Just got back from vacation…
Also, a quick question. Is anyone getting alerts for their stories on thie Emails? I can't get anything...
Here's Chapter 4
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Chapter 4: Mission to Wave
"..And now, I present to you the man considered to be the best fighter here, Uzumaki Naruto!" The cried out loud, to the disgust of the crowd.
Minute after minute, day after day, week after week. Years followed by years. That was how long he had been fighting, ever since he had been born. It was his life, and it was how he lived it.
The crowd hated him. All of them had lost money to his owner, and everyone hated him for it. In a way, he was to blame. He let himself be controlled, when he could have easily broken through it. Maybe it was the destiny the chains of fate had tied him to. Perhaps he was always destined to fight.
He walked onto the playing field, the crowds throwing all sorts of things at him. A rock came flying at him, but he caught it in his hand. Using the Oshigan, he hardened the rock and held it in his fist. He would be able to use it later.
He looked over to his opponents, all of whom looked ready to kill. They would not be able to however. Their eyes were not like his.
"Hajime!"
All three came rushing at him, twirling their weapons in the air. He just stood, waiting for them to come to him. The first one reached him, and swung the katana he held in his hands toward him. He just side stepped, and brought the side of his right hand down on the back of his neck. He tumbled forward, dead when he broke his neck.
The next one came, this one holding a knife. He held it in front of him, swaying it threateningly in front of him. He suddenly shot forward, stabbing the air in front of him. This time, he had simply stepped back, deducing that he would under aim. His assumption was correct, and the man with the knife had paid for his mistake. He got hold of the back of the man's head with his palms, and jumped. He brought his knee cap into the bottom of his neck, using the momentum and force to push upward.
It was a powerful blow, and knocked the man's neck back enough to break the bones. He fell to the ground dead, he himself landing on the floor soon afterwards.
The last remaining man, holding a chain whip, gulped. He had seen this boy, probably not even five, take down two armed fully grown men without effort. He hardened his eyes, and faced the boy.
He looked straight into his eyes, and could not help but gasp. They were cold, and seemed very out of place on him. They were narrowed, as if he was always watching and always holding something in. They were the eyes of a man who had forced to kill, and had to learn how to do so well. They were the eyes of a killer.
Out of nowhere, the boy turned his head to the side, and walked away.
"Boy, what the hell do you think you're doing!" Screamed his owner from the stands. The boy was at the stairs to go off the arena, and the only other living combatant was staring at him dumbfounded. If he left, he would win.
Suddenly, the boy's left hand shot out, pointing straight at the man. From it came a normal looking rock. It impacted against the man with the whip, and embedded itself deep into his chest. He fell forward, bleeding and dead.
"…we have a couple of D-ranked missions here, and some even better D-ranked missions…" Iruka said. The scarred man had recovered well after the incident with Mizuki. Now he was working in the Hokage's Mission Office, assigning missions to Genin and Chunin teams. The Jonin's were personally given missions by the Hokage.
After the day Naruto had explained his Kekkei Genkai, they had started doing their D-Ranked Missions every Genin team was required to do. They all had to meet a quota, and theirs had been finished a long time ago. Their "missions" were menial tasks that ranged from walking some dogs, to helping an old lady with her laundry. During these missions, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura tried to get more information on his Kekkei Genkai, but Naruto did his tasks without talking.
For all of these tasks, only Kakashi noticed something strange. Naruto seemed to be able to do these tasks extremely easy, while Sakura and Sasuke were having a hard time. He did the dishes or helped with the laundry better than they, and seemed less reluctant to do so. The boy was a mystery, that was for certain.
"Excuse me, Iruka-sensei." Naruto spoke suddenly, looking up from the mission sheet. He had been looking over the missions currently available, looking to see if one was high paying. "Are there any other missions we can do?"
Iruka was a little taken aback. He had never heard the boy talk, yet he had done so easily in his presence. "Naruto-san, you don't have to add sensei to my name anymore. I'm not your teacher anymore." He smiled at the boy, who was still looking at the missions.
"Naruto-kun, you can't just ask for more missions. Those D-Ranked ones are the only ones we are capable of doing." Sakura chided, moving her finger to her words. Sometimes, she still treated him like a little kid.
"She's right, dobe." Sasuke said. To be honest, he was getting a little tired of the repetitive D-Ranks also.
