It was a night, very unlike any other night, she had seen before.
For as long as her young mind allowed her to remember, her family was always on edge. She was taught at a very young age how to run, how to hide and how to beg. Because of how young she was, this constant fear of this unknown threat plagued her life seemed like a game to her. Much like how normal children pretend the ground was lava, raging rivers were her playground.
The early years of her life were tough. She was a once told that the family was rich and powerful years ago. They had a village of their own, with servants and food that would make anyone turn green with envy. By the time she turned three, however, they had become poor scavengers. So poor, that even the most meager scraps of food they found were considered a luxury.
She was ignorant to the dark world she was born into. If given the choice, she would live the life of a beggar, a survivor, for all of her life. Though starvation came as often as the sun, she was happy.
Then, one night, she was awoken by someone she thinks was her mother. All she remembered was panic and fear. Everything moved too fast for her to keep up with. She was forced to crawl through filth and was told to run as far as possible. She thought she was a playing game. Her family always played this game. The aim of the game was to see how far they could get as fast as possible. She was the fastest out of all of them.
By the time she stopped, there as quiet and darkness. Looking back into the horizon she saw all that she knew, burn.
Confused, an air of dread carried the cries of her family.
Among the cries, Haku made out those damning words.
"The jinchuuriki is here."
Shatterpoint
Haku was suddenly struck with an awfully strong sense of deja vu.
The sixteen-year-old girl had the luxury to play with the thought of how deja vu just bought the sleeping blond before her a few more seconds of life. She felt guilty last night, drugging with herbs he helped collect. But this way, the kill would be humane. Just like how the butchers do it.
Haku bit her lips. She really didn't need to make that comparison.
For all her talk of pacifism, Haku was not incapable of killing. The way she saw it, sometimes people had to die in order for her to be of use to Zabuza. She had been lucky so far, as most people who she had to kill just happened to be awful people. But Haku had never truly wanted to kill someone herself. That's what made her different from common killers. She might help someone else along to kill someone but never would she want to do it herself.
At least not anyone human.
Haku's only mistake, upon seeing Naruto for the first time, was when she thought he was a simple spy. She thought she could use him to kill Goto, someone whom she hated will all her being. She obviously couldn't do it because she knew she would enjoy it and that is not acceptable. She got too close to Naruto and, although she thought he was scary, became attached to the blond.
That subtle affinity she had towards him only made it harder to accept that he was a Jinchuriki.
'He's a monster,' She tried to convince herself, her hand inching closer for a brief moment, 'just like the rest of them.'
"You can do this, Haku." She whispered. "You've done this before. You've drugged and murdered someone before...no you haven't but there's a first time for everything." After more time fighting her arm for control, Haku stepped back, pulling her fine hair in frustration. "Why is this so hard? He isn't even your friend Haku" She glanced and the sprawled out blond. "...But he isn't a stranger either. Maybe that's why..."
"Haku" Zabuza stood, leaning on the doorway out of the room with her sword resting on her shoulder. To Haku, Zabuza had seen better days. The scab crusted gash across her chest had not even healed yet. Still, Zabuza wasn't the type of person to let something like that slow her down.
"Zabuza-sama," Haku spoke, "did you hear any of that?"
"I'm an A-rank Kunoichi Haku," she deadpanned. Zabuza turned to the blond, who was still fast asleep. "Poor bastard. I almost feel sorry for him. Almost." Haku flinched when Zabuza glared at her. "He's a Jinchuriki. And if I'm right, he must be Konoha's. The Kyuubi. He'll fetch a nice price." Haku started to squirm as Zabuza stood up to her. The older woman towered over the girl and grabbed her shoulder in a tight vice. "I don't give a damn about what you think about Jinchuriki. You are not to kill him."
Haku bowed her head submissively. "Hai, Zabuza-sama. I understand."
Zabuza grunted in response. "So how strong are the drugs you used on him?"
"Enough to kill an elephant."
"Good. He'll be here when he gets back." Zabuza walked to the door. "Come on now, Haku. We have a job to do. After we get paid, we're going to the nearest bounty station to cash him in. Are we clear?
"...Hai Zabuza-sama." Haku followed her master out of the room, picking up her belt of needles on the way. She looked at Naruto for one last time, seeing if she could decide what she felt about the blond. Still conflicted, she left the room.
Naruto was left alone in the room.
Suddenly Naruto started to choke and convulse. The drug in his body was a neurotoxin which attacked his nerves. One by one, each of his organs was cut off from his brain. Slowly, Naruto's body started to grow deathly calm. Even if he were conscious and armed with his flawed form of Senjutsu, he would not have been able to fight the touch of a poison this deadly.
His breathing slowed to a crawl. Naruto was surely about to draw his final breath.
Unseen by anyone, above him hovered a haunting robed figure with its skeletal arms wide open in a cold embrace.
Kurotsuchi danced her way through the halls of her Uchiha master's home, careful not to damage all the priceless artifacts sprawled along the floor or let the pile of sheets she was carrying fall. Her nose scrunched up at the hint of millennia old dust in the air, having been released from the number of open display cases. She made a note to herself that she should clean all this mess up later.
Entering Satsuki's room, Kurotsuchi saw that her bed was neat and tidy, far too tidy for someone as lazy as Satsuki to have slept in. Looking over to the only desk in the room, she found the short Uchiha slumped over, sleeping, as expected, clad in only her panties. She didn't even have a bra on.
"Idiot," Kurotsuchi whispered, "you'll catch a cold."
"I don't catch colds." Came a tired yawn. "Besides, the fire is still burning"
Indeed, the fireplace in the room still crackled with hot embers. Sighing, Kurotsuchi set down the sheets she was holding. "Come on, Satsuki. You need proper sleep. Get into bed and I'll get the bed warmer ready."
"No need. I have work to do." The half naked Uchiha grumbled as she got up from her chair, and stretched her strained back. "Naruto usually carried me to my bed when I do this." She explains. "I never realized that Naruto did so much for me until I sent him away"
As Satsuki went to the kimono neatly folded on top of her bed, Kurotsuchi looked at her desk to see what she was working on all night. The Uchiha was training for most of the night so she was curious about what kept her up. On the desk were an assortment of diagrams and strange notes and symbols, along with one of the only intact swords Satsuki and Naruto had collected.
"What is this stuff?" She asked shifting through the mass amounts of paper. "It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen."
"Chemical analysis," Satsuki said over her shoulder, "I found some of Naruto and Suiton's notes about the metal some of our artifacts are made out of. I remembered asking them to do it but I guessed I forgot all about it."
Kurotsuchi blinked owlishly. "...What?"
"I forget that no one knows about this stuff." Satsuki giggled. "One of the things that Naruto and I learned quickly, was that some of the civilizations the came before knew a lot more than we do right now." Now dressed, she walked to the desk and picked up a small silver dagger. "This was found in a tomb, untouched for thousands of years. From a time before chakra. Why out of all the weapons I have collected, is this weapon still as sharp as it was made?"
