The distant twinkling of stars dominated Naruto's vision. The moon was obscured by a dark, indistinct mass of clouds. Occasionally the clouds would break, and for a moment gentle silver rays of light would illuminate the land below.
Naruto walked down a dirt road, he made his way past the village and onto it's outskirts. He took no notice of the chill wind that combed invisible fingers through his messy hair and past his black attire. He changed his clothing for this particular mission, favor? Naruto didn't know himself anymore.
*'What am I doing?'* Naruto thought. It was a question he'd been asking himself many times in the past few hours.A scroll burning a metaphorical hole through his black pants as he made his way to a bounty station a few miles ahead.
The fallout of Naruto's talk with Haku was his reason for his venture towards a seedy establishment was fresh in his mind. He offered to bury Zabuza tomorrow with honors, on a particularly tall hill Naruto spied while walking back to Tazuna's house. Only for his offer to be vehemently denied. She wanted a swordsman's burial all wielders of the legendary seven swords were given when one perished.
If Naruto cashed in the Demon of the Hidden Mists bounty, the body would be returned to their respective villages. Though Naruto wouldn't be returning the sword it self, the village was honor bound to grant Zabuza his burial rights like all swordsmen before him. Naruto just wished it wasn't him who had to do the grizzly task.
Haku was still too weak and Kakashi sensei would've forbidden it out right. Konoha didn't cash in bounties, missing-nins or no the possibility for retribution was all too common in their world. So Naruto changed clothes, removed his headband, and proceeded to sneak out to the bounty station in the town's outskirts. He just wished it wasn't so damn far away.
Finally seeing the building matching Haku's description, that being of a medium sized two story building surrounded by smaller even seeder establishments. Naruto took a fortifying breath, and moved forward. He pointedly ignoring the surrounding thugs, lowlifes, and general scum of society still up at such a late hour.
He was halfway to the building when a particularly big guy, resembling more guerilla than man decided to block his way, Naruto sighed really not in the mood to entertain the brute. A look at the surrounding lowlifes told him he'll have to set an example.
"Boy!" The thug exclaimed. "Why'd don't ya hand over those pretty little scolls there?" The thug smiled, yellow half rotten teeth revealed. "I'll keep them safe for you while ya do your business"
Naruto looked up at him. Not sensing any chakra above civilian level. "I'm good thanks." Naruto went to sidestep the thug only for the would be mugger to block his way again.
"I insist." This time the thug gestured to the unsheathed Katana and Wakizashi strapped to his hip. "See these swords hear, got them from killing a ninja," Naruto almost snorted obviously not beleaving him, but the swords were clearly chakra conductive. The darker metal and tell tail ripples of folded steal were proof of that. "So why don't you hand those scrolls over before things get bloody." Naruto really wasn't impressed.
Faster then the thug could see or react, Naruto let loose three shurikens. Two took him in his legs, dropping him to his knees, the last one hit his left shoulder. When the mugger went to draw his sword with his good hand, Naruto was on him in an instant.
Kunia in hand, Naruto thrust the ninja tool down on the tendon connecting the arm to the shoulder. The thug screamed, "You Bastard! I'll kill you! I swear to God you'l..." He ignored the injured thugs profanity. His hand still gripping the bloody kunia to his shoulder.
When the mugger quieted down Naruto spoke. "You'll find I don't mind getting bloody," The redheads voice was soft, his eyes wide. Naruto resembled the twelve year old he really was, not the trained killers all shinobi were. "Now why don't ya hand over those pretty little swords of yours." Naruto smiled "I'll keep them safe for you," Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion. "what was it again?" Naruto snapped his fingers, smiling." Oh yeah! While you do your business."
The thug spat at his feet. "Fuck you!" Naruto twisted the blade and the screams started anew.
"Now, now I insist." Naruto continued repeating more or less what the thug just said to him. "We wouldn't want things to get..." He paused at this."well more bloody." This time the thug complied.
Now with a new set of swords strapped to his waist, and a bloodied and beaten thug in his wake, Naruto wasn't bothered again as he made the rest of the way to the bounty station. Whispers of Shinobi fallowed him from the surrounding lowlifes.
As he opened the entrance to the bounty station Naruto took stock of the interior. The inside of the bounty station was a semi-large room, more liken to that of a bank/bar if Naruto were to compare, the whole front was barred off by metal bars. A lone *cashier* stood at the other side. The rest of the room held patronage to even more thugs and lowlifes, gambling and alcohol was the name of the game, it seemed as almost all the clients were with a bottle or a deck of cards. Naruto kept walking ignoring all the eyes on him as he walked forward.
