A Fox's Deception

Hi! Thanks for wanting to read this fanfic. Below is the legend, sometimes it won't as the following, most of the time it will. I hope you like this story.

PS: This is a joint story with OokamiTsume, so we both have it in our account.

Author notes

'Thinking'

"Jinchuuriki speaking with thoughts"

"Bijuu speaking in Jinchuuriki's mind"

'Bijuu thinking'

"Bijuu speaking / transformed Jinchuuriki"

Inner speaking

Flashback/Dream/Letter

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Chapter 4 Swallowed by the Mist

A black shadow leaped through the tall trees of the forest in such a hurry that it was nothing more than a blur to the untrained ninja eye. A few seconds later, four flashes of movement darted through the trees, tracing the same trail as the shadow.

For a few, brief seconds, static echoed over the silent woods…"What is the distance from the target?" A male voice sounded out, breaking the silence.

"Five meters, I'm ready anytime," came the reply in the form of a girl's voice.

"Hn, so am I," added an adolescent male's voice coolly.

There was a pause, amplified by the static. After a few seconds, a loud voice came through, "I'm here!"

"You're late!" scolded the female, her voice making the mike screech.

Suddenly, the first man's voice ripped through the earphone, cutting of a snapped reply that was sure to come from the hyper boy. "Go!" The voice ordered.

Three blurs burst out of their hiding places at the same time and leapt towards the small silhouette.

"Nyaa!"

"Gotcha!" A loud cry hit the air, courtesy of Naruto as he gripped the cat tightly. The cat yowled and spit, thrashing wildly. "Itaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" She scratched me!"

"Stupid cat"

"I quite agree. It puts a shame to all animals, Bijuu lords or no…"

Kakashi's voice sounded from their miniature radios, "Confirm the ribbon on the left ear… Are you sure this is the target, Tora?"

Sasuke grunted, "Yeah, I'm sure."

"Good… Lost Pet 'Tora' Search Mission… complete…"

A few minutes later found Team 7 at the mission office, cat in arms, getting ready to report their successful mission.

"Tora-chan!" There came a screech as a really fat woman, who turned out to be the feudal lord's wife, hurried to them and scoped the cat from Naruto, into her arms, proceeding to nearly hug it to death, "Oh, my kawaii little Tora-chan! I was so worried!"

Naruto smirked inwardly as he watched dear little 'Tora-chan' struggle in her mistress' arms, "Serves her right for running away! Though, I can't really blame her…."

"I agree, kit. If I was that cat, I would be out of Fire Country by now."

"Luckily, you aren't."

"Most defiantly."

Thankfully for cat, the Hokage chose this moment to interfere, "Now Team 7, what shall your next duty be…-? Let's see…babysitting an elder's grandson, potato digging, shopping in the neighboring village…"

"Nyaa!"

"Tora-chan!"

"… and search for lost pet, Tora." The Feudal Lord's wife ran out after her cat in Tora's bid for freedom.

"No way!"

"Haha, Kit…"

"No way!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, "We've searched for that cat at least ten times this week and I don't want to do any more of those chores! Even a simple villager could do those. I want a better mission!"

Even though they didn't show it, Sasuke and Sakura silently agreed with the blonde. Though, probably the only reason the latter agreed was because she wanted to be the 'damsel-in-distress' for her Sasuke-kun.

Kakashi sighed, 'I thought it was about time they started wanting higher missions…'

"You idiot! You are just a Rookie!" scolded Iruka, who was in charge of giving out missions with Sandaime Hokage that week, "Everyone starts with the simpler missions and works their way up…" Naruto just proceeded to tune him out as he then ventured to explain about the different ranks of missions and which rank of ninjas gets to do them.

When the Chuunin was finished with his lecture, he found that Naruto was already half asleep, Kakashi was reading Icha Icha Paradise and the other two wasn't even listening, "Hey!"

Kakashi looked up guiltily from his book while Sakura and Sasuke blinked. Naruto yelped and fell sideways with a thud, before sitting up groggily on the floor. There was a second of silence, when, suddenly, mischievousness sparked within the blonde's blue eyes, "Hey, Jiji," He announced. "Why don't let's put on a wager. If I can get first blood from you in one attack, you'll give us a C-Rank mission."

The others raised an eyebrow at that. It was oblivious in their minds that Naruto would lose the bet. I mean, how can a Genin draw the first blood of the Hokage with one technique?

