Ninja no Master: the master of the sword
Chapter 4: Demon brothers and the mysterious stranger's help
The team parted towards Wave, Sakura was feeling edgy, Naruto was exited and Saber was walked besides him.
Sasuke was intrigued by Saber... she was strong. Crazy strong... strong enough at least to be respected by Kakashi... and he was an elite ninja...
He wanted to know how the dobe got her attention, and from WHERE she came from.
As they were walking by they talked about simple things, and then Sakura brought an interesting question
"Are there any ninja in wave?" Sakura innocently asked.
"No... there are not, other villages do though... even with the difference in culture there are some villages with a ninja force" Kakashi then begun to explain the differences of each village and their names.
As they walked by Kakashi noticed an oddity... a pool of water in the middle of a hot day, when it hasn't rained in days.
Kakashi decided to see what his new team would act with a surprise attack.
They walked past it without noticing anything wrong.
The gening team walked by and then 2 ninjas rose from the puddle.
They had one thing in mind... kill the old man... and anyone who dared to interfere... if the kids got in the way... well... they would learn why they SHOULDN'T had picked ninja as a career.
They jumped into the air and pulled a chain from their gauntlets and put it around Kakashi.
"One down" They said with an evil sneer... they pulled their chains and eviscerated him.
Then they appeared next to Naruto.
"2 down" they said.
Naruto sweated... he was about to die.
No... Naruto steeled himself.
He pulled a kunai and deflected the chain... Saber jumped in to protect Naruto...
She broke the chain with her invisible weapon.
The ninja grunted... but separated and threw their chain away.
One rushed towards the old man, while the other one went to Naruto.
Saber took the one coming for the girl as Sasuke and Naruto took the other one... Sasuke jumped and round house kicked him.
Naruto then heel drop him and then punched him.
That one managed to scratch his arm a bit... before he went unconscious he had a sadistic smirk.
Kakashi then dropped the other one that was being "entertained" by Saber.
"Well done you 3... Saber you did well in defending the old man and Sakura... Sasuke, Naruto... good job you two" Kakashi said.
Naruto grinned to hide his pain... his hand had a few scratches but he didn't want to alarm anyone.
Kakashi then begun questioning the old man... and they found out this was not a C class mission, but rather a B... possibly A class one.
The kids were good, but they were still rookies.
Sakura wanted to go home... but both Sasuke and Naruto were adamant on going forth.
Saber felt proud of her master, but little did they both know something...
Naruto hid his hand inside his pocket... as he felt a slight burning sensation spread... but he put on a strong front.
He would not dare to go back... he couldn't...
He didn't want to loose face in front of Saber.
They went back to their trail and Naruto's hand begun to sting more and more... his body slowly begun to heat up... they were a few days to get to wave.
Naruto was feeling ill... this demon kept him from outright dying... hi only made the poison on the gauntlets to stay on the arm and stomach.
But part of it went to his bloodstream... and it invaded a bit of his body... not enough but it made him a bit ill... he passed it off as boat sickness.
He looked a bit sick after they got out of the boat, Naruto felt his arm being weak... but he mustered strength to keep moving it.
They kept walking and Naruto was listening to anything that he could find weird... his sences had been enhanced by fighting Saber for hours at end.
He heard as scurrying by the bushes but ignored... it sounded form a small animal...
He only got worried when he heard a sharp sound approaching fast.
"GET DOWN!" Kakashi yelled.
Saber took her master down with her to protect him as the sword embedded itself to the tree.
A man stood over the sword's handle, he looked at them all form behind his shoulder.
"Well, well... if it isn't the nuke-nin of the Hidden Myst Momichi Zabusa" Kakashi said as he looked up.
Naruto looked at him and could feel it... the ken-ki coming from him... he was not only a ninja but an accomplished swords-man... it was like Saber's own... but less of it... it wasn't as sharp as her's it was rougher and blunt... but it held strong.
"Everybody get back, this one's in a whole another level... Saber... take care of the kids" Kakashi said.
She nodded as she readied herself to protect the kids and the old man behind her, as the kids did the same on Tazuna.
"Against him..." Kakashi said as he moved his forehead protector out of his eye "It will be tough... unless.. I do this"
"You appear to be Kakashi of the Sharingan... sorry but... this old man's life is mine" Zabusa said.