When he finally got his way to the bounty cashier, Naruto spoke. "Hi. I'm looking to cash in a bounty."
"You've come to the right place shinobi." His voice was smooth, if not a little incredulous at seeing such a young client. To Naruto the guy was fairly good looking, with black hair and blue eyes, if not a little nerdy with his halfmoon glasses. How he knew he was a ninja, Naruto didn't know. He doubted he'd tell him. So Naruto didn't ask as the man took out small black book. "I need to know the name of the bounty and proof of demise."
Naruto nodded nervously as he unstrapped the scroll with Zabuza's corpse on his waist. "Momoshi Zabuza." He answered.
The cashier raised an eyebrow. "So your the Konoha ninja that did in Zabuza." Naruto pointedly didn't answer, but the man continued unperturbed, ignorant or uncaring for the reason for his silence. "I was under the impression Konoha didn't cash in bounties."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "I was under the impression that you guys didn't ask questions." Naruto spoke, a hint of warning in his tone. The cashier seemed to want to push his luck, but decided to stay quiet when Naruto started to pull away the scroll.
"My apologies. Just curious is all." He straitened his glasses. "The bounty is ten million ryo for the body and double for the sword Kubikiribōchō."
"Just the body." Naruto said, handing over the scroll. Shocked that Zabuza was worth so much.
"Right then, I'll have a colleague confirm its contents. Shouldn't take more then ten minutes if the bodies in decent condition." He gestured towards empty seats in the back of the establishment. "I'll ring you up when everything is all's set and done."
Naruto nodded, but decided to ask a question of his own. "You guys wouldn't happen to be selling the most recent bingo book, would you?"
The cashier nodded, pulling out a fairly thin, black booklet from a cabinet to his right. He slid the object past the bars easily enough. "On the house."
Naruto thanked his. Making his way to an empty seat, Naruto sat. Opening the booklet, Naruto leafed through it's contents, looking for Zabuza's entry. He found it near the beginning. Apparently the bingo book was ordered by Rank and bounty, he was up there.
He was an A-rank jonin, ex-anbu, and wanted for the attempted murder of the Mizukage and a failed coup d'etat. He was named as the second strongest of the seven swordsmen, second only to one Hoshigaki Kisame another missing nin, S-rank at that.
Apparently Zabuza was a rebel leader until he was forced to flee by three of his fellow swordsmen. He killed one in the fight and wounded the others before he left water country with the Demon brothers in tow. Naruto whistled, "Zabuza was a badass."
He was halfway through the Demon Brothers entry when the a buzzer went off. Noticing the cashier gesture to him Naruto got up.
Now back at the metal divider the cashier spoke. "Right then mister shinobi, the body is recognizable and everything seems to be in order. I just need to know what payment method you'd prefer, cash or check?" He asked.
Naruto didn't think twice. "Cash." He had no intention of leaving a paper trail. The cashier nodded unsurprised, clearly used to such transactions.
Making his way to the back were Naruto couldn't see, the bespectacled man quickly came back with a four black striped scrolls. "The money is sealed in the scrolls. 250,000,000 ryo in each one."
Naruto gulped, shocked that he would soon become a millionaire with the contents of those scrolls. Having been handed the scrolls, Naruto spoke. "Thank you." He bowed. "Pleasure doing business."
The cashier smiled. "No mister shinobi, pleasures is all mine." Naruto left, not bothering to confirm the contents of the scroll. A business that ripped off shinobi didn't last long after all. Naruto's eyes narrowed a hooded duo silently fallowed after him.
Naruto let out a suffering sigh, he was a mile out of bounty station, the moon still up and about lighting the forested dirt road he was on. Naruto's stalkers were good, but he could still sense them, they were sloppy.
Walking past an unassuming puddle his would be murderers pounced. There was no warning, no feeling of killing intent, just the faint whisper of a taut chain slicing through air. "Tch!" Naruto growled. Bladed chains dug deep into his flesh as blood began to seep through his black attire, but ultimately Naruto kept silent.
"Got you little shinobi." Was the dark-cloaked ninja's grim exclamation.
