Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Zabuza's Seven

Chapter 3: Questions and Answers

In a forest on the outskirts of the primary settlement of Wave country was hidden a base among the trees. It was shaped like a cone and supported by one the many trees. Support cables held it in place, and a winding ramp led into it. This was the temporary hideout of Momochi Zabuza and Haku for their stay in Wave. With Gato's death it may even become a safe house for them.

They had spent their time after the battle on the bridge cleaning out Gato's coffers for whatever funds they could acquire. Now in the possession of his assets, including several deeds to properties around the elemental nations, a vast amount of funds and information on secret accounts they had the resources necessary to fund a deathblow against Yagura.

Their new acquisitions were scattered around the base. Between that and the supplies already here it was getting crowded. They would have to pack up and move out soon. Among the wealth and equipment there was one new acquirement that could be considerably more valuable if used right. That, was the apparently not dead Uzumaki Naruto.

The boy in question was currently asleep on one of the beds, having been attended to by Haku. His nerves were still raw and tender, presumably from having been forcibly re-grown at an accelerated rate after his so called cremation. Thus Zabuza had to be very careful moving him to this location. They were unable to redress him for this reason, as it would only inflict more pain on someone who has been through enough.

At the moment, Zabuza was discussing his plans for Naruto with Haku. They had just brought Naruto back and while Zabuza knew Haku would never question him and accept his every order he felt that in Naruto's case, letting Haku know of his intentions would help Haku be more at ease.

"Haku," began Zabuza, "what do you think of that boy?" He asked his apprentice.

Haku took moment to reflect on his memories of Naruto. Before they caused him pain, but finding Naruto alive filled him with a sense of relief. The only other time he felt so happy was when his master found him. At that point Haku knew Naruto was someone he could grow to love as well, like a brother.

"He knows what it means to be truly strong. He was willing to give his life to protect someone precious to him. I honestly feel if we had met him sooner he and I could have been friends, or like brothers."

Outwardly Zabzua didn't react to Haku's words. Inwardly he was pleased.

'I turned you and Kimimaro into my tools, your only purpose to serve me. You are my shield, the one who protects, and Kimimaro was another sword to strike down those who stood in my way.'

He had found Haku and Kimimaro in Water country. Both were young boys with bloodline limits that would make them quite strong someday. That was not the reason he took them in. It was the look in their eyes that told him they were just like him. Now, he recently saw that look again in Naruto's eyes when they fought.

'Although I made you two into strong shinobi, both of you gave up your own goals and desires in favour of my own, quite willingly too. Soon my dreams may come true. I hope that Naruto will be the one to help you two find new ones of your own.'

"I'm going to keep an eye on the Leaf ninja. Stay here and maintain vigil over Naruto." Said Zabuza, who, having given Haku his orders, left the hideout to ascertain the status of Naruto's soon to be former team.

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Sitting perched in a treetop, Zabuza was observing the house belonging to Tazuna. He had been keeping watch for any signs of activity from the Leaf ninja. So far there was none.

'It looks like Kakashi is awake, but immobile. The other brats are fine, physically anyway. It seems they didn't take Naruto's supposed death well at all. I can't imagine how they would feel if the found out he was alive. Overjoyed certainly, until they remember they burned and buried him alive.'

Zabuza remembered the feeling of demonic chakra that enveloped him and Haku when they visited Naruto's grave. It was either a miracle they were there at the time, or maybe even fate itself.

'If Haku and I hadn't come to pay our final respects he would have either suffocated or been consumed entirely by the fox demon's chakra. Even worse, the demon might have been unleashed. I'm not even sure how he survived down there for as long as he did.'

'That brings up the main problem. Naruto's alive, but only because Haku and I were there. If his team finds out he's alive they would want him back, but they would also feel very remorseful for what they did to him. The negativity that was prevalent among them would disappear, and Kakashi would be sure to teach them properly to avoid a repeat of what happened here.'

It was clear in Zabuza's mind that after the events here in Wave, should Naruto rejoin his team, things would be much better with them. However, he recognized the potential in Naruto and knew that if the boy joined him Naruto would become great as well.

'On one hand, the kid owes his life to us. Then again, if it wasn't for us he might not have nearly died. I could really use someone like him, but the only way he'd follow me willingly is if he felt he was betrayed by his team and had no reason to return to the Hidden Leaf Village.'

For a moment, Zabuza considered seeking asylum in Konoha with Haku so they could give Naruto the help he needed. Unfortunately, they needed him to help liberate Mist as much as he needed their support to become a great ninja.