"Because it's made out of something else entirely." She motioned the diagrams. "These diagrams, these symbols are part of an ancient element identification system. I've only gotten a few scraps of the systems here and there, but I have enough to identify what this dagger is made out of."
Kurotsuchi reached out and picked up one of the other silver daggers. Her eyebrows raised. "This is heavy!"
"That is depleted Uranium, according to this system," She held up the dagger in her hand, "and this is tungsten. Depleted Uranium is two-and-a-half times denser than steel. These two metals are some of the strongest, most durable metals in the world. To forge these metals...the people who made these weapons must have had great power in their time"
"This is amazing." Kurotsuchi awed. "With this metal, not even the swords of the land of iron can match you."
"Maybe." Satsuki shrugged. "I've searched for a long time to find metal like this. There's not enough of this stuff on this planet to equip an army or anything. I was lucky enough when I found this dagger. Plus, even if I did find the metal needed, it'll take a while to develop a way to work the metal. A normal forge can't even heat this stuff up."
"So what are you going to do with it? Throw it away?" The rock-nin threw the heavy metal back onto the desk.
She got a shrug in return. "I have no idea. I'll probably give it to Naruto and Suiton to figure a use for it. I let them do their crazy experiments under my home. It's about time they make themselves useful."
Kurotsuchi's cheeks were set aflame at Satsuki's spiteful remark. Luckily she hid her blush with her hands before Satsuki could see it. In a rare moment for her, Kurotsuchi brushed her hair to the side in a very shy manner.
Straightening up her kimono, Satsuki threw a look at Kurotsuchi. "...Why are you giving me that look?"
"It's nothing," Kurotsuchi assured her.
"...Ok then." Satsuki began to walk out of the room. "Be sure to clean this mess up for me. You know where all the weapons of right?"
Kurotsuchi looked hesitant as she looked at Satsuki's retreating back. Sucking up her courage she said, "Naruto says that you're stubborn you know..."
The Uchiha stopped in her tracks. "Does he now?"
"Yea." She nodded. "...But I think it's cute you know...Not like a kid, but like a bunny or...something."
Satsuki looked over her shoulder, a single eyes peering into Kurotsuchi like a drill. "...Thank you, Kurotsuchi."
"No problem, Satsuki-sama." She bowed down to her master. Satsuki noticed that, ever so slightly, her bow was deeper than normal.
Kurotsuchi sighed in relief. She wanted to kick herself for what she said. She lamented to think about what Satsuki must think of her now. Of course, she wouldn't be interested in her. Satsuki practically grew up with a boy so she hasn't known the touch of another woman. She cursed herself again. Then she cursed her luck. If she wanted to get some, she could easily get it back in Iwa. All her Kunoichi friends back there were into it.
The woman laughed, collapsing on Satsuki's bed, breathing in her scent. "This is so stupid...Now I understand why the old woman back home hates blonds"
The silence of the hideout was broken by the sound of shattering glass.
"So this is the bitch's place huh?"
"Of course, you idiot." The man's friend scoffed. "Even if the directions the boss gave us is wrong we still have to burn the place down"
This man's name will now be known as Smartass.
The duller man of the duo huffed. "So you wanna loot this place or what?"
And this man will be called Dumbass.
"Why should we? Those two Kunoichi are poor as dirt." Smartass swung his sword and smashed some dusty urns. "Go make yourself useful and start the fire already."
Dumbass grunted. The dull bandit played with the pommel of his sword as he made his way through the hideout. But he stopped when something caught his eyes. On the floor laid that blond boy Haku brought to the mansion a while ago.
"Hey! Dude!" He called. "Look what I found?"
"Oh, what now?!" Smartass rushed in, ready to tell of Dumbass off but stopped when he saw what Dumbass was talking about. "It's that bastard that girl brought in." He grinned evilly, because how else would a bandit grin. No seriously, when have you ever read a bandit on this website that's not a one-dimensional tool? "Oh, this is going to be good."
"Is he dead?" Dumbass asked.
"He's going to be." Smartass stood over the unmoving blond with his sword raised. When he brought the steel tip down upon Naruto's throat, he unknowingly replayed the moment days ago when Haku first met the blond. Perhaps, if Naruto never met Haku, his skills would have stayed as rusty as it was during the beginning of his journey. Funny how things work out.
When the tip of the word came dangerously close to Naruto's throat, the blond's fist shot out and slammed against the weak metal. The flimsy sword snapped in half and using the shattered steel Naruto sliced the legs of Smartass asunder.
When Smartass fell onto the floor in agony, Dumbass had only managed to bring out his sword from its sheath. He looked scared because Naruto was nowhere in sight. Imagine his surprise when blood gushed out of his heels like crimson rivers.
Naruto, uncaring to the screaming men at his feet, clutched his head and groaned loudly. "Oh man . . . This's one hell of a hangover. Just what the hell happened?" He looked the bandits. "You guys have any idea?"
"Fuck you!"
"Thought so...Hmm?" Naruto stepped closer to the bed having noticed something on the bedside desk that wasn't there the night before. It was a mixing bowl. Within it, dried out herbs and odd smells. What was in the bowl was alien to him, but the small stinging of his nose receptors was all he need to know that it was not good. "...Damn it. I knew I shouldn't have trusted that girl." He sighed. "Playing butler for Hime for so long really did a number on me".
"Fuck you!" Screamed Smartass in an attempt to get more screen time before he bit the dust. "When Goto finds out what you did, she'll have your head!"
"Yeah! You and that Bitch of yours." Dumbass added, living up to his name.
"First of all, don't call Haku a bitch a thousand fucking times. It's so damn annoying. Bitch, bitch, bitch. That's all I hear from you! Is swearing the only character trait you have?!" He kicked the bandit in the gut so hard blood came out of his holes. All of his holes. "Second of all, WHERE THE FUCK IS THAT BITCH HOW POISONED ME!"
"Naruto..." Dumbass grabbed onto the blond's leg and groaned. "Don't say fuck too much. We need to keep the T rating."
"We're fucking past that point now douche bag!" Naruto grabbed Smartass by his neck and dragged him across the room to the window. Now hanging over a drop, and choking on his own breath, the bandit finally looked ready to pass out from fear. Naruto combed his hair back with his free hand. "Now, look at things from my point of view. I just came back from making satan my bitch and found out that I was drugged by a girl who could be Mr. Crabs incarnate. Honestly, I have no idea why I trusted her in the first place. I'll tell you now dude, they say 'don't trust crazy' but now I know not to trust cute either"
"..."