The Hokage chuckled form where he sat, watching the Team 7. Kakashi appeared to be reading his Icha Icha Paradise book, but his visible eye was watching Naruto curiously. This was the first time he had spoken for two months. Even during basic training with Team 7 he didn't talk. Sasuke and Sakura were looking at Naruto, who was still shuffling through the catalog for missions.
"You need more money for them, don't you Naruto-kun?" the Hokage chuckled. That explained it.
"Hai, Hokage-sama." Naruto said, laying the book down and looking at the Hokage, "They're taking up a little more money than I have right now. I need a higher paid mission. If my teammates cannot handle it," He looked at Sakura and Sasuke, "Then I request that I be able to go alone."
"Naruto, you can't just go making requests to the Hokage for that. Besides, you can't possibly handle a mission more than D-Ranked by yourself." Iruka said. He had been unconscious when he had killed Mizuki, so he doubted his skills a little. "And missions are supposed to be taken as a team. You can't just go alone."
"I understand," Naruto said, bowing his head to the Hokage and his teammates in an apologetic gesture.
The Hokage just chuckled more and said, "We happen to have a C-Ranked mission here. If you and your teammates can agree to it, then you can have it."
"But, Hokage-sama…" Iruka began.
"We'll take it," Kakashi said immediately, putting down his book and looking at the Hokage. He was interested in seeing Naruto's skills.
"Kakashi-san…" Iruka began, but was cut off again, this time by Sasuke.
"Hn. We can handle it." Sasuke said, his arms crossed.
Sakura, seeing her crush say this spoke, "Yeah! We can do it!"
"Then it's settled," The Hokage said, clapping his hands and laughing. "Iruka, please bring Tazuna-san out here." Iruka just nodded and grumbled a quick "Hai," before walking out the door.
Team 7 stood there, waiting in silence for the one the Hokage called Tazuna.
"Naruto," The Hokage said, breaking the silence and looking at the silent member of Team 7, "Why don't you ever come to visit us anymore?"
"I've been busy, Hokage-sama." Naruto replied to the Hokage.
"They're getting harder to handle?" He asked Naruto.
"Hai. They keep asking for things we don't have."
Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi were at a loss at the Hokage and Naruto's conversation. It didn't make sense at all.
The Hokage laughed, and quickly wiped a tear from his eye. He was sad for him, having to do all that by himself. "You know if you ever need any help…" He said, looking at Naruto.
"You shouldn't ask that, Hokage-sama. You know you can't. Besides, one day, we'll all have to stand on our own." He said wisely, somehow sounding natural to the thirteen year old boy.
The Hokage sighed. He knew he would not be able to help them. After all, if the Council found out…
The door opened, and out stepped Iruka and a man wearing glasses and holding a bottle of Sake.
"So, these are the punks who are going to protect me?" The man laughed. They assumed him to be drunk, and their future client. "They all look rich and snobbish." He laughed drunkenly, his eyes sweeping over them. He sobered up immediately when his eyes saw Naruto, whose clothes were still ripped, torn, and dirty. He muttered out a quick apology to him, and turned to face the Hokage.
"Yes, these are the ones going to protect you, Tazuna-san. I'll have you explain your situation to them." The Hokage said to him.
"Hai." Tazuna answered, his head tilted in shame. The boy looked even more poorly dressed than him. He turned to Team 7, and said, "My name is Tazuna. I'm a bridge builder and I come from the Land of Waves. I just need some protection from bandits and such. Please don't expect too much."
Kakashi nodded and walked over to him. He held out his hand, and his visible eye shifted into an upside down 'U'. "I'm Hatake Kakashi." He said while shaking the man's hand. "This is Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto." He said pointing them out one at a time.
"Sumimasen (sorry)" He said to Naruto, walking over to him and bowing his head. "I didn't mean…"
"Okay." Naruto said, looking at the man behind his shades. Inside his mind, the cogs in his mind were moving.
"Okay, Team 7 and Tazuna!" Kakashi said, "Tomorrow we meet at the East Gate at 7 in the morning. Bring all the stuff you need, and don't bring anything more. Remember, and don't be late!" He said, poofing away in a plume of smoke. His last words were followed by the sweat drops of Sasuke and Sakura, who were thinking the same thing.
Naruto just nodded and turned away, waving good bye to the Hokage before leaving.
"Naruto, bring them along and come visit us sometime!" The Hokage called to Naruto, who nodded his head and left.
Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other, and parted ways, hoping to get ready for their upcoming C-Ranked mission.
