'He's using the Furoo stance. Interesting, even though its basic. The way he's put his weight on his front foot says he's transitioning to a more complicated deviant. And the look on his face tells me he probably doesn't even know it. This kid might be more interesting than I thought...'
Anzen charged as had for all the other matches earlier and aimed a punch to Naruto's gut. Naruto smoothly stepped backwards and tried to throw a punch back at Anzen. The Jounin caught his fist and threw him over his back, down the sparring field. Naruto flipped around and barely landed on his feet as Anzen barreled at him again.
Naruto grimaced as he realized something : 'The guys not even fighting seriously... All he's doing is charging and attacking wildly!'
Anzen tried another punch, this time to the head. Naruto twisted his head out of the way and gave a sweep kick. All the kick hit was air as the Jounin appeared behind Naruto and put a foot on his back. "Nine seconds."
Pulling out a kunai, he placed it at the base of Naruto's neck. Naruto twitched as he felt the cold steel. "And you're just as dead as the rest of the trash."
He turned to the rest of the class. "Nine seconds. Each one of you, by the end of this year, should at be able to last at least this long."
Taking his foot off Naruto's back, Anzen took the boy and forcefully threw him off the field, into the gathering of 'injured'.
"Next!"
Naruto, now heavily bruised from his numerous falls, joined the rest of his ragged classmates in line again. Anzen was talking but his voice was distant. "...and we will spar once everyday in the morning until we graduate. Since we're outside we'll be moving to the target range next."
Anzen must've noticed Naruto's glazed eyes because he suddenly walked up to the boy and poked him between the eyes. "Wake up sleeping beauty! This isn't the Girl Scouts!"
Naruto shook himself and tried to focus himself. "Yes sensei. Sorry sensei."
Turning away from the boy, Anzen strode to the front of the line and led them to the human shaped targets. Taking out eight shuriken, he threw them all at once. They embedded themselves in the target, each having hit a seperate vital point.
"Your turn."
Each one of the students chose a target and let loose.
As if it weren't apparent from the taijutsu match, none of the other would-be ninja had any training at all and pretty soon, stars were flying all over the place. Many had completely missed their intended objective and buried themselves in their neighbor's target, giving the illusion that some shots were actually hitting.
Anzen pursed his lips in disgust at the sheer idiotcy of his students. Except for that one, Uzumaki Naruto. He had never heard of the Uzumaki family, but apparently this kid already had ninja training. Not only had he lasted for a decent nine seconds against him in taijutsu, he had managed to hit all eight vital points on the human body. He did have to do it one shuriken at a time, but it didn't make it any less impressive. His aim of the weaponry and his knowledge of the target was... above average.
At least compared to the rest of the rabble.
Anzen raised his arm and shouted, "Halt!"
The students instantly stopped. "From this display, I've come to the conclusion... you all suck."
"But thats okay. After all, you'll all soon learn that if you can't hit a target that fucking big, that you'll be dealing with ME instead of a piece of card board!"
He smiled with satisfaction when nearly half the students paled.
"Last practical lesson before lunch...Pain resistence."
Perhaps it was the gleam in his eye or the way he said it, but Naruto knew that just the thought of pain resistance brought fear crawling up and down his back.
They were marched over to a huge row of wooden poles, each pole having a length of thick rope next to it. In less than ten minutes, those ropes were each binding a struggling student to the pole of wood.
Anzen strode up and down the row of poles, clutching a kunai. "Good, good. Now I will give you each a slash and you will neither flinch or scream! You must surpass the pain and shock! To be a ninja, you must not lose focus under any circumstance!"
His arm moved in a cross shape and with each stroke, a cry of pain followed. 'Gutless cowards.'
He reached the child of interest, the one called Naruto, and have the boy a gash on his cheek. To his satisfaction, the boy winced but almost managed to bite back a whimper.