"...I did it again" Naruto let the man's body fall out of the window. Looking to the floor, he saw the breathing form of Dumbass. "Eh, lucky I got a spare." Dusting his hands of blood and grime, Naruto made his approach on the other fallen bandit. "So, you gonna talk or do you want to end up like your friend?"
"Please don't throw me out of the window!" The man begged through his broken teeth. "I don't want to die!"
"I'm not really going to..."
"Please don't kill me!"
"...I said-"
"PLEASE!"
"You know what, I'm tired of this." Naruto flexed his shoulders picked up the crying man by the leg. "I'll throw you out of the window if you don't shut the hell up!"
"PLEASEEEEEE"
The blond sighed. "Your choice. BANZAI!" The man screamed like an animal as he was thrown out the window. Naruto didn't have to wait long till he heard the thump of a body. Not long at all. Shouting over the windowsill Naruto screamed, "This is a single-story building you FUCKING MORON! Didn't you see it before you came in?!"
"...I forgot." Naruto vaulted out of the window and landed on the bandit's stomach earning him the musical song of crushing bone. Dumbass cried. Literally. Tears and all. "WHY?!"
"Why? Why what?" Naruto playfully joked. "Why are we here on this planet? Why even bother getting out of bed in the morning? Why in the world the did Author start to take the piss out of all of us after he transitioned away from Satsuki? Because it's midnight, he's hyped up on energy drinks and really should be working on his assignment due in two days but instead decided to procrastinate. That's why. Now shut up and let me think."
Ignoring the downed man, Naruto started to pace around to gather his thoughts. "So Haku drugged me," He began "but why did she do it? Did she want to kill me? But she said she needed me to kill Goto. Why would she help me with the mayor then?...There's something I'm missing. Haku led me to the mayor for a reason..." Naruto closed his eyes, concentrating on the concept map linking in his brain. "...Damn it. This is going to fast. Whatever Haku's planning, I need to play along. If I don't everything will go to shit."
Naruto glanced at Dumbass when an idea flashed by him. "What were you doing here anyway?"
"I'm not answering anything you monster!"
"Hmm," Naruto knelt down next to the fallen Smartass and held up his lifeless head by his hair. "I'm going to ask again, what were you doing here?"
Dumbass stuttered as he saw his dead comrade's face, which was frozen in a fearful state. "W-We were supposed to burn this place down! Goto's going to betray the bitc- I-I mean Kunoichi at the bridge. Goto has all her bandit waiting for them there. She's going to let the Kunoichi kill each other and kill what's left."
"That's a dumb move." He deadpanned. "This is A-rank Kunoichi we're talking about. Even if they're weakened, they can still cast Jutsus." Naruto sighed. "So what? Are You going to to the bridge after this to meet up with the rest of the bandits?"
"No," Dumbass groaned, "We were supposed to kill that bridge builder's daughter and grandson after this."
"Really now?" Naruto raised his eyebrow. "Did Goto send any more bandits to kill them?"
"I don't know! Maybe!"
"Good boy, you get to live," Naruto smiled and patted the man on his head.
"I-I do? You're not going to kill me?"
"Nope!" Naruto held up a familiar looking bowl. "How about some grub before I leave?"
"S-Sure!" The man gladly munched on the contents of the bowl. "Wow, this is...ACK!"
"Dumbass..." Naruto threw the bowl away as Dumbass jerked in an uncontrollable seizure. "So it was a neurotoxin huh? Haku was really trying to kill me. But how am I alive? ...oh yeah, that." Naruto stretched his muscles. He patted his pockets and checked that everything was in place. "Well, now that my plan is not going to happen, might as well play the hero."
Having no way to the wave was a nuance. But when he reached the shores of the mainland Naruto found a conveniently placed boat just waiting for him. This boat would have been an awfully implemented plot device if not for the fact that when Naruto was crossing the water he saw many of Goto's bandits climbing up the uncompleted end of the bridge, after having reached there via boats.
From where he was, Naruto was able to see some aspects of the battle above. An unnaturally small and thick mist covered a portion of the bridge. Within that mist, he saw sparks of metal on metal and the occasional roar of a Jutsu. Not far from the mist was a dome of ice. Haku. Unconsciously, Naruto's hand brushed his pocket which held the Jutsu scrolls Suiton gave to him.
He danced with the idea of easy it could be for him to burn the whole bridge down and be done with his mission. Everything was already going wrong for him anyway. He was sure that if he explained how there was nothing he could do to Satsuki, she wouldn't be mad.
He could imagine it now. He would explain it to Satsuki, how that sweet girl of Zabuza helped him. How that, if he could, he wouldn't mind being friends with Haku. He would explain how he saw a fascinating treasure trove of fun and quirkiness. He would also explain the euphoria of seeing that adorable face of hers scrunch up in horror as he tore her beloved master apart and that delightful sound of her gurgling shriek as he drove his thumbs into her eye pits.
Naruto recoiled away to the back of the boat when he realized the dark thoughts possessing his mind. He grabbed hold his head, trying to physically tear out the corruption in his mind.
"Get out of my head," Naruto whispered, "Get out of my head!" The still waves rippled slightly at Naruto's yell. The silence made apparent the loneliness Naruto felt as he fought his own mind. "Get out, get out, get OUT! You won't hurt Satsuki! I won't let you!"
As the painless throbbing started to die down, so too did Naruto's panic. When he opened his eyes, he gazed across the water with a conviction of iron.
"It's been a long time Naruto."
"I squashed you before," Naruto snapped back, "and I'll do it again."
"Don't be so mean, Naruto." A thunderous laugh sent shivers down Naruto's spine. The voice was harrowing, empty yet full with thick venom. With every utterance of that heavy, silky velvet voice a small fraction of his soul died. "Aren't you happy to see me? This is not how you're supposed to treat an old friend."
"You're not a friend." Naruto face twisted in regret. "You hurt her. I will never forgive you for that."
"How couldn't I? I saw an opportunity and I took it. You can't blame me for that." The bodyless voice drifted close to his ear. "You were so nieve back then. Oh, how I missed you, Naruto."
"Go away you monster!" He cursed back. "Or I swear I'll...!"
"Ahahaha" The voice laughed. "There you are! The old Naruto. That small child who wielded power like a toy, who trifles with a power he doesn't understand. How as it been, old friend? How many have you killed with your power?" Naruto didn't answer. He refused to satisfy the voice with an answer. "Ah, I was mistaken. The old Naruto never managed to shut up."
"You're right. I'm not that same kid as before. I'm different. I'm more powerful . . . Kyuubi," Naruto spoke that name with no small amount of disgust, "leave, now. I don't want to be your friend anymore. I'm your enemy. And if you hurt Satsuki, I swear, nothing in this world will stop me from destroying you."
The amused Kyuubi grunted. "Very well, vengeful slave of the Uchiha. Very well. But know this, you're getting weaker. For years I've been locked away in the deep recesses of your mind but now . . . now your concentration is slipping."
