Death of a Shinobi, Rise of a Legend
"Speaking"
'Thinking'
"Demon/Summons speaking"
'Demon/Summons speaking'
A/N: Hello everyone, I've been surprised that people have decided to follow the story even though it was mostly an idea I didn't know what to do with but I just felt it should be put up here. I have decided I'll see what I can do with this story but don't be surprised to greatly if I put it up for adoption. Anyway, on with the story.
Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke and Hinata were all standing before the Great Naruto Bridge in wave country. Upon seeing the bridge each person was overcome with a sense of sadness, guilt and shame, but they were not here to mourn for their lost comrade who had left more than 2 years ago. The team had been sent to Wave country to find the man known as Mashu, or the Demon Guard.
Mashu was said to be a very powerful man, more powerful then all the kages in the elemental nations. He had appeared about a year and a half ago after when Wave country had nearly been destroyed by a pack of nuke-nins who had called themselves the Reapers. Rumor had it that all that was left of the reapers could be fit inside a sake dish. Many people had sought out the man to come work for them or to join their villages, but every time Mashu would say that the only time he would fight was to protect his loved ones and his home, nothing more, nothing less, but that is not to say he did not protect those who needed it. On many occasions he could be seen protecting refugees to wave and many travelers and merchants who came through the country. Every time though, Mashu would take only the smallest of payments.
The remains of Team 7 and Hinata had been sent to find out if they could get this Mashu person to help them against the combined forces of Oto and Iwa. It was also their mission to see if they could get Mashu to become a shinobi of the leaf, despite the failed attempts of nearly every other village in the Elemental Nations. So the team started to cross the bridge intent on seeing if they could find the whereabouts of Mashu from the local villagers.
"Hey," called out a voice, halting the shinobi. Turning they saw a man sitting on the edge of the bridge with a fishing pole. He had on a white and orange bucket hat, an open brown yakuta, a white shirt with green and brown pinstripe pants, a red sash and geta sandals with black straps. All in all the man just seemed to be just your average fisherman or merchant. "What are shinobi like yourselves doing here in Wave?" asked the man lazily, his eyes never leaving his fishing.
"We are here to find Mashu, do you have any ideas on how to contact him or where he may live?" asked Kakashi, deciding that a merchant or fisherman must have heard at least something about him.
"Mashu? If you're looking for him then you'll easily find him," stated the fisherman.
"Really?" asked Hinata; amazed that it would be this easy
"Yup, just tell me why you're looking for him and I'll see if Mashu would be interested," stated the man.
"Wait, you know Mashu?" asked Sasuke disbelievingly.
"You could say that," said the man with a hidden smirk.
"Well, we would like to know if Mashu could help us in fighting off some invading forces and we would like to invite him and any of his loved ones to join Konoha," Kakashi said with an eye smile though inwardly he was wondering what this person's game was.
"Heh, sorry but he isn't going to take you up on that offer," Sated the man as he reeled in his line. "In fact, he has absolutely no wish to set foot in Konoha, much less join it,"
"Huh? But what makes you think that?" asked a confused Sakura, "Perhaps you can have us meet him and we could try and convince him," she suggested.
"I seriously doubt that would work," the man said with a chuckle while shouldering his pole.
"And why exactly is that?" asked an annoyed Sasuke.
"Because I'm Mashu," replied the man, and with that he disappeared in a burst of flames. Everyone just stared in shock as different thoughts raced through their heads.
'THAT'S Mashu?' thought a disbelieving Sasuke, hr was sure that Mashu would look powerful and intimidating. The Uchiha suspected that they were being misled.
'Theres something about that guy that seems… familiar' thought Sakura as a certain orange clad ninja flashed through her mind making her frown in worry. 'Naruto… I hope you're safe, wherever you are'
'That guy was so... cool' thought Hinata with a blush.
'This may be harder than I thought' thought Kakashi. On that note, all four set off to find the home of the man known as Mashu.
Later that day, home on the edge of the village
The four leaf shinobi looked at the home in front of them. It was a two-story home of simple design near a large lake, much like the home of Tazuna only newer and with a bit more of a shine to it, but the shinobi had learned that Tazuna had long since moved out due to Tazuna becoming the mayor. Apparently the bridge builder had decided to give his old home to Mashu for all he had done for the village. And Mashu had apparently done a LOT for Wave.
Mashu had taught many people who were willing to learn on how to defend themselves and thus had created an army that knew much in the ways of combat. In fact the people of this village were even more experienced than that of most Daimyo's samurai. Apparently Mashu had quite the bounty on his head to be caught alive, thus requiring the people of Wave to learn how to fight. Not wishing for these people to get hut Mashu had said he would leave, but much to his surprise the village begged he stay and teach them how to defend themselves. So Mashu had taught them everything he knew in the ways of combat that didn't require jutsu due to the fact that the majority that wished to learn were adults, however it was said that Mashu's wife, a woman of unspeakable beauty and said mother of Wave, taught any willing child on how to control and use chakra. Given a couple years and no one would be surprised if Wave became a hidden village of its own, despite the fact it was an island nation surrounded by water with only one land access point. The fear of another Gato and the recent bounty hunters must have made Wave like this, though something told the ninja that it was a process that had only be sped up by Mashu.
Regardless, Kakashi and his team were now standing in front of the home of the Demon Guard of Wave, determined to get his help. The masked jounin stepped forward and knocked on the door. Soon a scuffling noise was heard and a feminine voice called out, "Be there in a second!"