He finished the line and went back through the class again, giving each of them a slash on their other cheek. When he passed Naruto, he noticed that the first slash had already healed. 'Kekkai Genkai? Well it doesn't matter too much.'
He just made up for it by giving the boy two slashes instead of one, letting blood run down both of the boy's cheeks again. This time, there was no sound.
He finished up the line and untied the students. Many were glaring at him with hate. Many more were looking ill. He had no doubt that over half the class would drop out by tomorrow. All the better. The Mist had no use for weaklings in their ninja ranks.
"Dismissed!"
Naruto headed back inside to the class room. His cheeks stung and his arms and legs hurt when he moved. School wasn't like he thought it would be... but still, even with all the aches, he couldn't help but feel he was finally getting a slice of the big time.
It wasn't glamorous or flashy, but it gave him a feeling of achievement, even if it was just keeping quiet at the cut of a kunai.
He took his lunch box out of his back pack and opened it. It was shrimp tempura, miso soup, sushi, and a bowl of rice. Nice.
Just as he had sat down to eat, he saw himself surrounded by six other students.
Their leader, a fat boy, sneered, "Uzumaki. What the hell was that, huh? Show'n us up like that?"
Naruto tried to ignore them and took a bite out of the tempura. 'So this is what Kisame meant when he said that they'll be gunning for me...'
The boy gave him a kick to the shoulder. "Too good to talk to us Uzumaki? We'll show you what it really means to be tough! Just cause you got some fancy tricks don't mean that you know what strong is! You haven't seen half the shit I've seen on the streets!"
The boy threw an undisciplined punch at Naruto. Annoyed, Naruto easily dodged it and countered, giving the boy a hard knock in the stomach. Standing up, Naruto followed up with a quick kick to the crotch and a blow to the chest.
The fat boy fell, down for the count.
Angered at seeing their leader defeated so easily, the other five attacked. Naruto fell into the Furoo stance as the charged. This was the real strength of the Furoo style - evasion and brutal retaliation. Naruto maneuvered his body, let it flow, and twisted around the punches and kicks, deflecting him if he couldn't and blocking if he was desperate. One aimed for his face. Naruto caught the punch and with his other hand, grabbed the boy's shirt and dragged the boy in front of him. The boy caught the four other attacks before Naruto gave a forceful chop to his neck.
Out like a light.
The next one was a girl. Bulky and without a hint of grace, she tried to kick him in the shins. Naruto saw her intention and stepped backward, letting her feet sweep past him. He grabbed the foot and then gave an upward twist. The girl lost her balance and fell down, her head banging noisy against a desk as she did so.
As soon as he released her, Naruto jumped backwards, just in time to see a boy sail past him. It seemed that the boy was trying to tackle him, but all he had succeeded in doing was ramming head first into a wall.
The last two, a boy and a girl, came on together, one with a jump kick, the other one with a straight punch. With his finger tips, Naruto deflected the boy's fist and sent his momentum downwards. Naruto jumped on top of the boy's back and caught the girl's whizzing leg under his arm. He still wasn't nearly strong enough to be able to throw a person yet so Naruto just dropped her onto the ground instead. He jumped off his platform just as the boy and his meager frame collapsed.
All around Naruto, students were staring in amazement and twitters came from all corners of the room.
"Whoa! He's really strong!"
"That's it! I'm getting out of here! This is way too dangerous!"
"What did I get myself into?"
Suddenly, Anzen materialized out of the wall. He was clapping. "Well done Uzumaki. I saw everything. Even though they were just a few street rats, you handled yourself admirably. Come see me after school."
Turning to the fallen five, his entire demeanor changed. "But as for you five... The Mist has no need for brash weaklings like you. Don't bother coming back tomorrow. Your weakness will not become the Mist's weakness. There is no chance the Mist will allow you to become a ninja."
Anzeo scooped the five up with no effort and uncerimonously dumped them outside the classroom. Turning to the students who were busy watching the fight, he announced, "Lunch will be over in ten minutes."