'I'm close to completing my ambition now. With the funds we liberated from Gato I can get in tough with the Mist rebellion forces and obtain the resources needed for the final attack against Yagura. I can't put that on hold for the sake of one child.'

Zabuza knew there was one simple way to turn Naruto into another invaluable tool. He could convince Naruto his team had thought him dead and abandoned him. He disregarded that right away. It would be a lie, although close to the truth. Should Naruto ever discover what really happened he would likely betray them. No, if Naruto was to join them, it would have to be of his own accord.

Zabuza sighed, and once more gazed at Tazuna's home. The bridge builder himself was completing his life's work. One of the remaining members of team seven would either go with him or stay and watch their sensei. There was no other activity.

'I've had enough of this. I need to know more about Naruto, and I'm not going to find anything out like this. I can't approach anyone here, but Haku can.'

With that Zabuza returned to the cone-shaped tree house to prepare for the next day.

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It was just past nightfall now. Zabuza had just returned. Haku was watching Naruto as he rested. Zabuza, needing Haku to infiltrate the nearby village to gain information on Naruto's background made his way into the room where they kept Naruto.

It was the closest thing to an infirmary in the hideout. Using what medical knowledge he possessed, Haku set-up Naruto with an IV-drip. It would nourish his body until he woke up. When he would was unknown. As soon as Zabuza entered the room Haku turned away from Naruto to face his master.

"How is he?" Zabuza asked Haku.

"He seems fine physically. He had a slight fever, but I've taken care of that. I did notice his hair seems to be re-growing already." Replied Haku.

Indeed, there was a wet cloth on Naruto's forehead. He was laying on top of the bed, uncovered save for a towel placed on his midsection to preserve his modesty. Wisps of blond hair could be seen on his head.

"I don't know if he's alright mentally though." Continued Haku. "He was thrashing about earlier, and his rapid eye movement suggests he's dreaming. I think he's having nightmares. They seemed to have stopped for now."

That alarmed Zabuza. It could be a sign that the fox demon is torturing Naruto in his vulnerable state, trying to influence him or gain a stronger presence in his mind.

Since he needed Haku to infiltrate the village to learn about Naruto he would have to confirm what he already knew and suspected of the boy.

"Haku, I have something to show you, take a look at this." Zabuza addressed his apprentice while pulling away the towel around Naruto.

Haku was confused, to say the least. 'Why would he show me that?' He wondered. 'I thought that's why he took me to that brothel when I started going through puberty.'

Haku need not wonder much longer as Zabuza only uncovered Naruto's abdomen. Placing his hand on Naruto's stomach Zabuza channelled some chakra into it. At once a spiral appeared along with a mirrored set of four lines. This was the eight trigrams seal that imprisoned the nine-tailed fox demon within Naruto.

Haku looked surprised by the seal's appearance, but Zabuza showed no reaction. At this point it had been confirmed that Naruto was a power of human sacrifice, just like Yagura and Utakata, the host of the six-tailed slug.

"Haku, it's time I told you just what Naruto is." Zabuza said to Haku, who seemed relieved that all his master wanted to show him was Naruto's strange seal.

"Do you remember the feeling of dread we felt before unearthing Naruto, and the red chakra that swirled around him?" Zabuza asked Haku, who nodded in reply.

"That was pure killing intent backed by malevolent chakra. I've only felt something like that once, when I tried to kill Yagura, and he used the power of the three-tailed turtle to force me to flee."

Zabuza didn't like to remember his failure. That's why he had been preparing for a proper assassination of Yagura and co-ordinating in secret with the rest of the Mist resistance forces while acting the part of a missing-ninja.

Haku however was in shock. Knowing that terrible feeling that day was the malice of demonic chakra and that Naruto had a seal on him could only mean he had one of the tailed beasts sealed in him.

"I can tell by the look on your face you've realized that Naruto is a power of human sacrifice like Yagura." Said Zabuza, adressing Haku. "What's more is since he comes from the Hidden Leaf Village there is only one demon he could be the host of, the nine-tailed fox demon."

Now Haku's mind was filled with questions. Naruto, the boy he just met a few days ago but felt an instant connection to had the most powerful tailed beast sealed within him. What was Naruto's life like? Was it similar to his own? How did the people of the Leaf Village treat Naruto?

Unfortunately the only person who knew the answers to all those questions is in a coma. There might be another way to fight out though. Get the information from his team-mates.