Naruto's eyes scowled in recognition. "Your the Demon Brothers." Naruto's voice was twinged with pain, but all and all very calm. "I thought it was you clowns I sensed over there?!"
"Revenge is ours genin!" The chains tightened with explosive force. Naruto barely had time to scream. A cloud of chakra smoke and a resounding 'Poof' was the Demon Brothers only reword.
"Substitution," Gouzu, the elder of the demon brothers, growled. He tensed, his eyes scanning the area. "He's not dead."
"Damn it!" Meizu the younger brother exclaimed. "Where is h..." he was interrupted by a thrown katana. Apparently Naruto put it to good use cause Meizu barely managed to dodged the thrown blade.
Naruto grinned at their obvious anger from his tree-top vantage point. "Idiots," he mocked. Inwardly he was cursing. Their teamwork was top-notch, chain or no chain, and they were both experienced chuunin-level shinobi. Naruto inwardly frowned as he contemplated how to deal with the two.
They we're both chunin level ninja, and although Sasuke got the upper hand when facing them at one point, it was mostly luck that Kakashi sensei was there to stop them. Naruto just hoped he could keep them talking for a moment so he could finish healing. Those chains were no joke, Naruto's grin became mocking. "Bit slow aren't you?"
"I'll show you slow!" Yelled the younger brother. He went to move forward, so much for that plan.
"Meizu! He's baiting you, calm down." Meizu didn't listen and Naruto smiled. It always helped having backup's. The missing-nins clawed gauntlet skewered the readhead. Or would have of he didn't substitute for a log.
A couple yards away Naruto grinned in triumph as his hands moved to form the Ram seal, ignoring the sharp flashes of pain his still healing wounds caused him. His plan had paid off, he prepared the log when he noticed he was being fallowed. A couple shadow clones did the work and he gladly acted as bait.
Naruto focused his chakra sharply. "Boom," he whispered. The explosive note nestled around the piece of timber exploded.
A terrible howl erupted from the cloud of dust and dirt, from the remnants of the explosion, which obscured Meizu's position. Naruto stared, shocked. 'He's still alive?'
His internal monologue came it an abrupt halt as an enraged Gouzu came at him with flurry of blows. Naruto's eyes flashed red. "I'll kill you boy!" Naruto didn't doubt him.
Ducking and weaving through the older brothers offensive was taxing, and would have been impossible if not for his newly acquired Sharingan.
Another duck from an overhead punch and Naruto tried to counter. A snap kick to the older ninjas knees was promptly dodged and Naruto paid for it. Unbalanced and overextended, Gouzu took advantage with a vicious left hook to his ribs. Rolling with the punch to distribute the force, Naruto knew he was in trouble. He was just happy it wasn't the poisoned gauntlet that hit him.
Taking advantage for the space given, he made his favorite hand seal, and ten clones popped into existence. Quickly surrounding the furious ninja, Naruto and his doppelgangers proceeded to gang up on the missing-nin. Kicks and punches were exchanged from both sides, Naruto being slower and inexperienced at least had the numbers advantage. While Gouzu, being bigger and stronger, had years of shinobi training to fall back on.
A shadow clone or two would be popped every once in a while, only for them to be replaced just as fast. It grated on Gouzu's nerves when such happenings became less and less.
"Damn you boy!" Gouzu yelled, unleashing the chain rapped around his gauntlet. "Die!" Exclaimed Gouzu, spinning the serrated chain a full 360 degrees. Watching in slow motion the release of the chain and it's resulting spin, the original Naruto struck.
Unstrapping his newly acquired Wakizashi, Naruto stabbed the chain mid-motion between it's rings, pinning the chain to the ground. Momentum abruptly stopped Gouzu staggered and the clones struck at once. Kunai in hand Naruto for a moment believed he had the fight won, only for the tactic he used earlier to be implemented. Gouzu disconnected his chain and substituted... with his own brother.
Unable to hault their momentum Naruto and his clones struck the dieing Meizu. It was a bloody sight that the Sharingan burned into his brain. Meizu's unarmored arm had been blown off, the smell of charred flesh was picked up by his sensitive nose, and only a bloody stump remained where his left leg was. Yet even stabbed and dieing Meizu gamely tried to slash at a rapidly paling Naruto.
So shocked was he, it was a shadow clone that pushed Naruto out of the way of the poisoned gauntlet. Picking up the presence of the older brother behind him, Naruto spoke, voice disbelieving and shocked.