"He's had a hard life, hasn't he?" Tazuna asked the Hokage.
"You have no idea," The Hokage replied sadly, looking at the door Naruto had left from.
"Excuse me, Hokage-sama." A feminine voice called from one of the doors. Standing there was Team 8, led by Yuhi Kurenai. "We're here to get a mission."
"Over here, please." Iruka called, gesturing them over, leaving the Hokage in his thoughts.
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The puddle lay on the side of the road. It was so obvious.
They had all come early, including Kakashi much to the shock of Sakura and Sasuke, at the designated meeting place. At exactly 7 in the morning, they had set off, leaving the Gates of Konoha behind. They had estimated it would take at least two days to reach Wave, with the occasional stop for food and rest in between.
No one noted that during the stops that they made for food or rest, that Naruto never ate or rested. In fact, he had not brought anything at all. All he had were the clothes he always wore.
It was probably 2 o'clock when they first saw the puddle. It had been unbelievably hot for the past couple of days, with no clouds to cover the sky. There was no chance there could have been a puddle there. After having trained with Kakashi, they were able to spot this, as his motto which he taught to his students was, "Ninja's always look underneath the underneath."
Kakashi looked at Sasuke, who nodded and discreetly put his hand near his kunai pouch. Sakura saw this and walked beside Tazuna, her hand also going to the kunai at her side. Meanwhile, Kakashi was getting ready for a Doton Jutsu, which would unable him to go underground.
Meanwhile, Naruto was walking along, his hands in his pockets and his eyes turned toward the ground. He walked by the puddle, and before anyone could stop him, they leaped out.
They were both probably low Chunin's, thought they would still pose a challenge to any normal Genin. However, Naruto was not a normal Genin.
Their chains wrapped around him, and tried to squeeze the life out of him. He did not appear to be bothered, as he had slipped his arms through the chains. The Demon Brothers saw this and pulled on their chains harder, hoping to crush him. Naruto just stood in their chains calmly, holding each of his hands out to one of the brothers. He slowly balled his hands into fists, and the chains were suddenly loosening.
They could not move. It felt as if something was pressing down on them from all sides and from every part of their body.
"Let's which of us can take more pressure," Naruto said, his hands nearly balled into fists. The brothers were now turning blue, from the lack of oxygen and the force that was pressing them.
"Naruto, stop." Kakashi said to Naruto. Tazuna, Sasuke, and Sakura were standing there, mouths agape. It seemed Naruto had just taken down two Chunin level nin's, while still surviving their onslaught. "We need them for information."
"All the information we need, we can get from their corpses." Naruto said, his voice cold and emotionless. His whole posture and voice had changed. He was tense, and seemed more hunched over, possibly because he was in a fighting position. The chain fell away, and they saw Naruto's body.
They had thought there would be imprints of some sort from the chains, but there was nothing. He didn't even look like a chain had just been wrapped around him, squeezing him to death.
"Naruto, as your sensei, I order you to stop!" Kakashi yelled at Naruto, whose hands were now fully balled into fists. Blood was slowly trickling down the Demon Brother's bodies, seeking to find some way out.
Naruto loosened his fists, and made his hands into a hold as if he was going to strangle someone. Each of his hands were pointed at the Demon Brothers, who were lying unconscious on the floor.
"Hai," He said through clenched teeth. It seemed like Naruto had trouble holding back, as his hands were flexing in and out of their strangling hold.
Kakashi walked over to the Demon Brother nearest to them, and examined him. Some parts of his body looked like they had been collapsed, most likely from some outside pressure. He was bleeding from his mouth and nose and his eyes were popped.
"Sumimasen." Naruto said, lowering his arms with a tremendous amount of effort. "It is difficult for me to hold back."
Sakura looked like she was about to throw up, and Tazuna was looking at the boy he had said was poorer than him in wonder.
'When I get the Sharingan, I'll be able to surpass his stupid bloodline.' Sasuke thought, looking at Naruto.