Eyes shifted from Naruto and Anzen to food as all the students struggled to finish their lunches before time ran out.
For Naruto, the rest of the afternoon was a blur. The text books were brought out and they spent the remainder of the time covering shinobi squad tactics. He paid attention only half heartedly, more interested in the clock and when he would finally be able to go home.
It was 2:59... The second hand was moving... Yes...Yes...
BRIIINNNNGGGG!
YES!
It was loud and abrasive but it sounded like freedom to Naruto. Throwing his note book and text book into the back pack, he tore out of the class room before he remembered something. 'Oh yeah... Anzen-sensei wanted to see me.'
'Goddammit.'
The joy of freedom sapped from him, he dragged himself back into class even as others were streaming out. "You wanted to see me, Anzen-sensei?"
Anzen looked at Naruto and gave a mild nod. "I was impressed by your display this morning and during the lunch quarter."
Pulling a book from his desk, he threw it at Naruto, who caught it. It was titled, Basic Ninjutsu and Chakra Control.
"Read it and show me your progress next week. I have high expectations for you. Do not disappoint me."
From him, the last sentence sounded almost like a threat - with an ominous 'or else' hanging there, unsaid.
Naruto nodded and gave a bow. "Of course sensei. I will do my best."
"Good."
With that, Anzen waved him away. Naruto left the class room carrying the book. He opened it and it caught his interest immiediately.
Even when Haku found him and they started home, he kept his nose in his book.
The pair stumbled through the gate way, just in time to see the Seven return from their mission. Haku politely asked, "How was your day today Zabuza-sama?"
Zabuza grumbled, "Fine, fine. Another stupid business man."
Keichuu muttered back, "Don't complain. Every cent we can steal from those lazy merchants is another cent going to fund our war against the Mizukage."
Katta, noting the dark turn the conversation was taking, interrupted by saying, "But how was your day at school?"
Haku shrugged. "It was... okay. This year is a genjutsu sensei... She's just as mean as the other ones."
Naruto looked up from his book in curiousity. "Genjutsu sensei?"
Haku nodded. "Yeah, her name is Suzuku. Each year, you get another sensei which specializes in a field. The first year is taijutsu, Anzen-sensei, right?"
Naruto made a face. "Yeah. He's a real ba- I mean, really mean. You won't even believe what he did..."
Kisame, Zabuza, Katta and Haku listened patiently as Naruto recounted his day, with Kisame grinning when he heard how Naruto had destroyed the five street urchins. Even though he had told Naruto to avoid fights, he couldn't help but feel proud when he heard how throughly Naruto had destroyed the five kids.
"...and he gave me this book." Naruto showed them the cover.
Gazing at the book, Kisame remembered something. "That book will help. Oh yeah! I almost forgot Naruto! Today, we're going to begin your first serious lesson in becoming a swordsman."
Naruto's head bobbed up and down eagerly in anticipation, even after his harsh training at school. It was almost like he had recovered completely.
"You see, the first thing we're going to be doing is choosing a Kenjutsu style. You will choose to learn from one of us. However, Katta is teaching Haku at the moment, and will not be available. Kris will not be available as well... Too god damn old to teach, he says."
Naruto nodded, his eyes darting left and right, trying to pick out someone who he would like to learn from. The only thing was, he didn't even know most his available choices fought!
Seeing the child's indecision, Raiga spoke up. "Perhaps a demonstration would help him with his choice?"
Zabuza smirked at the proposal, "Not a bad idea, Raiga. I'll go first."
Zabuza disappeared, seeming to meld into the Mist. Suddenly, Zabuza reappeared almost thirty meters, his sword having been drawn and completely thrust through a tree. Despite the carnage, it had happened completely silently. Naruto hadn't even noticed that Zabuza had reappeared until Katta pointed it out to him. "Zabuza's technique relies on the 'Silent Kill'. Its based on moving silently and stealthily and then hitting hard with the element of surprise. Continuations from that basic objectives leave his method very aggressive and formidable one."