"You bastard!" Naruto exclaimed. "Why'd you do that? Your own brother!" Naruto truly couldn't wrap his head around something so horrid.
"You have some nerve to insult me boy!" Gouzu screamed, voice heavy with grief and rage. "He was a dead man long before I did anything." Gouzu's scowl deepened. "You made sure of that."
Naruto's face finally turned away from the now still body and onto the missing-nin. "You're a monster, to disrespect your brother like this." Naruto's voice shook. "Do you even care?"
"Of course I care boy!" Gouzu's voice was filled with indignation. "This is what being a shinobi is. To kill and die in the name of the mission, with whatever means necessary." He took a deep breath. "Meizu new it, I know it." Gouzu finished, walking up to Naruto's discarded Katana. "And you'll die knowing it."
"That's no way to live." Naruto said, his tone now flat, but so very filled with emotion. Finding such an act blasphemy for an orphan who had nothing. "If that's what it means to be a ninja then I reject it, I'll make my own nindō. I'll find a path where I don't have any regrets."
"I don't care what you think boy." Gouzu said, now holding Naruto's Katana, uncaring of the blonds earlier speech. "I'll kill you with your own blade. I'll take those pretty little eyes of yours too after I'm finished."
"No." Naruto's voice was emotionless now. "My sword will be killing you." Naruto finished. A proof of smoke from the katana Gouzu was holding revealed it to be a transformed clone. Taking advantage of the older ninjas shock the Naruto clone stabbed wildly at the missing-nin jugular.
When Gouzu went to dispel the clone with his bladed gauntlet, he was shocked when silver chains wrapped his body tightly from below. Naruto's Sharingan recorded the instant the missing-nin knew he was dead.
Blood flashed and Gouzu couldn't even move freely as he bled out. Frantically trying to fight the restraints, Gouzu's eyes widened in panic as his body twitched, blood gurgling to the surface from his slashed throat and mouth, a few moments of this fallowed before he finally became still. Naruto's mind had settled into a cold, calm, thoughtless place. He knew what he had to do and he did it, with no emotion, no remorse.
Retracting his chains, Naruto made it to the fallen missing-nin's side and stared down, sickened. Gouzu's face held a visage of shock and anger in death, and Naruto wasn't so sure it wasn't warranted.
For the first time, Naruto witnessed a human die up close. Before, the Kyuubi's rage had left Naruto's memories oddly scattered and jumbled even with the Sharingan, he felt oddly disconnected from the battle. This time, he knew he would remember the sight for the rest of his life. There was no Kyuubi, no rage, no demonic influences or emotions clouding Naruto's mind. He was just… numb.
His stomach rebelled violently at the sight, and Naruto promptly emptied his stomach, an unsurprising feat considering the smell of burnt human flesh that permeated the air from the dead Meizu. Wiping the remnants of bile from his mouth, Naruto fortified himself. There was work to be done, he had to clean the battle zone, sort out any useful equipment, and take care of the bodies. 'this is gonna suck'
His Sharingan now deactivated, Naruto summoned ten clones to clean while he checked over the bodies. Meizu was the easiest to sort, the only thing remotely intact was his gauntlet. Quickly relieving him of the weapon, Naruto moved on to his brother. Gouzu was much more useful in regards to equipment. Gauntlets, rebreather, and any ninja tools were taken. He did his grizzly task in an almost painful silence. "Haku better be grateful."
When he got back to Tazuna's house the sun had yet to rise, but Naruto estimated he had at least two hours before daybreak.
When Naruto noticed that digging a grave for the demon brothers would be too tiring and time consuming, he sealed them up and had a shadow clones make his way to the bounty station. They were both worth one hundred thousand ryos in total, bounty or no bounty, Naruto was just too tired to be bothered to give them a proper burial especially after they tried to kill him.
He was a good yard from Tazuna's house when he noticed the shadow-clone he summoned to act as lookout give him a thumbs up' Naruto gave an audible sigh of relief.
Naruto had the last gaurd shift, so Naruto's clone just relieved a sleeping Sasuke from his own shift a good hour after the original left, but not before giving him an ear full for training so hard.
Passing a sleeping Haku, Naruto made it up the stairs to the restroom, deciding to take a quick shower and change to a fresh set of clothes. He really didn't what to explain to Kakashi Sensei what happened to him.