"We'll talk about this later." Kakashi said, picking up both Demon Brothers and shuffling through their pockets, "They don't have any identification on them, except for these scratched headbands from Kiri. They're obviously missing-nin." Kakashi said. He reached into his kunai pouch, the same one he takes the Icha Icha Paradise books from, and took from it a small blue book. He opened it and flipped through a couple of pages. He stopped on one and hm'd softly. "These are the Demon Brothers. Classified as Chunin nuke-nin, who fled from Kiri in the company of Momochi Zabuza, known as the Demon of the Mist." Kakashi's only visible eye widened, then struck Tazuna with an accusing glare. "This is supposed to be a C-ranked mission. On C-Ranked missions, one doesn't normally encounter two Chunin nuke-nins. That would apply to a B-Ranked mission. Based on what it says in the Bingo Book, one wouldn't normally face a Jonin level nuke-nin, much less one who is known in the shinobi world as the Demon of the Mist, and the Master of Silent Homicide. That might apply to an A-Ranked mission or higher. Tell me, Tazuna-san. Why did you lie about your situation?" Kakashi looked straight at Tazuna, who was looking down at the ground ashamed.
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"…And that's why we couldn't pay enough for an A-Ranked mission." Tazuna said, his head still tilted to the ground in shame.
They had walked onward during the day, and night had fallen. They had stopped, and Kakashi had Sasuke make a fire, while Sakura and Naruto went out to go gather logs.
Apparently, the Land of Waves was having trouble with a man named Gato, who was oppressing the power and economy of the village. Tazuna was a bridge builder, who had designed a bridge that would connect the Land of Waves to the mainland, so their economy could start again. Gato didn't want that, as his income would drop, so he had hired shinobi to kill him, among them the Demon Brothers and Zabuza.
"We can't do this," Sakura muttered. Kakashi had offered them the Bingo Book to read, so they could see who Zabuza Momochi was, and why he was famous. After reading it, most hope for them had been lost. "We're only Genin. We can't go against missing-nin."
"As much as I hate to say it," Sasuke said, staring at Kakashi, "I think we should quit and turn back now. If we go on, we might die."
Sasuke didn't want to die yet. Itachi wasn't dead yet, and what doesn't kill you, will most likely hinder you.
"Then it's agreed," Kakashi said, shooting a quick glance at Naruto. He was sitting on the floor in front of the fire. His right leg was bent up, and his arm lay atop it. His left arm and leg lay limp, and he seemed to be staring at the fire, not listening to the conversation. "We'll turn back in the morning." He turned to Tazuna, who had a disappointed expression on his face. "I'm sorry, Tazuna-san. My team cannot handle this kind of mission yet."
Tazuna sighed, and looked into the fire, contemplating on what he would do next.
"Can you still pay for the C-Ranked?" Naruto asked suddenly. His voice broke through the silence that had descended upon them, but he was still staring into the fire.
Tazuna nodded, before realizing Naruto wasn't even looking at him, and was about to say yes, before he spoke. "Then I will continue with the mission, alone if need be."
"Naruto," Kakashi warned, but Naruto turned swiftly to face him, "No, Kakashi-sensei. This is my decision. I understand the risks, and am willing to sacrifice my life for them." It didn't seem like he was talking about the mission anymore, because his normally calm demeanor seemed to have been replaced by a grim determination.
"Naruto-kun," Sakura said, "I know you want to help Tazuna-san, but…"
"You are mistaken, Haruno-san." Naruto said, his voice turning cold. His whole body was morphing, changing his whole posture and everything about him. Where his back had been hunched and his arms lay limply at his sides, they were now tightened, enough for the observers to see the muscles in his arms. His teeth were clenched, and they could hear them scraping against each other. He was frightening Sakura slightly, as her image of the calm and stoic boy was shattered. "I am not doing this for Tazuna-san."
Tazuna looked a little hurt, but not so much. He was just happy that someone would be helping him.
"Then there's no reason for to do it, dobe." Sasuke said, looking at his sensei. He hoped the gray haired man would shove some sense into him.
Tazuna and Kakashi were looking instently at Naruto, who seemed determined to go through with the mission.
"There are many reason for everything, Uchiha-san." Naruto said, moving his eyes from the fire to face Sasuke. He stood to his full height, and looked at Sasuke. "Like why you're brother massacred your clan, and left you alive."
Tazuna understood this now, why he was determined to complete the mission. The clues had fallen in, and he could see now. The way he dressed and why he had asked if he would still pay for a C-Class mission, despite the consequences. He was willing to risk it all, much like he was.
"You're a determined young man, aren't you Uzumaki-san?" He said, watching with a smile on his face. Sasuke had tried punching Naruto in the face, but Kakashi had stopped it in time. "You must be willing to do everything possible for them, aren't you?"
"We need it," He replied curtly. He was suddenly back to his usual manner, along with his usual voice. He bowed to Sasuke, followed by Kakashi, and then to Sakura. "Gomen, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-san, Sasuke-san. I'm sorry for losing control, but I need the money." He said, before bowing once again.