"The bargain that we made all those years ago still holds true." Roared a mighty declaration. "I see everything you see, I feel everything you feel. And when the time comes, when your mind finally gives into despair, I will take everything from you." Just as the last wisps of sound disappeared, the last word of the Kyuubi seemed to echo louder across the dead sea.
"Just like I took your dear master."
The boat touched down moments later with a silent boy at its stern.
"Wow...That sounded super angsty. Like the, I'm-just-going-through-puberty kind of angst." Naruto shivered. "If Satsuki was here, she would be laughing her ass off."
Naruto ran straight into the forest, determined to save the family of a man he had never met. Very little things were said about the bridge builder. The only thing villagers of the Wave would ever say about him was that he was a drunken idiot and that his bridge was a bad idea. Naruto had to agree.
Mostly because the bridge was made out of wood.
Due to his experience with 'negotiating' with competitors of Satsuki's growing company, of which there are no more, Naruto knew what good wood looked like. The country was poor so they couldn't afford good wood so they harvested them from the surrounding trees of the Wave. The wood they got was poor quality, none of them had been treated. Combined with the wet climate and the sheer size of the bridge, it was only a matter of time before it rots away.
After more running, Naruto soon made it to the center of town. There, he realized one glaring mistake he had made.
"...Where the hell is the bridge builders house?" Naruto cursed. He looked around for people who could help him. "Hey! Anybody? Can someone tell me where the bridge builder lives?!" No one looked up from their melancholy to help him. The villagers who did look up gave him a scared look. Naruto realized that his scruffy clothes revealed more of his scarred brawny body. Looking at his reflection in a nearby puddle of water, even he had to admit that he looked frightening.
Maybe it wasn't him. Sounds of battle echoed over the horizon. With each sharp crack of a Jutsu, the villagers would visibly flinch. If he didn't know better Naruto would have thought that the Wave was embroiled in a war.
"Naruto-san?"
Looking over his shoulder, Naruto saw Mary standing there. She looked absolutely terrified.
"Mary, you shouldn't be out here. It's not safe."
"Takashi is gone!" She blurted out. "He was taken by Goto's men in the middle of the night. They said that Goto wanted him to be with her to witness something that's going to happen this morning. Please, you have to help me find him!"
"I see." Naruto hummed calmly. He looked to the rising smoke coming from the bridge. "I heard from a little birdie that Goto is going to ambush the Kunoichi after the battle is over."
"She's going to ambush the Kunoichi?!" Mary gasped. "But that's suicide! All Goto has is bandits. They can't do anything to a Kunoichi, let alone someone like Zabuza."
"She's going to jump in after the battle is over. When everyone is weakened."
"But why would Goto want Takashi there? He's just an accountant."
"Who knows." He shrugged. "Either way, we have to get to the bridge to warn the Kunoichi. That's the only way to beat Goto's men."
Mary shook her head. "We can't. Goto has a lot of men guarding the entrance to the bridge. There's no way we can go that way." She paused. "We can either sneak around, or we can try to fight our way through. Those are the only two option."
"Only two options." Naruto chuckled. "If I had a yen for every time I heard that..."
"Why are you laughing? This is serious!"
"That's exactly why I'm laughing. Sometimes you just have to laugh at how serious the world is."
"I don't understand..."
"Think about it. When you read a story about how a hero 'has' to do this and they 'must' save these you find it ridiculous. I mean, Frodo doesn't have to throw a ring down a volcano miles away from his home. He could just not give a shit and go home. Gandalf would have probably sent the eagles to do it anyway."
"Uh, who's Frodo?"
"Don't ask. Anyway, the point is that there are always more than two options in life." Another distant explosion rang throughout the air. The villagers he could see on the street all shrank deeper in themselves. If they cowered even further, they threatened to cave in on themselves and created a black hole. Naruto blinked as an idea popped into his head. Naruto strolled past Mary and picked up a discarded pan.
"W-What are you doing Naruto-san?"
"Just watch." Naruto slammed the pan as hard as he could across the pavement. The sound rang louder than the war going on in the distance and gathered the attention of the villagers. "Listen here! People of the Wave! Your country was taken away by a tyrant! Goto killed your neighbors, she has bled each and every one of you dry, and she has destroyed your once thriving country!"
"Behind me, a battle is happening. A battle that is going to decide the fate of your country. Goto is going to betray the Kunoichi she had hired to oppress you. This is a golden opportunity for you. You have two decisions! Fight or live your lives like this for the rest of your life. You can either die standing or live on your knees!"
Naruto blinked at the words that came out of his voice. "That sounded so cheesy. Kinda like the speech of a democratic senator. All talk, no do."
"Naruto-san." Mary sadly put her hands on his shoulders. "They're not going to help us. They're starving, they lost everything that has any value. They don't have any will to fight. At least not anymore."
The well-thought-out speech packed to the brim with emotional words failed to rouse the passion of the wave like Naruto had hoped and the author hoped that his extreme sarcasm could be picked up by the reader. The depression of the villagers could not be broken as they continue to ignore Naruto for wallowing in their own sorrow. Naruto found the scene extremely pathetic. It was as if the world was created by someone with an extremely pessimistic view of human nature.
Guilty as charged.
"...Well," Naruto sighed heavily, "if being a democrat doesn't get these guys to fight, might as well go full Donald Trump and turn them into mindless gun toting idiots." A pause. "What the hell is a gun anyway?"
The political commentary is both obvious and cringeworthy.
And I'm really sorry for that.
"Alright, you bastards have it your way!" He screamed, slamming his pan down. "Listen up you sorry sons of bitches! You are all pathetic! You think you lives are sad because some rich bitch sent some bullies to smack you around? You let your friends die for nothing while you drown in your own shit and tears! Never have I ever seen such a worthless bunch as you lot!"
Mary cringed at the harsh words. "Uh, I don't think that's going to work Naruto-san."
Naruto gave her a sly look. The villagers had heard what Naruto had said and they were none too pleased. His second speech did what his first one could not. It didn't take very long for livid villagers to gather around the boy who had mocked them. They shouted in protest and threw excuses. While Mary looked absolutely horrified at the wrath of the villagers, Naruto was oddly satisfied.
"Shut the hell up!" They yelled.
"You don't know our pain!"
"They took everything from me!"
"Marry me!"
The blond turned to Mary and gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for this." He whispered.
"What are you doing?!" Mary whispered back. "You're going to get us killed!"
"You know what?" Naruto pondered loudly enough for everyone to hear. "I shouldn't talk shit about you guys. It's not fair to you." The villagers calmed down enough to listen to him. "You know who is to blame for all this shit? It's that fucking dip shit of a mayor! It's all Takashi's fault!"
Everyone was taken aback by Naruto's proclamation but then they erupted in a roar of agreement.