It was approximately twenty minutes later that a fresh and clean Naruto came out, arms and torso no longer marred with his earlier wounds. With a set of his orange track suit, Naruto smiled. He sat on the couch, eyes growing heavy with fatigue. Deciding to take a quick power nap Naruto closed his eyes, he was out like a light.
Naruto woke within the recess of of his own psyche. It was a strange place, a dark ocean was at his back, crystal white sand at his feet surrendering to his weight. In front, a forest of twisted pine, sakura, maple, and thunbergii doted the rocky landscape. A setting sun in the oceans horizon bathed the surroundings in a stream of eternal twilight.
What was unnerving was the the ocean refused to reflect the rays of red, yellow, or any remotely visible light. The ocean only reflected non-existent stars on a field of the deepest black. Naruto gulped 'were am I?' this wasn't Wave country.
No fog was remotely visible in the normally misty local he was staying at, the ocean was eerily calm, not so much as a ripple disturbed the onyx surface, and the clouds overhead seemed to break only for a white stream of moonlight to cast frightening shadows at all it touched.
A flowing river connected to the still ocean, weirdly the flow slowed enough that it didn't indicate were the river water started or ended, as both showed the reflected stars.
He gulped, unwilling to stay at the beach, Naruto decided to fallow the river. It's starry reflection rippled as he walked by, Naruto didn't even cast a shadow when close to it's banks. He kept walking, passing beautiful trees of all shapes, colors, and sizes. The branches and leaves mesmerizing with their multicolored forms, the twilight sun only enhancing their beauty. Naruto would have been calm if the parting clouds didn't reveal the haunting moon overhead, causing the frightening contrast of the resulting shadows to ruin the scenic sight.
On he walked, for how long, he didn't know. Time blurred and his perception followed suit. He barely noticed the forest darken and the moon becoming a permanent fixture in the sky, now matching the reflection in the river.
Naruto finally got his head together when he noticed ivory torii gates dotting the landscape, going onward he noticed the thinning of trees and glowing silver chains hanging upon those few trees there were.
Still onwards he went ignoring the already weird change of scenery, finally making his way to the source of the river. It was a gated cave entrance on the side of an enormous mountain, the bars were golden, the longest and largest he's ever seen. A strip of paper reading seal was placed where each mighty door met. Glowing red eyes met his own blue, killing intent the strongest he's ever felt hit him like a sledge hammer, his eyes dilated, the pressure bringing him to his knees. A large vulpine smile resulted in his visible fear. 'that's the Kyūbi, I must be in the seal.!'
"Warden, pleasure to finally meet you." The demons voice was deep, his ungodly hatred smearing every word with unconstrained wrath. "I think it's long past the time we should be have been acquainted." The creature crimson gaze narrowed and his killing intent doubled.
Naruto grit his teeth, hatred clawed through the fear, eyes flashing red Naruto exclaimed "Enough!" dispelling the pressure with a surge of his own dense chakra. Naruto could finally breath freely. "What's the big deal, asshole?!"
The demons eyes narrowed even more if possible. "Such insolence, you are lucky this accursed seal is hear to keep me at bay, boy."
Adding chakra to his feet, Naruto made his way to the middle of the river. Now standing in front of the massive gate Naruto's crimson gaze met the Kyūbi's own. "Then I think I'll leave that paper over there in peace." Naruto pointed out. "As long as that's intact I have nothing to fear from you, Kyūbi."
"You have everything thing to fear from me boy." The beast growled. "Time wears all such creations, but I am eternal. That seal won't last as long as I'm present."
Naruto snorted, calling the biju's bluff. "All seals can be reapplied of tightened." Naruto smiled. "I might not be a sealing master but I'm getting there. Give me time and this seal will hold as long as I will it to."
The Kyūbi too smiled. "We will see boy." A pause and he continued. "You should be thanking me little ninja, have my boons not helped you, have I not saved your life with my chakra?" Naruto didn't answer. "My strength was mine to give freely, boy. A strength that need not be strictly situational."
Naruto's eyes widened. "You want to give me chakra?" Was he trying to make a deal.
The Kyūbi nodded. "As loathe is it for me to say, you are my avatar to the world." The fox seemed truly mad at this. "I will not have a weak container. I refuse it."
Naruto didn't like the answer. "What do I care about your pride fox. These things you gave me are all well and good, but I never wanted them. I'm a medic, I'm supposed to help and heal people."