Sasuke twitched at the mention of that name
Kakashi showed his sharingan eye to the world.
"To see the famous sharingan... I'm honored" Zabusa said
Naruto asked for an explanation of WHAT the sharingan was.
Sasuke came to explain.
"Sharingan... it is said that some have the ability in their eyes to read and defeat ALL types of Gen, Tai and Nin-jutsu... the sharingan is one of the types of ocular powers that gives you this ability" Sasuke said... "But... that's not the only ability it gives you" Sasuke said.
"What?" Naruto asked
"hehe... exactly... what's even scarier is... that you can copy your opponents techniques once you see them" Zabusa said, he then continued "When I was a member of the Hidden Mist's assasin squad... I kept a BINGO book, it included information on you... and what it said... the man that copied over a 1,000 jutsus" Zabusa said."
"That man is indeed strong" Saber thought.
"Well... let's end the chit-chat... I am on the clock after all" Zabusa said
"But it seems I have to kill you and that blond haired woman first" Zabusa said recognizing Saber's presence and recognizing her as a threat, she had a strong stance and no openings... he could feel the spirit of a swords-man in her... but he could not for the life of him see any discernible weapons.
Zabusa jumped and took his cleaver sword and landed in the middle of the lake, he was literally walking on to p of the water.
"Ninpo... hiden mist jutsu" Zabusa said as the mist rolled in covering everyone.
"He's gone!" Sakura exclaimed
"He'll come after me first" Kakashi said "Momichi Zabuza... as a member of the hidden mist... he was an expert in the art of silent killing, none of you will notice it until you're already dead... it's not like I can use the sharingan perfectly. You guys be careful" Kakashi said
They all gulped, but Naruto was shivering... mostly due to the poison in his body.
"8 choices" Zabuza's voice said in the everywhere.
Saber looked around, her body at ready near her master and his friends.
"Liver, spine, clavicar vein... neck vein... brain... kidneys, hearts... which one should I go after" Zabuza said.
Kakashi then felt something and made a handsign.
Sasuke was sweating a cold sweat.. his body was trembling.
"Wha... what is this? What in incredible ammount of killing intent... it feels Iwill be killed if I make a single move... this could drive a person crazy... the intensity of a jounin... it feels like my life is being squeezed... I can't take it... I'd rather kill myself and get it over with" Sasuke thought as he begun to move his kunai.
Naruto looked at Saber... who only nodded to her master... he smiled and knew that he would be safe.
"Sasuke... don't worry, I'll protect you guys with my life... I don't let... my comrades die" Kakashi said with a smile on his eyes.
"Well see about that" A voice said as it appeared in the middle of the kids.
Saber gave a mighty roar and batted Zabuza away with her invisible weapon.
Zabuza was taken back... her small frame belied her enormous power.
However this Zabuza turned to water and went to attack Kakashi, whom he sliced in half... or would if it wasn't a water clone like Zabuza's
"a water clone! No way! he copied it in this mist?" Zabuza thought
A cold metal pointy object was next to his neck.
"Don't move" Kakashi said "It's over"
Naruto smiled and was amazed of his sensei's strenght.
"Hehehe... HEHEHEHE... 'OVER'? You don't get it don't you? There's no way you can defeat me with your monkey-like imitations" Zabuza said
Then his body melted into water and appeared behind him "Unfortunately for you... I'm not THAT easy" he said as he went to attack with his sword, Kakashi ducked, but Zabuza planted the sword in the ground and used it as leverage and kicked Kakashi away into the lake
Kakashi tried to stand up... but found the water to be uncommonly heavy
"You fool" Zabuza said as he appeared behind him.
"Damn!" he said as he was captured in a ball of water.
"You thought scaping to the water was a good idea, but THAT was a big mistake... now I got you on a special prison" Zabuza said.
"Now that you are captured it will makes things easier for me... I now need to finish the blonde girl and it will be done" Zabuza said.
Then Zabuza did a water clone and it rose up from the lake.
Saber stood in place as her invisible sword appeared (still invisible mind you) on her hand.
She squessed the handle as she prepared to fight this swords-man...
he was not like a knight, he fight hard and dirty, in other words for him a fight was something to live... if he lost he died.
Saber would match her own spirit of a swords-man against him.