Naruto looked proud of what he did but was taken back by Mary grabbing his clothes.
"What the hell are you doing Naruto-san!" She panicked. "I thought you understood me when I said Takashi was a good man!"
"This has to be done, Mary." He said adamantly as iron before turning his back on her. "That's right! That bastard is the cause of all of this! He sold you out! He's the one to backstabbed the militia! And while all of you were starving, he locked himself in his tower, feasting on fresh meat and fine wine!"
"That's right! That bastard betrayed us!"
"It's his fault!"
"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch!"
"We should kill that bitch of his as well!"
"No!" Naruto shielded Mary from the mob. "It's that asshole's fault! Killing her won't change anything until that bastard is dead!" He pointed in the direction of the bridge. "Takashi is on the bridge right now! Right next to Goto and her men! Between us and him is an army of bandits!"
"But for every bandit, there is ten of us!" Someone shouted.
"We can do this!"
"I have some old butcher knives stashed down near the docks!"
"I'll go get my pitchfork!"
"Can someone punish me too~~~?!"
"Shut the fuck up Steve!"
"AHHHH~~~~~"
"What are you doing?!" Mary shouted at Naruto. "I wanted you to save Takashi not kill him!"
"I'm really sorry, Mary," Naruto said. "But this is for the greater good, Mary. Takashi betrayed this, village and he must pay for it."
"But he doesn't have to die! He should be given a fair trial!"Mary protested.
"Yes, he does." He agreed. "This world is not 'fair' Mary. This world is one where people die."
"Then what about these men. Goto's thugs have weapons! If they fight they will die! It will be a slaughter!"
Naruto looked offended at the thought of the death he might have just caused. He defended his actions by saying, "They'll die for their country. You can't take that away from them."
"No, not for their country. They'll die for you." Mary scowled at him. "Do the deaths of these men, who'd follow you into battle, mean so little to you? Are you that mad?!"
Naruto glared back at her. "Do the deaths of these men, who you helped betray, mean so much to you? Are you that weak?"
Naruto turned his eyes away from the woman. His cool gaze relished with the sight of the men, woman and children alike frothing with rage. They all buzzed around the town like bees, grabbing anything not bolted to the ground to use as weapons. Naruto felt mighty as the villagers descended back into their primal state. Like animals fighting over planks of wood and rods of steel as if they were scraps of meat.
His shoulders slumped a bit. What did he just do? Was sending people to their deaths by playing on their anger the right thing to do? Of course, it was. Violence was normal in this world of Jutsus and Kunoichi. Before tucking in their children Mothers would teach their children deception, not tolerance. Fathers would aim axes at necks not trees.
It was normal.
It was right.
Mary stepped back away from the carnage. Her loyalty to the mayor she looked up to all those years ago was already wavering. When she saw the blond maniac enrage the villagers, she realized that she no longer had a home to go to. The Wave she knew was dead to her; as dead as she was to it.
"Hey, where is that bitch going?!"
"She's going to warn Goto! Stop her!"
Naruto was shocked to see Mary running straight towards the bridge. At that moment, all reservation Naruto might have held was quashed. There was no time to change what he had done.
Naruto barked at the villagers. "I'll deal with the secretary! You just get your hands on whatever weapons you can get!" Naruto dashed after Mary without hearing the salute of the villagers. Mary, after years behind a desk, was easy to catch up to. "Stop! Mary!" Naruto shouted, grabbing onto her clothing.
"Get away from me!" Mary ripped her well-tailored dress and kept on running. "I have to warn Takashi before it's too late!"
"Get a grip woman! He's not worth it!"
"But I love him!"
"You idiot! Love is the worst fucking reason to ANYTHING! What you're doing now makes no damn sense!"
When they both rounded the corner, Naruto saw the guarded bridge in the distance. The scoundrels had dug out a flimsy trench and piled sandbags to entrench their position. He cursed himself. He couldn't risk tackling Mary down or the bandits guarding the bridge might catch on to him. The bandits noticed Mary and Naruto long before they reached them. They climbed out of their encampment and caught the hysterical girl before she could go any further.
"Whoa whoa whoa." One of the men said as he grabbed Mary. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"
"Let me go!" She struggled."I need to get to Takashi!"
Naruto slowed down next to the bandits who began to surround the woman. "I'm so sorry guys but she had a rough night."
The bandits looked at the small yet scarred decorated boy. To them, the blond teen looked like some try hard bandit with all of his scars and tattered clothing. "Hmm? Who the hell are you?"
"Get him away from me!" Mary shouted over them. "He's a spy! Get him!"
Naruto started to sweat when the bandits took out their weapons at the sound of the word 'spy' and the prospect of some entertainment.
Naruto sighed. "...Damn it."
"Hey, I think I remember you." One of the men spoke up. "You're that kid the boss hired a while ago. Chill guys, he's one of us."
"Are you sure that's him?"
"Yea, I saw him walking through the boss's place." The man looked at Naruto oddly. "Say, why were you in the village anyway? The boss told us to close the bridge."
Naruto smiled sheepishly. "I was...uh...scouting the village just in case something was happening."
"Uh...ha" All the surrounding bandits looked at Mary, who was still struggling profoundly, and her ripped clothes. They all looked slyly at Naruto. "Yea, sure. Whatever."
Naruto paused at their assumption and immediately felt disgusted. He swallowed that feeling pretty fast, though. He learned a long time ago that the world wasn't pretty.
Naruto ears picked up a shout over the sound of battle coming from the bridge. It started out small, hardly noticeable, but the sound was growing. The laughing and joyous men around him were quickly silenced. They all stared over Naruto's shoulder for a moment, not moving. Naruto too had to take a moment to realize what was happening and when that realization hit him, his eyes widened.
"Shit, Mary! Get down!" Naruto dove over the bandits grabbed Mary by her hand and ran to cover over the sandbags as the place where he once stood erupted into flames. He instinctively covered Mary from the flaming bottles full of flaming liquid which consumed many of the bandits around him.
"Charge!" Naruto heard from the raging mob of villagers.
"Damn it all! Get up Mary!" He shouted, dragging her along without listening to her protest.
Naruto held a tight grip on Mary's hand as he climbed out of the small trench. The bandits who were stationed closer to the bridge saw the mob and charged to meet them. The blond butler hand to guild Mary through a charging onslaught of men rushing around them like bulls. Without warning, villagers came flying from the skies as they jumped off rooftops and into the fray.
Naruto reached out with his spare hand and wrenched a blade out of a dead man's chest. He blocked and stabbed his way through the bloody battle. He killed both bandit and villagers indiscriminately. The flimsy sword he had held strong against his foes, even snapping weapons far superior to his. From behind, Mary saw Naruto strike with savagery and battle lust even with his single hand. All his strikes tore through the necks and guts without fail.