Zabuza had been watching Haku closely to gauge his reaction to the revelation of Naruto being a demon host. He could what Haku was thinking, and it was the same thing he was.

"I can tell you have a lot of questions about Naruto, as do I. Since the only ones who might be able to answer them at the moment are his team-mates you'll have to ask them yourself."

Haku understood right away. "I see. They haven't seen my real face in combat. The Uchiha did once, but only briefly, so he might not even know I'm a boy. As long as I disguise my voice they shouldn't find out who I am."

Zabuza nodded in reply. "It's late now. You can begin your investigation in the morning. Why don't you rest for now. I'll watch Naruto."

With that Haku retired for the night to his quarters, planning what he intends to ask the leaf ninja about Naruto and what colour dress he should wear.

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The next morning Haku had awoken early to leave for his current mission. He had settled on a nice black kimono. The pink one, while nice, he had worn recently. Also, the wearing the black one could be seen as a sign of mourning for Naruto. It was part of his plan for getting close to the leaf ninja.

Since the Uchiha knew he had met Naruto he could simply pass himself off as a girl who just wanted to know more about the boy who died to while trying to save Wave.

Haku began his investigation by listening to the chatter among the people of wave. Unfortunately none of them knew anything. There were several though who continued to pay respects to Naruto's grave.

With that a bust, Haku had only one source left. It was time to pay a visit to the leaf ninjas.

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Inside Tazuna's house Tsunami was cleaning. Inari was upstairs, listening to Kakashi tell tales of ninja adventure. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

'That's odd, I wasn't expecting any visitors. I hope nothing has happened.' Thought Tsunami.

The situation in Wave was now better then it had been in years. It would be terrible if things started going bad again. Tsunami answered the door, and was surprised to see a girl she had never seen before.

"Can I help you?" She asked the young girl.

"Hello, my name is Chisato." Replied Haku, using an alias, and a higher tone of voice. "A few days ago I met one of the leaf ninja who were hired to protect your father. I heard how he died, and I just paid my respects for him recently. I've come here to find his team-mates to learn about how he lived."

Tsunami was surprised to hear this girl had met Naruto, as he spent all his time training in the woods. She was also a bit suspicious, as she had never met the girl before. In a small village like Wave you knew everyone.

"How did you meet Naruto?" Tsunami asked Haku.

"I met him in the woods the day before he died. I was gathering medicinal herbs to help my uncle. He's a traveling merchant and we had been hired to smuggle goods into Wave. Our ship was attacked by Gato's men and he was injured. I've been looking after him since."

Tsunami seemed to buy Haku's story, as it was mostly true anyway.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you, and I hope your uncle gets well. It's unfortunate, but that kind of thing happened often. Hopefully it will be better from now on."

"Thank you for your condolences." Replied Haku.

"Why don't you come inside. I'll introduce you to Naruto's sensei. His team-mates are at the bridge with my father." Tsunami said to Haku, showing him the way to Kakashi's room.

"Thank you, I'd like that." Replied Haku, who followed Tsunami.

They made their way upstairs where Tsunami knocked on a door. Inari answered, who immediately began blushing after seeing Haku.

"Kakashi, this is Chisato. She said she met Naruto the day before he died and wanted to learn more about him."

Kakashi took a quick look at Haku and deemed him not to be a threat. Whether it was because Kakashi was still recovering and not at full mental capacity, or because he didn't think anyone as pretty as Haku could be dangerous was unknown. Then again, Haku had no intention of harming anyone so he really wasn't a threat.

"Sure, I was just telling Inari some stories about Naruto. Why don't you join us?" Kakashi asked Haku.

"Alright." Haku simply replied and sat down next to Inari, who was still trying to hold in his blush.

With that, Kakashi began his tale of Naruto's antics as a member of team seven.

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The morning spent with Kakashi had been very enlightening. True, Kakashi couldn't reveal too much about Naruto as some details were sure to be secret. For a ninja though, looking underneath the underneath was part of the profession.

Kakashi told them about his first meeting with his team. Haku had learned of Naruto's love of ramen and his dream of being Hokage.

Kakashi's next tale was of team seven's bell test. Haku acted amused by Naruto's failure to beat Kakashi, but he was really surprised.

It seemed like Naruto had very little practical skills and wasn't very smart. Shouldn't he have been trained better? Aren't demon hosts trained to be living weapons? What kind of education did he have?