They vanished as they both rushed at each other, Zabuza's sword collided against Saber's invisible one.
Zabuza grunted as he felt the weight of Saber's power against his mere water clone.
The real Zabuza saw the folly of his actions... he couldn't fight this woman head to head... so... time for a more... tactile approach.
His clone then went around Saber as he threw kunais and shurkien... but Naruto jumped and attacked... eh was kicked away by Zabuza.
"MASTER!" Saber shouted as she jumped back to grab her master.
"So... he is her weakness... good... now to exploit it" Zabuza thought as the clone concentrated on Naruto.
Naruto shivered in rage as he realized he was weighting Saber down... he shouted as he charged Zabuza.
"MASTER!" Saber yelled as she shot out.
Naruto used his Kagebunshin and did an omnidirectional attack. But Zabuza was stronger and more experencied... he batted him and his clones away.
Naruto panted more... the poison was going even further degrading his arm.
Naruto roared as he moved his arm with a lot of pain.
He struck the clone and rushed to the real one... he pulled 2 giant windmill shurikens and threw em both at Zabuza, the real one.
Zabuza smirked "Nice thinking... attacking the real one is a good idea but..." Zabuza smirked once more and grabbed one shuriken... however he did not see the other one coming from behind the first.
"WHAT!" Zabuza was taken back by this
Zabuza jumped with a smirk on his face...
Naruto smirked and then poffed away... the second shuriken poffed away into Naruto who threw a kunai.
The kunai singed Zabuza's face... he had to move to avoid being killed.. but the pain of being singed was not what burned him... it was that a brat... a genin no less almost killed him.
"Die" Zabuza said as he picked the giant shuriken and with the full intent to eviscerate him.
Kakashi appeared and stopped him...
Naruto's arm couldn't take it anymore... the arm then was ripped away form his body by it's own weight...
Naruto looked as it feel to the water and floated... Sasuke and Sakura looked at the arm and at Naruto... Saber was shocked
"MASTER!" She yelled as she rushed at her master.
"Saber? Did I did good? Did I get him?" Naruto asked weakly with a smile
Blood was flowing from his arm.
Kakashi was furious and attacked Zabuza with more viciousness.
But then... as he was about to give the finishing blow a few needles flew trought and hit Zabuza... he felt limp to the floor as if dead.
Kakashi went to look and found that he was indeed dead.
A young person jumped down, and grabbed Zabuza.
"Thank you very much, I have been searching for the oportunity to kill Zabuza for a long time" the masked person said.
"That mask... you're a hidden mist hunter nin" Kakashi said
"Impressive... you are indeed correct" the masked person said.
"Sensei! We need to go... Naruto... Naruto will not make it if we don't hurry" Sakura said worried.
Kakashi looked at the boy... and as he was about to make another step after the masked person carried the dead body of Zabuza, he felt to the floor. He overexerted himself.
Saber carried her small master... he was panting and was loosing color quickly.
They walked towards Tazuna's house, they had something to help Naruto's pain... but... with his arm like that...
"he will never be able to use ninjutsu again..." Sasuke said as he looked angry at himself... the dobe went in and sacrificed HIS dream to protect them and rescue their teacher.
Sakura looked sad... true she didn't like Naruto much... but to do something like that...
Saber felt... horrible... her master lost his arm... his dream would never be.
She failed as a servant.
"You people seem in quiet a pickle" a raspy old voice said.
An old man was resting on the outside of his tent... he looked at them... then at the blond servant and then at the kid...
"Uhmm... he sure got fucked up.. how did that happen?" the old man asked.
"We don't know... maybe he got cut by Zabuza... we don't know" Sakura asked
"Uhmm... maybe I can be of some help for the young pup" the old man said.
"And... who are you?" Sakura asked
"Just call me Zelretch" he said with a smirk "now let's me see the little brat... I'll safe his life yet"
Sakura and Sasuke nodded and looked at Saber.
"Please... save my master" Saber said.
They brought the boy inside... Zelretch asked them to stay outside the tent since this would be a delicate procedure.
"Uhmmm interesting... the seals on his stomach act as a 'flood-gate' to control the demonic power inside of him, whoever did this... he would be pledged as a genius in the clock tower... now let's see what I can do with this 2 things" Zelretch thought to himself as he unwrapped the red package.
Inside of it was a rather tanned arm.