When the blood splatters stopped flying, Naruto was surprised. He had fought his way through a small army before he even knew it. His legs still carried him on, still running straight onto the bridge.
Naruto's arm was tired, his ears rung and vision became blurred. And still, he kept running. At least he thought he was.
A sharp pain surged through his brain and through his body. The world grew colorless and his body moved on its own. His vision cleared to reveal Haku, defending her master for what would be her last time. An arm encased in pure lightning-edged closer to her chest. Naruto's heart lurched. Then he remembered.
He remembered that night in his shed. Those strange images. They were visions, he finally realized. What was the vision about? It was about this moment, about Haku's death. He wanted to save her because he cared for her.
No!
She tried to kill him. She poisoned him. It was not a mistake! He wanted to kill her. To watch her suffer a life of torment. To snap her neck and watch her die. But he liked her. She was kind and beautiful. She's oddly cute too.
Naruto's brain screamed bloody tears like he had hit a wall of reality. The universe was forcing Naruto to care, forcing him to watch Haku die. This was how things were meant to go. It was a constant in the universe that must not be changed. Never has there been a time where Naruto did not care for Haku. And he knew it.
He fought against it. The universe had no control over who he could not hate. He pushed himself further towards Haku, breaking through a bulwark of logic and mathematics with the power of his deep, ever ending rage.
Haku will not die today. She will not end up like the Hakus of other worlds. She will not die for the millionth god damn time!
The invisible pressure vanished, along with all noise. In Naruto's hand was a fist smaller than his. He flashed his cheeky grin at the shocked woman in front of him. He panted. "Sorry, Kakashi Onee-san... But I can't let you do that." The masked woman gasped.
The masked woman gasped. Naruto smacked her across the head before she could talk and she fell, too tired to keep on going.
"N-Naruto!" Haku screamed. She shuttered in fear when Naruto laid an eye on her. "B-B-But you were...!"
Naruto chuckled lightly. It grew into a laugh then into an insane cackle that sent shivers down the spines of everyone present.
"I did it! I finally understand!" He shouted for all to hear. "I defied the universe itself! Everything up to this point has been a lie! Every achievement, every enemy killed was already decided before I was even born! But no more! Time may be set in stone but I hold the pickaxe!" He pointed into Haku's face. "You don't get to die here you bitch! If anyone deserves to kill you it's me! ME! AHAHAAHAHAHAAHAH!"
"W-Wha?" Zabuza coughed out blood and fell to the floor as the Kakashi's summons disappeared. "You're...that Jinchiriki..."
"Zabuza-sama!" Haku rushed to her master's aid. She took out her med kit and tried in vain to patch her up. "Hang on Zabuza-sama. Just hang on!"
Zabuza was fated to die this day. Naruto could tell. Even when his new found clairvoyance, he couldn't do anything to help her.
He looked over the bridge now that the mist was starting to clear. The first thing he saw was bloody. Really bloody. A girl riddled with ice needles lay in a pool of her own blood and that of an equally dead bridge builder. He might not know the exact place pressure points are but he would bet that was what Haku was aiming at. A shame Haku didn't think about what would happen if one were to fall down.
Crying right next to the dead Kunoichi, was that pink haired girl he ran into the day before. Sakura, if he remembered right. He actually felt sorry for her. From what he had seen of her, she was woefully unprepared for the life of a glorified mercenary.
He walked up to Sakura and rubbed her back. "Let it all out."
She looked at him, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, nothing." He whistled innocently. Naruto grabbed Sakura roughly and stood her up. She protested little when Naruto once again brought her into a hug.
"Don't...I don't need you to-"
"Oh shut up." Naruto interrupted. "We both now you need this."
She didn't say anything. Sakura just stood there, enveloped by the body heat of a what she felt was a gentle soul. To her credit, she didn't cry this time. She might not have had any tears to cry but that was beside the point.
"Look, this might be hard to realize but I understand your pain. Life is not fair. Good people die for no reason while bad people seem to get on just fine. There is no justice in this world, Sakura. And I won't blame you if you want to just end it all." She looked horrified at what Naruto was hinting at.
"I'm not going to kill myself." She defied. "I have too much to live for."
"Oh? Did you think about what I said before? Have you found a goal to live?"
"No...But something tells me I might be getting one soon."
"...So is that a yes?"
She giggled and didn't answer. Instead, she buried her head deeper into his chest.
"You're weird you know that? You just came out of nowhere to comfort me."
"Tell me about it" He rolled his eyes. "Honestly, the way I'm acting in this chapter is confusing as hell. It makes me look bipolar. Hopefully, it'll be better next time."
"...I literally have no idea what you just said."
"Takashi!"
Naruto sighed heavily. He drew away from the hug and looked apologetic to Sakura. "Sorry. I have to deal with this."
Sakura was bewildered when Naruto walked up to a bloody woman who looked like she went through a war, even more so when the woman frantically backed away from the kind blond. Seeing her sensei on the ground she immediately went to tend to her, working to ignore her teammate. To this end, Sakura exchanged little glances with the girl who killed her teammate.
"Takashi!" Mary cried. "Where are you?!"
"God damn it!" Naruto tore at his own hair and cursed. "Just shut up woman! I'm getting sick and tired of your obsession!"
"Look what we have here." Naruto cursed when he heard a painfully slow clap from the dissipating mist. Goto stood there, secured by a large number of equally arrogant scoundrels. The author really didn't want to explain the scene because this scene has been rehashed over and over and over again. The short stocky woman smirked. "I knew you were a spy. That was why I sent you to Zabuza. I wanted her to kill you."
Naruto deadpanned. "Righhhhhht. You wanna tell us the rest of your diabolical plan, Mrs. Saturday-morning-villian?"
"So cheeky." Goto snarled. "Don't you agree, Takashi?"
"Takashi?!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP WOMAN!"
"Ah ha ah ha!" Came a painfully symmetric laugh. Takashi emerged from the crowd, still dressed in a suit that contrasted that jagged blade he held. "Draw, O coward!"
"Oh, mother of..." Naruto rolled his eyes. "You know what? Fuck you, Takashi! Fuck you and fuck your Palindromes!"
"God! Red, nude, yo' ma's a samoyed underdog!"
"Kiss my ass!"
"Go fuck yourself! Flesruoy kcu fog!"
"That doesn't count you bloody idiot!"
"Takashi!" Mary shouted once again. "Please! You were once a good man. You cared for the Wave. You made sure that everyone in this country was fed and happy. The Takashi I knew did it for the greater good! Look at you now! You took money from a corrupt woman, and ruined this country! Please, you can still do good!"
"Do good?" Takashi's fists trembled. Every cell of his being accumulated as much brain power to create the greatest palindrome ever to have existed in all of time. "I? No! Evil anon I deliver. I maim nine more hero-men in Saginaw, sanitary sword a-tuck, Carol, I — lo! — rack, cut a drowsy rat in Aswan. I gas nine more hero-men in Miami. Reviled, I (Nona) live on. I do, O God!"