After that was team seven's official start as ninja of the leaf village. Kakashi described in great detail how his team did chores while he stood nearby reading.

Nothing interesting came up until they had returned Tora, the cat of the fire daimyo's wife to her. They were about to be assigned another d-rank mission when Naruto protested and insisted they get a c-rank, which they actually received.

Kakashi told them how they received the Wave mission and began to escort Tazuna back to his home. Along the way they fought the demon brothers. Kakashi told Haku and Inari how Naruto had froze up since it was his first fight and had been injured, and how Naruto declared his oath of pain to never run away again.

Haku found this intriguing. He knew of the demon brothers failure as they had escaped the bonds they were left in and reported back to Zabuza. After learning of their failure he sent them to Snow Country to meet up with Kimimaro. They were going to meet again in a border town in Fire Country.

Haku didn't pay much attention to Kakashi's explanation of their fight against Zabuza since he had been there. It was intriguing to hear about the fight from another point of view.

Kakashi then explained how he had his team perform a chakra control exercise. Naruto and Sasuke took a week to get it down. According to Kakashi, Naruto had a vast amount of untapped hidden power.

Inari spoke up next and told Haku how Naruto inspired him and made him believe in heroes again. Although he was sad for Naruto's loss he wasn't going to spend his time crying since Naruto wouldn't have wanted that. He was going to be strong like his father, and follow in his grandfather's footsteps.

Since the next part of the story, the battle on the bridge was well known Haku declined to hear it. Deciding he had heard enough for now he left Tazuna's home, but not before Tsunami invited him back for dinner to meet Naruto's team-mates. Haku accepted the invitation, then proceeded to return to Zabuza to inform his master of his discoveries.

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Zabuza was once more keeping vigil over Naruto. Earlier Haku had returned to inform him of what he had learned about Naruto. They had analyzed the information thoroughly to uncover what they could of the enigma that was Uzumaki Naruto. What they learned was conflicting. Zabuza was now pondering what he now knew about the boy.

'Naruto was the lowest ranked student in the leaf village's ninja academy, an orphan, loved ramen and the color orange, used to be a prankster, had a crush on his pink haired team-mate and hated the Uchiha.'

Zabuza wasn't too interested in his personal habits as much as his skills as a ninja, or lack thereof.

'On the other hand he has massive chakra reserves, not surprising considering he's a demon host. That alone gives his massive potential as a ninjutsu specialist. Yet it seems that he had no training to take advantage of this.'

In the Mist Village, you would not be able to even qualify for the graduation exam unless you could walk on water, due to the abundance of it.

'He should have been taught and performing chakra control exercises from a young age, but it seems he hadn't even heard of them before Kakashi showed him the tree climbing exercise.'

That just lowered Zabuza's opinion of the Hidden Leaf Village's training standards.

'Is it possible that no one was aware of his massive reserves and the need for special training? No, that's unlikely as his status as a demon host, which should have been well known given the fourth Hokage's defeat of the fox demon, would yield much larger reserves then normal.'

That took any positive thoughts Zabuza had about Naruto's soon to be former village and defenestrated them.

'That pisses me off to no end. Naruto is like a sword that was left out in the rain to rust and dull. I shudder to think what would have become of Haku or Kimimaro if I hadn't taken them in. At least Naruto had a home in the leaf village.'

Whether it was a good home or not remained to be seen.

'If I had found Naruto when he was as young as Haku and Kimimaro then Naruto could be my equal by now. I know the boy has the determination and great ambition. Why else would he want to become Hokage? Wait, why does he want to become Hokage?'

That was the question that was most prevalent in Zabuza's mind. Why would a twelve year old boy desire to rule so much, and where did he get the idea from?

'I guess I'll find out more when Haku gets back from his dinner with Naruto's team. Hopefully we'll get our answers then. If not, then we'll wait for Naruto to recover and get them from the source.'

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Author's Notes: I've decided to post this chapter, since I had it mostly written for some time. I was planning on waiting until the recent developments with Zabuza and Haku in the manga were developed more so I could use anything revealed in this story, but then I decided to screw it and do it anyway. If Kishimoto does change Haku to a girl, I'll still keep him a boy in this.

On that note, if anyone's interested in my portrayal of Haku, he'll be a cross-dressing metro-sexual who's very comfortable with his sexuality.

Defenestrated: Threw somebody or something out a window. English is a weird language considering we have a word for something like this.

How did no one notice I mentioned Kimimaro in chapter two? Well he gets more then a passing mention here.