Sakura looked at him sympathetically. He always looked this way, and he always looked poor. His clothes just screamed it after all.
Sasuke just hmp'd and turned away from him.
Kakashi was now more than curious. The normally calm boy had turned nearly violent in a second. He could have sworn he had felt something pressing down on him for a mere second before it was loosened. There was something here that was curious about Naruto.
"Well, it's the team's decision, Naruto." Kakashi said, "If they decide they want to abandon the mission and fail it, then I have to abide by that. Right now, you're outnumbered. Both Sakura and Sasuke want out, and as your sensei, I cannot allow you to resume this dangerous mission."
Naruto just nodded, before sitting back down. He looked normal, but if you looked closely, you could see his jaws moving back and forth, as if he was grinding his teeth.
"I'm sorry, Naruto, but it's the team, not me." Kakashi said, as some final words to the boy.
He would find out why the boy seemed so determined to gain some money. He didn't look like a gambler, yet he was still poor. From what he had heard, the boy was an orphan, but the amount of money he got from the Council should have been enough to pay for his clothes, so that didn't explain why he always looked shabby. He couldn't have possibly spent all the money on food because he looked hungry most of the times. Once during training, his stomach had growled in the middle of a mission. It had given away their position to their enemy, and they had to chase the damned animal for a good two hours before calling it quits.
"Actually, Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura said quietly, looking at Naruto. He looked a little sad not being able to complete the mission.
'Probably because he doesn't want to be considered a failure again.' Sakura said, looking at the boy sadly, 'He's always such a sad looking boy.'
"I'd like to continue with the mission, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura said, mustering enough courage to speak up and say it. Sasuke had shot her a disappointed look with a hint of anger, and it took all the will power she could muster to not cry at disappointing her Sasuke-kun.
"Well, then, that's settled," Kakashi said, turning his eye into an upside down 'U', "We're going to escort you back to Wave tomorrow, Tazuna-san."
Tazuna looked overjoyed, and he jumped into the air, calling out a loud, 'Yosh!' Kakashi quickly caught Tazuna in the air, and placed a hand on his mouth.
"For the sake of our lives though, I suggest we quiet down a little and get some sleep. We don't need to alert our enemies to where we are." He whispered.
Tazuna only nodded, and sat down in front of the fire with a smile on his face. "Thank you, Team 7. When the bridge is completed and our economy is better, we'll pay you the full price of an A-Ranked mission, along with more for lying to you in the first place." He smiled and looked at the team. Kakashi had gone off on watch, and Sasuke had fallen asleep. Sakura was up by the fire, sitting near Naruto. She was looking deeply into it and wiping a little tear from her cheek.
'Looks like all the progress I made with Sasuke-kun is all going to waste,' She thought, using the back of her palm to rub her eyes. 'All because I had to act like a big sister to Naruto…' She stifled a sob, and someone's voice broke through her thoughts.
"Arigatogozaimasu, Haruno-san." Naruto spoke quietly, looking at Sakura. She turned to face him, and could not help but have her heart jump at seeing him.
For the first time to another person outside his group, Naruto smiled. It was a small smile, but it was enough to get his point across. To a person who was normally emotionless, this was somewhat of a big step for Sakura. If you just looked at his face, you would see that he was somewhat cute, in a sad, but good way.
As soon as Sakura had seen the smile, it was quickly replaced by his usual mask of indifference.
It was enough however, to send Sakura sleeping with a smile on her face, the thought of making someone happy making her happy.
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This will NOT be a Naru/Saku. I just want to clarify that, to those of who took the last part the wrong way.
I've dropped some hints to Naruto's personal life in this chapter, and probably two chapters from now I will show you more. I'll start on Chapter 5 tomorrow, after I take my Robotics/Physics class, or I'll continue writing more of Chapter 2 Force of an Echo. It sounds really good to where I'm at right now, and I might get more ideas for it.
I might be hella late with the updates though, as I've found a new game to play. It's called 2Moons, and the OB just started a few days ago. The graphics don't look as good as I thought they would, but they're still good.
Tell me if you have any suggestions, or need ideas,
Dokugin
Word Count: 4,529
Page Count: 10
Time: Roughly 7 hours…with many stops in between…Damn you Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Zero no Tsukaima, and Kenichi…You keep making me go back and checking to see if you're all already subbed…