Someone must've broken a blood vessel writing this.
"As much as I love this comedy duo of yours," Goto raised her hand and all the bandits raised their weapons...at Takashi. "You, walk."
"Takashi!"
"Is this all this girl says?!"
Takashi looked as if he wanted to scream, but something stopped him from doing so. Probably because 'ahh' isn't a palindrome. He dropped his sword and scrambled away from Goto's crowd. Seeing one of the bandits load his crossbow, Mary ran towards the one she loved... Oh god, that sentence was painful to write. The bolt ran through Takashi's body with a dull thunk and his body went down with it. Mary cried out loud as she went to cradle her mayor close to her.
"Hahahaha. Did you see that? He went down like a rock." Goto gloated, her men laughing along with her.
"You know, you really shouldn't be laughing like that," Naruto said, "It really makes you look like an ass."
"You." Goto growled, "You thought you can fool me? I knew you were a spy from the very beginning!"
"Hard to fool huh? Yea right." Naruto grinned. "You won't be laughing when you check your bank account."
"You're talking about that traitor Takashi? Don't make me laugh, you're not the first person to go after my fortune. I had Takashi watched all night and he didn't do anything."
Goto wavered when Naruto's smug smile did fail. "Oh? Didn't you get the news? You see, Takashi wasn't the one handling your books. It was Mary who did all the work!"
"What?" Goto screamed. She turned to Mary and yelled, "Is this true?!"
Mary looked up from Takashi and glared a thousand daggers. "Your money is gone you thieving bitch."
"Oh that's it~" Naruto hummed as he wrote something in a notebook he got out of nowhere. "Satsuki is going to enjoy listening to the description of your face right now."
Goto's face roared with anger at the utterance of that name. "Satsuki?! That ignorant Uchiha?" Goto started gaping as the dominos started falling into place. "Wait...It's you! You're the one everyone is talking about! The Uchiha's secret weapon."
"I never really liked that title," Naruto said sheepishly.
Goto smirked. "To think her secret weapon would be a simple slave. As expected of that stupid little girl."
"Slave? No, not a slave. I am much more than a slave!" Naruto laughed. "I am the butler to the richest woman in the world. I am one that strikes fear into her enemies. I am the master of an ancient art long thought dead. But most importantly, I am Naruto Uzumaki! I am your death!"
"Oh really? We'll see about that. Everyone charge!"
Only Naruto stood against the mob of thugs and goons. In the face of certain death, he stood unbroken. His unshakeable morale would be put to the test when he grasped his pocket for his secret weapon. Empty. The scrolls Suiton had crafted for him was nowhere on his person.
"Hey, Jinchuriki!" Zabuza stood behind Naruto, her thin frame towering over him like a scarecrow. Her torso bled waterfalls and her arms hung limp. Still, she remained as hard as iron. "Don't keep me out of this."
"Zabuza? Aren't you supposed to be laying in a pool of your own blood?"
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." She laughed, madness not even hidden. "If I'm going to die, I will have a good death."
"If you wish to die, let me be of use to you for one last time, Zabuza-sama." Haku stood beside Naruto and Zabuza armed with her half empty belt of needles. Tears had left its mark on her pale face but she stood firm. "And Naruto... I'm sorry about this morning."
"Oh, that. I almost forgot about that." He turned away from the Kunoichi in favor of the oncoming stampede. "If we survive after this, your ass is mine Haku."
"You think you can survive this, boy?" Zabuza grinned. "You're either stupid, or you might actually know something."
"You can bet on it."
"Pay attention you two!" Haku scolded. "We have incoming."
Haku jumped away to avoid the full force of the charge. Naruto and Zabuza found common ground with each other and they charged forward with equal force. Hard earn muscles were torn to shreds with the combined forces of needles, chakra enhanced blows and Naruto's terrifying ability to rend men asunder.
Now that he was closer, Naruto rather liked the bridge construction. It was rather blocky and made with simple girders, rivets, and wood but it had its good points. For example, there was this small detail he noticed on one of the steel pillars. Etched along the side of it were a bunch of names. He didn't know what the names mean. It could be the names of the builders or the dead militia but it added a nice historical value.
And the wood. Oh man, the wood.
He bashed the quality of the wood before but it sure looked fabulous up close. The wood was poor for certain but had its merits with its decorative, neat looking texture. He couldn't blame the bridge builders for thinking this wood was good because it looked like some of the best wood he had ever seen. He would have to talk to Satsuki about getting some of this wood. It would make a killing from rich people.
Naruto recoiled from his thoughts when the rich brown was ruined by red. He felt disappointed. Tucking his thoughts away for another time, he went to do his job.
"Sakura." The masked woman groaned. "What happened."
"Kakashi-sensei, you're alive" Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sakura...All I remember is..." Kakashi clutched her head. A daunting thought came to mind. She looked to her side to where her student was making battle with the fake hunter-nin but Sakura was in her way. The way Sakura looked at her, that sad look restrained only by a sense of duty and the need to carry on, confirmed Kakashi's worst fears. Again. "Damn it. Not again..."
"Come on, Kakashi-sensei. We have to get out of here." Sakura looked to the faint mop of blond hair amongst the battle. "He's got us covered."
Kakashi saw who Sakura was talking about. Her eyes lingered on that boy for too long before she found the strength to get up with the help of her only surviving student. She leaned on Sakura for support even though her body was by now numb from the battle fatigue. With her only free hand, she clutched two scrolls she managed to get her hands on before she blacked out.
"Naruto..." Kakashi muttered, her grip on the scrolls tightening. "You finally came home..."
'So that's his name.' Sakura thought, only bearly heard what her sensei said. 'Naruto.'
Sakura watched this bloodbath over her shoulders as she carried her sensei. She was engrossed in it. She was overcome with a sense of insignificance when she realized what laid at the end of her career. It made her feel small. Over the course of a week, she had been beaten, witnessed death, trained harder than ever before. Even so, that strange blond boy that carved men like lamb shanks entranced her.
The way he stood, the way he walked, the way he killed.
Sakura had found her purpose in life. And that purpose laid at the end of a very, very bloody path.
Goto was dead. Her neck now decorated at the end of a pike and held high like a flag. Zabuza held the decorated spear up high in triumph, as the last laugh before death took her. Haku knelt before her fallen master, an effigy to an old age past.
Naruto looked at Zabuza with wonder. Never had he seen someone die on their feet. It looked glorious to him. He turned to the sound of groaning. It was Takashi and Mary. Blood was everywhere, none of which came from the equally dead bandit horde. When he approached them, Mary gave him a dirty look.
"Go away," she spat. "Traitor. This is your fault."
