"All my life I wanted to be a ninja." Naruto grumbled as he, Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura escorted Tazuna to his hometown. "First, the damned villagers try to stop me. When I finally make it, you'd think things'd start getting easier. But no." He lit a cigar. "The first couple of missions nothing more than chores. Then, when I finally get a break, my mission turns out to be an escort job for an old fart to a small, boring town." He sliced up two ninja who tried to jump him from a pond, not even noticing them, or the bewildered looks of everyone else. "Are you coming?" He barked at the others.
A couple of hours later, the team was sitting on a boat, sailing to Wave, with Naruto still grumbling in the back.
"He won't stop, will he?" Tazuna asked Kakashi.
"I don't think so, he's on a roll."
"This is as far as I can take you, my friend." The boat driver said as he came to a small beach.
"I understand, you've risked enough as it is. Thank you." Tazuna turned to Naruto. He was still grumbling.
Walking by a large pond, Naruto's grumbling was interrupted by a large sword flying an inch over his head. "Alright, someone either brave or mad enough to challenge me. Now who could…?" A figure landed on the sword currently embedded in a tree. "Damn."
The woman was just short of six feet. She had long, black hair reaching to the small of her back. A slim, slender figure covered by a navy blue tank top and shorts. Really, really tight shorts. A mist headband covered her head, tied to the side and slashed.
"I am Momochi Zabu, the Demon of the Hidden Mist, and the greatest assassin of Water Country." She declared proudly, but received no answer. She looked her prey over to find a pink haired brat glaring at her.
"Stay away from my Sasuke-kun, you hussy?" Sakura screeched at the woman, making her, Naruto, Tazuna and Kakashi sweat drop. Naruto rolled his eyes at her and smacked her on the back of the head.
"Don't antagonize the hot lady." Zabu grinned at Naruto.
"My, aren't you sweet. And what's your name?"
"Naruto. Are you doing anything later?" He asked her casually, making Kakashi and Tazuna sweat drop, Sasuke brood and Sakura glade at him. "Right, the fight. Well then, let's begin." He popped his claws out, charging Zabu, who freed her sword from the tree and parried.
"Nice nails." She smirked. He just grinned before he upercutted her into the air with his fist.
"You idiot!" Sakura screamed at him. "Kill her. Why did you take those good-for-nothing claws of yours back in?"
"Don't wanna kill 'er." Naruto glared at the pink banshee.
"WHY!"
"She's hot." He said making her develop a tick mark and charge him, ignoring everyone else. She was met half-way with a metal wall, impacting her and sending her back to the side. Zabu hoisted her sword on her shoulder, glaring at the Haruno fan girl.
"Stay out of this, you prepubescent tart." She then turned to Naruto, smirking at him. "How do you stand her?"
"Not by choice, believe me. Shall we continue?"
"Let's." She slashed her sword at him as Naruto just raised his arm in defense. The sword went half-way through the appendage before stopping, surprising Zabu. Naruto grabbed the blade and threw it, along with its wielder, at the tree. Zabu impacted the tree, but before either of them could do anything, two senbon came out of the woods and impacted the Water assassin's neck, killing her. A female Kiri Hunter Nin came out of her cover, hefting the body on her back and taking the sword, making Kakashi and Naruto raise an eyebrow each.
"That you for your help. I have been tracking this one for some time now. Happy hunting." She shunshined away.
"You do realize they'll be coming back, right?" Kakashi asked Naruto.
"Looking forward to it." He answered, making Sakura glare and Tazuna gawk at him. Sasuke was still brooding.
As this was going on, the Hunter Nin from before was leaning to Zabu, grasping a strange, scissor-like object, before the dead woman groaned and ripped the two senbon out.
"You shouldn't have done that, Haku. I was having fun." The Hunter Nin removed her mask to reveal a cute face that looked much like a younger Zabu.
"Sorry, Zabu-sama, but I thought it best to stop you now then let you play too much with the cute man." She said making Zabu glare at her.
"Naruto, huh?" Haku nodded, smiling. "We will meet again. And next time, well…." She giggled to herself, making Haku sweat drop.
The next few days flew by relatively fast, with Kakashi teaching the other two Gennin chakra control, and Naruto protecting their client at the bridge, watching the giant stone path being built, and slowly running out of cigars and beer.
"I don't suppose I'd find some cigs 'round here?" He asked Tazuna one day as they walked home.
"Maybe at Gato's mansion. We have trouble finding something edible here on the best days."
"And yet sake's a plenty."
"They ship it by the barrels, so it's the only thing we have that's at a reasonable price, and it helps." Naruto shook his head, taking another drag.
"I wish Zabu'd hurry up." Naruto told Kakashi that night, the two sharing some sake after dinner.
"How much did you pack?"
"Half a dozen. Figured I could get some here." Naruto humphed. Kakashi shook his head as he took another sip. "How's the training going?" Kakashi sighed.
"Pathetically. Sakura's mastered the Tree Climbing technique, but only because her reserves are so pitifully small even the Sandaime's Grandson has more. And Sasuke just whines about getting power and asks me a million times a day to teach him a powerful jutsu, and he's still at half a tree. I miss the Anbu." He bowed his head, making circles with one of his fingers in the ground. Naruto just sweat dropped at his teacher's behavior.
"With any luck, Zabu'll attack tomorrow. Then we can leave."