The door opened to reveal a red haired woman with startling red eyes with slit black pupils. She was wearing a loose a loose pink kimono with designs of falling sakura petals in white. Upon seeing whom the people at the door were she scowled a bit and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Can I help you?" she asked curtly, the distaste in her voice barely hidden.
"Um, yes we are here to talk to Mashu, am I to assume that you are his wife?" asked Kakashi politely, wondering why his senses were telling him to get far away from this woman.
"I am, and Mashu isn't home right now," she answered shortly.
"Ah, well do you suppose we could come in and wait for him to come home? We have a proposition that we would like to extend to him and the rest of his family," stated Kakashi, hoping the woman would say yes if only for her to find out what the offer was.
"I suppose just please take off your shoes and keep your hands where I can see them," ordered the woman while sending Kakashi a message via a harsh glare. The cycloptic-nin got the message: Don't even think of pulling any ninja shit or i will castrate you.
Thanking her the team stepped inside to see that the home was still the way Team 7 had seen it so long ago, although the furniture was newer and the walls were painted a simple tan with deigns of a forest on them. Sitting at the large table the team sat down with the red haired beauty to wait for her husband.
"So what deal do you have to offer for me and my husband?" asked the woman, not even bothering to play hostess but rather just cut to the chase.
Surprised Kakashi answered, "We would like to ask that you and your husband come to Konoha to become leaf shinobi or we would like to enlist Mashu in helping us fight off the forces of Iwa and Oto,"
The lady cocked an eyebrow at this, "And why exactly should we move away from here? If you haven't noticed we are helping this village learn to defend itself from the various people who would want to hurt innocent people for no real reason," she answered curtly, giving all the leaf shinobi besides Hinata a rather harsh glare.
Kakashi blinked in surprise at the killing intent coming off the woman. He could tell that she was holding back quite a bit of it but only just barely it seemed. "True but I'm sure we could work out a deal and perhaps send some chuunin here to help teach these people to defend themselves and the younger generation with their chakra control and ninjutsu," offered the man, wondering how the hell he would be able to arrange that. If Konoha forces moved into Water Country then it could be considered an act of war, something the leaf village did not need right now. Judging by the woman's stare that said he was a moron he figured she knew that.
"Somehow I believe you would be screwed in the ass if you did something like that scarecrow," stated a masculine voice. Turning everyone looked to see Mashu leaning against the doorframe, his hat covering his face so that only his chin and mouth could be seen with some of his hair coming down in front of his eyes. A smirk was on his face. "Besides I have no real desire to go back to that village or have those ignorant bastards come teach these people, for I believe some of the Leaf's more unbecoming traits would be transferred to the future generations," stated the man with heavy sarcasm on the word unbecoming.
"And what gives you the right to insult Konoha like that?" demanded an enraged Sakura while Kakashi stared at him curiously.
'What does he mean go back?' thought Kakashi as he took a good luck at the man in front of him. There was just something about this guy that Kakashi recognized but he just couldn't place it.
"Hmm… where should I begin?" stated Mashu while crossing an arm and propping his elbow on it with a finger to his chin as he looked upwards in a thoughtful expression. Hinata noticed that the red haired woman had gotten an agitated look on her face and could feel the KI barely being restrained by the woman.
"Maybe it was when the orphanage kicked me out? Or was it the constant beatings that came after that and the near death experiences on my birthdays? Perhaps it was the social out casting I received, never allowed to play with the other children, buy from most stores and the glares and insults I received," asked the blonde as his voice, which had started out cheery and carefree, got harsher and harsher. "Then again it was probably when I figured out I was abandoned and hated for something I had no control over but no that couldn't be it because I remember still serving that village when I was a shinobi after that and even forgave my guardians when one decided writing smut was more important and the other was busy wallowing in depression while drinking herself into a coma and gambling away every cent she had," stated the man as his hand came up to remove his hat slowly. Kakashi had become pale while everyone else had become more and more confused. Mashu's wife looked about ready to maul the ninja which had put them effectively on edge.
"Oh wait! Now I remember!" exclaimed the blonde as he ripped the hat off and glared at the Konoha ninja hatefully, "It was when I brought back a certain Uchiha and instead of praise I got scolded and insulted for bringing back the guy because he was covered in blood, MY BLOOD! FROM WHEN HE SHOVED A CHIDORI THROUGH ME!" roared the now revealed blonde. Everyone could only gasp at the man that stood before them.
The man standing before them had wild spiky blonde hair that reached his neck and partly hid his sapphire blue eyes, which were now filled with animalistic fury. His mouth was in a snarl, causing the three whisker marks on each cheek to become more pronounced.
"N-Naruto?" asked a dumbfounded Sasuke, hardly able to believe who stood before him. Hinata also gaped, too shocked to think of anything but the fact that Naruto was alive and standing right in front of her, though another thought hit her. 'HE'S MARRIED?' thought the poor Hyuuga whose mind immediately shut down after that. Sakura could only gawk while Kakashi just looked away, too ashamed to face his former student.
It was thing for sure; Naruto Uzumaki was Mashu, the Demon Guard.
And Kami help Konoha, because he was BEYOND pissed.
A/N: Is it wrong that writing the last part of this chapter was so satisfying? Ayway be sure to R&R and check out my other stories. Leave comments cause I like to hear your thoughts on my work.