"I can't be a traitor to someone I was never loyal to." He stated. He felt it was a formality to witness Takashi's death, the same way a handyman would stare at his old tools before throwing them away. Naruto burned the image of Takashi's face into his memory before he turned to leave.
Naruto burned the image of Takashi's face into his memory before he turned to leave. But with the last of his strength, Takashi grabbed hold of Naruto's foot.
"Do, O God, no evil deed! Live on! Do good!" Takashi violently forced out, along with a good amount of blood.
Naruto smiled grimly. "Yea...Will do Takashi."
He lied.
"She died standing," Haku said, "just the way she wanted it."
From behind, Naruto wiped his fists of blood and grime with his now tattered clothing. "She did." He agreed. Naruto eyed Haku carefully. She just knelt there, staring up at her master. She must be feeling many things. Shock, uncertainty, fear of what's going to happen. He could imagine how it felt. He knew how it felt. "We're not so different, you and I."
Haku stayed silent.
"You admired Zabuza," Naruto began. "I once had someone like that. My sensei taught me and someone close to me. She taught me about the world and gave me a passion I would never have gotten." He looked to Zabuza and smiled at her blaze of glory. "Like Zabuza, my sensei is dead. I was lost, just like you are now. I was angry as well. Don't be. You should be happy with the way she died. It was a good death."
"I'm sorry," Haku said as soon as he finished speaking. "I poisoned you...and..." Her voice hesitated. She clutched her chest, imagining the hole that should be in it if Naruto didn't get to the bridge in time. She owed her life to him and she just tried to kill him. "Zabuza discovered you're a Jinchuriki and had me poison you. She wanted to sell you off."
Naruto clicked his teeth. "Thought as much. How did she know I was a Jinchuriki?"
"You have a bounty. Wanted by everywhere from Konoha to Iwagakure. Blond, whisker marks, male, is a Jinchuriki. Capture alive. Doesn't say who issued it in the first place."
"I could guess who that is." He sighed. He sat down next to Haku, admiring the demon of the mist.
"How did you do that?" The pale girl asked. "How did you kill so many people?"
"It was a little something I picked up from my time exploring ruins. It's more of a mindset than a martial art."
"...I think I heard you talk about it just before the fight. You said you're the master of a long forgotten art."
"I did, didn't I?" Naruto laughed. "I call it called shatter point. Some ancient tribe believed that even the smallest action can cause ripples across the world. Legends say that a being appeared to them and rewarded them with the power to see points within the world. It gave them the power to shatter trees with a touch, cause revolts by saying the right words, and even see through time."
"Was that what you meant when you said you conquered time? After you saved me?"
"Yip." He smiled. "At least, that's what I think what happened. It only happened because I drank some weird concoction made by a snake."
Haku giggled half-heartedly. "To think you would have a power like that."
"It's not a power, it's a mindset."
She gave him a look. "I saw you literally make people's mind explode by smacking them across the head."
A pause.
"I didn't have Mary transfer you the money, Naruto." She confessed.
"Can't say I'm surprised," Naruto admitted. "If I had a few more days, I wouldn't have come to you for help."
She pouted mockingly. "Really? I'm insulted"
"It's not my fault. You are among the most dangerous people in the world. You are a woman who believes that can change the world. And there is nothing more dangerous than a hero."
"Who taught you that? Your sensei?"
"No. I got it from a certain girl I know. She's very cynical about the world." He chuckled. "Tell me, what makes your idea to 'save the world' any different?"
"I believe money could have the world. Money can solve anything...I don't think it's different. I don't think it's even right. But I believe it will do something. That is why I gave the money to Tsunami, the bridge builder's daughter. I met her a few days after Zabuza and I first came here. She knew her stuff. She knew how to deal with money. I thought that if anyone could save the Wave, Tsunami could."
"Oh...I knew I forgot something." He groaned. "Sorry Haku, but they're dead. Goto sent bandits to kill them. I would have saved them, but I didn't know where they lived. That, and I was going to save you..."
"...So it was all for nothing." She said bitterly. "Why do I even bother?"
Naruto stood up and held out his hand. "Come with me, Haku. I will give you a reason to live."
"Can you?" Naruto didn't answer. He silent stood and waited for Haku's answer for this was her decision. And she had made it. Standing up she went up and tore the spear Zabuza was holding away. She took of Goto's head with her feet and held it up to Naruto. "This spear is mine."
The spear was damaged, Naruto noted. He didn't argue, though.
Haku created a bridge of ice to connect the mainland with the bridge so they could cross. When they looked to the Wave, black smoke rose high. Though the morning mist had gone, it was replaced with the red mist of blood and fire. Three days ago, Naruto arrived at a poor neglected country. He left that same country in flames, destined to fall into the very ruins he loved to explore in the past.
"We'll have to stop by the nearest town. I need to get my equipment." Naruto said.
"Sure."
"Say, what's Mary's full name?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Cause I have a sudden need to cram in some dark humor to end this scene."
"Her name is Mary Sue."
Naruto stopped dead in his track. "...Wait. Life of wealth only for it to be taken down by a rich asshole, death of a loved one and basically everyone in the village..." He shrugged. "Ehh, I'm sure things will work out just fine."
"...I have a feeling that this whole story arc leads up to that joke. And the delivery was shit."
"Yes, it was Haku. Yes, it was."
Naruto's eyes opened when the night was at its darkest. He got up and moved around the camp as swiftly as a ghost. He left the camp, leaving Haku to sleep alone. Naruto didn't move very far from the camp, only going so far to reach the hollow trunk of an ancient tree.
To anyone not in touch with the power of Senjutsu, the old tree looked dead; its leaves have already fallen and its trunk now victim to fungal and parasital life forms. But to Naruto, the tree was as alive as it was in its prime. Naruto found it particularly ironic how people such as that blasted snake cling onto life. They believe death is a bad thing when in fact life is the one that corrupts the world with its insufferable chakra.
Humans, Kunoichi, in particular, were but poor victims of life.
"You," Naruto spoke to the darkness, "I know it was you. You were the one that saved me when Haku poisoned me... That was the first time you acted on your own before...and you saved me." Naruto's eyes started to change into colors that should not exist in the natural world. "I took...No. You gave me my powers without so much of a word. Every time I summon you, you refuse to take my soul. You've done all this stuff for me and now I need to know why."
Why?
That word appeared in Naruto's mind but even then, it was not a word. The invisible being Naruto was speaking to communicated through the mind rather than voice, through concepts rather than words.
The milky white translucent being rose out from the trunk of the tree, clicking its throat in a neverending death rattle. The being sat there in the tree, its throne of rot and maggots. The world silenced itself at the being's presence. Though ghastly looking, and smelled of vinegar and pure alcohol, it felt neither good nor evil. It felt whole.
Naruto glared coolly at it, ignoring the burning white light the seal in his stomach made.
"What are you planning for me?"