Naruto nodded at the explanation.
'That attack was interesting...but kinda bland. I guess I'll choose this one if there's nothing else better.'
Zabuza looked at Verrater and with a sly smirk, asked, "You. Why don't you show us what you can do? I'm curious...as well. You've never shown us your abilities."
Verrater glared back coldly. "I have my reasons. My abilites are unqiue. And I will be letting an insignificant child, or even one of you weaklings to see it."
Zabuza growled, "Weak, you say?"
The two stared at each other in a battle of wills and the air started to crackle from the ferocity of the combatants.
Raiga calmly volunteered, even as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, "I'll go next."
The tension was broken though the two did not stop glaring at each other.
Naruto looked at Raiga, who's twin swords crackled with electricity. Between the two blades, an orb of lightning appeared. The orb was launched at a nearby tree and Raiga dashed after it. The orb hit a tree first, leaving the bark blackened, and two quick swords strikes followed immediately afterwards.
Katta explained again, "Raiga relies on channeling electricity through his swords. With this, he can use Raiton jutsu without releasing his swords. His electrical swords, besides being able to cut and stab, has the ability to confuse his opponents muscular and nervous systems by meddling with their electric signals. With the tree though, it doesn't look like much."
Naruto considered the attack, but didn't like it. The style just didn't seem aggressive enough to him.
Kisame unwrapped his chain-saw like Samehade. "Time to show the kid what I can do!"
Samehade buzzed as Kisame stabbed it into a tree. The tree wilted and seemed to die immeidiately. Kisame shrugged at the feat. "Its not like a real opponent will stay still and let me drain their chakra to nothing. However, Naruto, if you choose to have me teach you, you won't be able to perform any of the more advanced techiniques until you've proven yourself worthy of a sword."
Naruto had to admit, the chakra draining thing was both strong and cool, but the last statement left him confused. "Worthy of a sword?"
Keichuu nudged him. "You'll see later, kid."
He stopped before continuing, almost reluctantly, "I guess suppose its my turn..."
Standing with his left arm parallel to the ground, Keichuu drew the sword back. He settled his weight onto his back foot and knelt on his left knee. His movement was sudden and unexpected and Keichuu rocket toward a tree, his body barely visible. He landed next to the tree, his sword already back in his sheath.
For a moment it looked as if nothing happened. But then, the tree literally split in two. Naruto was starry eyed. "Cool! How'd you do that?"
Keichuu turned around, his eyes dark and serious. "There's no trick here. No chakra. No nothing. To attain this level of speed and strength, the work is hellish and nigh impossible. But if done correctly, the power attained...is great."
Naruto was undeterred. "Teach me!"
All eyes turned to Keichuu, who's face showed no emotion. It seemed as if he would turn the boy down for a moment, but then he gave away with a smirk. "Okay kid. You've asked for it. From this day on, you're my student. I have six years to whip you into shape before we test if you are worthy of a sword...After six years, I have doubts that you'll ever remember a time where your body wasn't wracked with pain."
Keichuu hoisted Naruto by the neck of his shirt and started dragging him off to the training ground on the other side of the compound, with Katta and Haku following. Both Keichuu and Katta looked back at the four other swordsmen gave a nod.
The four nodded back and Kisame's eyes narrowed as the students and their teachers disappeared into the distance. "You. Courier. What are you doing hiding in the bushes?"
A chunnin, obviously sent by the Mizukage, scurried out from the undergrowth, looking embarassed. "Ah, the Mizukage has sent me with an envelope."
Kisame took the envelope from the man and when he saw that the chunnin wasn't in any hurry to leave, glared at the man before screaming, "You! Why are you still here? Get out!"
The chunnin hurriedly stumbled away as Kisame opened the envelope.
Suddenly, his yellow eyes widened. "Something big's happened in Konoha!"
--
Still looking for a beta.