He begun to use his magic as he forged the arm to Naruto's
"This has only less than a 1% chance of success... are you sure you want this boy?" Zelretch asked
"I... can't go back... if I fail... I won't be able to be... a ninja... anyways" Naruto said with a painful smirk.
"Then let's proceed with the operation" Zelretch said
He knocked Naruto as he reconnected the nerves of the arm to Naruto's own...
"And now... to prevent that demon's power form harming your body too much" Zelretch said as he took the glowing package.
He took from it a golden sheath and shoved into Naruto's body... his body glowed and he begun to convulse.
"URGG!" Naruto's body begun to shiver... his eyelids begun to shiver...
Inside Naruto's mind
"My body... is made of swords...
Iron is my blood and crystal is my heart
I have stood countless battles undefeated...
not once have I retreaded... nor have once I been understood
All alone in a hill of swords
intoxicated with victory
Thus this life has no meaning
this body... was surely...
MADE OF BLADES
Naruto saw a vast plain surrounded with swords, all of them like some sort of grave markers.
"What.. in the world?" Naruto asked
a man was on top of a hill... looking at the setting sun that would never set... in a world filled with unlimited blades.
The man looked at the boy.
"I see... so someone was desperate enough to use this arm of mine" the person said.
"HEY! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!" Naruto yelled
"My... you act like my old master... both of you could pass for sibling if it wasn't for such a horrid blond hair... but that's what I think, so I won't comment on that" the person said.
Naruto was pissed... he KNEW there was an insult in there... but he couldn't tell WHERE.
"So boy... since you were stupid enough to use this arm of mine... I should tell you this... it will consume your mind... not that there is much to consume anyways..." the person said.
"WHO ARE YOU!" Naruto yelled
"Counter guardian EMIYA" he said
"Well bastard... If I wanna live I got to beat YOU eh? COME ON AND BRING IT TEME!" Naruto yelled as he charged and picked up a sword as he rushed at the man.
Then man smirked as he made a sword appear from thin air and smashed the swords Naruto held.
Naruto glared at EMIYA... who made a set of swords appear and begun to attack Naruto.
Naruto then tried to finish this in one feel swoop.
"TAJUU! KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" he called out...
Nothing happened.
Naruto then jumped back to avoid his swords and attacked with his kunai.
EMIYA chuckled as Naruto attacked, he went for the openings he had only to be countered by him and kicked around.
Naruto noticed it... the bastard... he was leading him... just like Saber.
Naruot decided to stop going for openings... they were nothing but traps... make your own openings.
Naruto attacked with a combination of his crude taijutsu and his nin-gu (ninja tools/weapons)
He used his smoke bombs to blind this EMIYA person... and then he jumped to attack.
EMIYA smirked as he had a pair of swords ready to block the attack tht he knew would come from behind.
"Not bad brat... but I been doing things like this since before you were even born... come with something original" EMIYA said.
Naruto appeared to his side "How about this then?" Naruto said as he viciously slashed at his side.
EMIYA had the use his hand to stop the kunai from getting in too deep from grunted in pain.
He then kicked Naruto away and begun to laugh.
"At least you are better at combat that that 'other guy'... fine... you win... for the time being, I will allow you to learn my power... and remember this... as long as you have my arm... we will fight for the control of the body" EMIYA said with a smirk.
Naruto then coughed and opened his eyes... he felt a wave of pain wash trough his arm... and he looked at it...
It looked a bit more... darker than his... but... it worked.
He made a fist, and moved his fingers, he touched his face.
HE COULD FEEL IT!
"But... how?" Naruto said to himself... he saw the roof of an unfamiliar place.
"Well you brat... you survived a transplant of an artificial phantasm... I must congratulate you... the chances of you surviving it was even less than 1%... if you were a servant you surely would have a luck on the EX class..." an irritating and familiar voice said
"EMIYA! WHAT THE!" Naruto thought surprised.
"control yourself... I will be tutoring on using my special ability as soon as you can stand up... right now you are in bed-rest for a couple of days, but I can still train you on using my unique ability... but first I have to teach you about my skill... come into your mind so I can teach you about 'tracing' a part of my skill" EMIYA said.
And with that Naruto went deep into the recess of his mind... to a place that had a hill filled with swords...
a world with unlimited blades.
Chapter end