Sandaime smiled, feeling confident in himself, "Fine, I agree." He was Hokage, what could possible overcome him?

Naruto suddenly grew a smirk that put Sasuke to shame, much to the Uchiha's hidden chagrin. "…I'm sure Haremu no Jutsu would be able to draw out a pint or two…" grinned the blonde as he placed his hands in a familiar seal.

The Hokage paled considerably. He knew what Haremu no Jutsu was, alright, and he wasn't willing to embarrass himself like that in front of everyone. "No, that's okay, Naruto…" The Hokage spoke, surprising everyone in the room. "You win! You can have your C-Rank mission now."

Everyone else in the room blinked, dumbfounded, wondering about the great Haremu no Jutsu that can make Sandaime so afraid… Naruto grinned all the wider.

"Arigatou, Jiji!"

Sasuke and Sakura straightened at the new of a C-rank, while Kakashi giggled at his book. Naruto shot said book a death glare before his attention was turned to the door.

"So, who is it? A feudal lord, a princess?" asked Naruto excitedly.

"Yeah, right, like hell, he's going to give us someone like that to protect."

"Damn right, Kit, I wouldn't trust you lot with my life."

"Err, Musha… Your life is kinda trusted with me, remember…-?"

"Yeah, well… It was a figure of speech, Kit!"

Sandaime smiled at Naruto's excited outburst, 'Well, Tazuna-san is defiantly no lord or princess.'

"You may enter, now, Tazuna-san."

Team 7 turned around as the door slid open, revealing an old man in the doorway, swaying slightly with a bottle of sake in hand. Shakily, he took a large gulp of the pungent alcohol, before advancing into the room.

"You're meant to protect me?" Tazuna scoffed, taking another swig out of his rapidly draining bottle. "Why, you're just a bunch of brats!" Naruto and Sakura glared at him murderously, while Sasuke looked uninterested. Kakashi just chuckled in amusement. Tazuna surveyed them over his glasses with a disapproving look, "Especially the short little punk with the stupid-looking face."

Naruto blinked at that. "Who's the short punk with the stupid face…-?" He looked left at Sasuke, then right at Sakura. "They aren't short…" Everyone in the room sweatdropped at the bemused look on Naruto's face.

"Err, Kit…"

The bemused look slowly faded, like rain dripping down a window pane.

"Matte… Short?"

"Short? Well, I'm going to be taller than you one day. So, there!" The blonde stuck out his tongue childishly, "But, as for 'stupid looking'…" he paused a little before continuing with his fist up in rage. There was a smoldering fire burning in his eyes that would've made Gai cry at his 'youthful spirit'. "I'm going to kill you for that!" Cocking his fist back farther, Naruto made to charge at the slightly drunken man. "I'll show you who's stupid-looking!" Subconsciously, he began leaking out a small amount of killing intent.

Kakashi had to grab Naruto by the back of his orange jacket, clamping a hand over his mouth, before he could do anything rash, "Ano sa, Naruto, you can't go killing the people you're supposed to protect!"

The Kyuubi was laughing in his cage as Naruto scowled.

Tazuna glanced around at them again with disdain, "I am the expert bridge-builder, Tazuna. I will require your protection until I can get back to Wave country and complete my bridge. Once my bridge is completed, your mission is over." Tazuna turned his back to them indifferently, walking out the door. "Let's see if you brats don't get us all killed."

Naruto let out a feral little growl, yanking his collar from his sensei's grasp. "I he didn't want any 'little punks' then why didn't he just ask for a higher ranked mission…-?"

"Kit, keep an eye open why don't you. Something's not right…"

"I'll keep two eyes open, Musha. Believe it!"

"Kit…" The Kyuubi's voice grew deeper, becoming more sinister as he spoke through clenched fangs. "What have I told you about uttering that annoying phrase in my presence…-?" The ensnared demon Bijuu let the threat hang in the air.It sounded as though Sekimusha was having trouble keeping his calm…-ish voice level.

"Eh heh..." Naruto silently sweatdropped. "Gomen, Musha…"

Team 7 stood at the gates to the village.

"Gah! Hurry up, and let's go already!" Naruto stood, arms crossed, huffing as Kakashi checked through their stuff one last time.

"Impatient brat, aren't you kid." Tazuna grunted amusedly. Out of the corner of his mouth, he said to Kakashi, "Am I really going to be safe with this short little dunce?"