The fox raised a non-existent eyebrow. "Are you not supposed to protect? When your team meets a superior foe, do you just want to heal?" Naruto seemed conflicted at this. "You're a killer boy, your teacher is a killer, your your Hokage is a killer, your children will grow up to be killers. This world is built by killers! The question is not wether you want to kill, it is if you are willing to stay aside and watch as your team and yourself dies."
Naruto shook his head. "I won't be a just a witness, I will help my friends when needed." Naruto paused at this, seeing if he could a possible deal with the devil. "But your chakra is too dangerous, I get too mad, too ravenous for destruction. If I'm to use your chakra, I can't loose control. That's my condition, I want control."
The Kyūbi begrudgingly nodded. "So be it boy."
Naruto looked around. "So how did I get here?" Naruto asked. "Are we in my mind? The seal maybe?"
"You came he on your own accord, the tired state of your mind unwittingly called to my strength." He paused here, letting what he was saying sink in. "And we are in the seal and your mind, this place is just as real as the outside."
Naruto was incredulous. "Then how am I here If I fell asleep in Tazuna's house?" It didn't make any sense.
The giant fox looked amused. "I'll leave that for you to find out. Now wake up boy. Wake up, wa..."
"Wake up Naruto!" Naruto's eyes flashed open, a rather annoyed looking Sakura looming over him. He was still in the couch, right were he last remembered. 'Was that all a dream?' No, it couldn't be, it was far too real. "Get up you lazy idiot. It's almost noon, Kakashi sensei said to pack, we're leaving Wave soon."
Naruto was shocked. "Why so sudden? Can Haku even travel?" He asked.
"Haku's is up and walking. She said you guys talked last night." She frowned at this. "She seems dead set on fallowing you to Konoha and Kakashi sensei said it won't be a problem."
"But why are we leaving? What about the mission, the bridge isn't even finished."
Sakura shrugged. "He said now that everyone is fit to travel, we had to go. You need an urgent medical check-up. It's not normal having so many bloodlines and the less people know the better."
"We're leaving cause of me." He frowned at this fact.
Sakura's visage was sad as well, but not accusatory. "Team comes first remember, and Tazuna did lie to us."
Naruto didn't like it. "So we're going back to Konoha then."
"Yep, so get ready we leave soon."
His packing was a quick affair, all his items were already sealed, so he only needed to store them.
He killed time by checking up on a quiet Haku in her room. Stepping into the room, he noticed she was distant, numb if Naruto were to choose a word to describe her. "How are you doing? You sure you want to go with me to Konoha?"
"I'm fine Naruto, and I do want to go. I'm just nervous I guess." Her tone was melancholy.
Naruto gave her a brittle smile. "Could have fooled me." Then Naruto gulped, trying to build up the nerve for what he wanted to say. "Haku, I ran into the Demon Brothers."
Haku didn't seem surprised. "I had my suspicions, I ran into your shadow clone. He held a payment scroll and rips reminiscent of their chains." She took a deep breath. "Did they die quick?"
Naruto nodded. "It was quick." He pointedly left out Meizu's death. "They attacked me." He justified. "I did what I had to do."
Haku's eyes held back tears, once stoic face giving way to sorrow. "They were always vengeful." She let out a broken sob. "They were never the same after they left Kiri."
Naruto himself wanted to cry as well, to let his brittle walls he'd painstakingly carved throughout his life to fall and break. To allow himself to feel sorrow and regret for their death and all those he has killed before, but he didn't. He would not cry, he owed it to Haku to be strong. "I'm sorry." Haku just sobbed harder.
Naruto decided to let Haku grieve. "We leave in an hour." And so he left her to her sorrow. Promising to make up for all the pain he has caused her.
Team seven plus a now composed Haku were all packed and ready by the docks when a coalition of happy town's people came to see them off. Tazuna and Inari were the first and foremost to say their thanks. Going in so far as to name the Bridge after Naruto. Saying he was the one who brought back hope to the impoverished country.
Naruto glad for the recognition, was just happy to leave. He left Wave and didn't look back.
Authors note.
Sorry for the wait, this chapter fought tooth and nail to be written. Im still unhappy with it, I wanted the last wave chapter to be memorable, but I was sorta rushing to get to Konoha.
I'm trying to keep this a strictly Naruto point of view story. I'll expand on Haku and Sasuke some but nothing too big, just some snippets here and there.
Point out any mistakes please, and any suggestions would be very appreciated.
Jetiq out.