Naruto's hearing – thanks to the Kitsune – picked up on what the bridge-builder said and scowled, rounding on him.

"Who are you calling a dunce?-! And short?-! There are lots of people shorter than me!"

"Konohamaru doesn't count, Kit."

Naruto snarled like a beast, much to Kakashi's concern, and tried to lunge for Tazuna, but Sasuke tripped him on purpose, succeeding in making the blonde fall flat on his face, "Watch where you're going, dunce."

"Teme!"

"Hn."

Naruto, in his rage, was easily distracted by Sasuke. Kakashi, on the other hand, was wondering how on earth Naruto had managed to hear Tazuna from that far away. It shouldn't be possible unless he was an Inuzuka or another animal clan – which there wasn't, in Konoha at least, and Naruto definitely wasn't an Inuzuka. Tazuna, it seemed, was thinking the same thing.

"Kid's short but he's got hearing like a bat…"

In Naruto's mindscape, Musha groaned, "Be carefulKit…" Naruto suddenly caught on to what Kyuubi was distressed about.

"Oops…"

"Gah!" Naruto shook off his mistake, turning once more to point accusingly at Tazuna. "One day, I'll show you how's a dunce, old man! I'll become the best Hokage there is, and then you'll have to acknowledge me!"

"Like Hell I will, you brat. I doubt you'll ever become Hokage. And, even if you do become Hokage, I still won't acknowledge you." Without another word, Tazuna walked off down the path, the rest of Team 7 in tow. They left Naruto behind, steaming at the ears. His teeth gritted and his eye started to twitch.

"Why you—!"

Naruto tripped, once again portraying his clumsy mask. Sakura could be heard laughing all the way out of Fire Country.

A while later, Team 7 walked in near silence down the road. It was about five more minutes until Sakura's curiosity couldn't stay in any longer, "Ano… Tazuna-san?"

"Hai?" He glanced across at her as he walked in pace with their teacher.

"You are from the Wave Country, ne?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

Without answering, the pink haired kunoichi turned to Kakashi, who was still reading Icha Icha Paradise, "Ano… Kaka-sensei, do they have ninjas in that country too?"

Naruto, who was tuning almost everything out, snorted inwardly, "And they call her the number one kunoichi of the year. I'm the dead last and I still know what's happening."

"You know, Kit… Not everyone has been trained to be aware of things like that."

Naruto almost blanched. "I can't believe you, Kyuubi! You're actually defending that banshee!"

"Technically, I'm not defending her. I'm just stating the fact."

Completely unaware of Naruto's inner dialogue with the Kyuubi, Kakashi ruffled the girl's hair and smiled. "No, Sakura, Wave Country doesn't have ninja like the hidden villages. But, don't worry… there won't be any ninja combat in a C-Rank mission. The worst there will be just a few bandits."

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed the stiffening of Tazuna's body at the Jounin's words, 'Something's not right here… He's been too twitchy this whole time. Tazuna-san is definitely hiding something from us.' At that precise moment, it was then that the blonde sensed two chakra essences about ten meters in front of them, right on the road, but all Naruto saw was a puddle. 'Ha, I knew it! Why else would two ninjas be hiding like that? …Well, not that they are really smart. I mean, come on! Why would there be a puddle in the middle of a road that hasn't rained for days? Even those two should have noticed!' He snuck a glance at the two preteens behind him, who was completely oblivious of the ambush waiting ahead, and sighed, 'Never mind. I must've overestimated them.'

The blonde walked pass the suspicious-looking puddle, completely 'oblivious' of the danger that lay within. Just as the last person passed the innocent-looking puddle, there came the loud zip of whizzing chains. Team 7 and Tazuna looked back in horror, unwillingly captivated by the sight of Kakashi wrapped tightly in a thorny chain held by two masked ninjas. With a pull and a sickening sound, the Jounin was ripped apart, splashing in pieces into a pool of blood.

"One down…"

Sakura screamed. "Kaka-sensei!"

'Kawarimi no Jutsu. It seems that Kakashi wants us to fight instead." The blonde looked at their opponents, "Hmm… it's the Demon Brothers of the Hidden Mist.' Naruto remembered seeing their profiles in Kirigakure's Bingo Book.

Name: Meizu

Registration ID:

Age: 25

Hidden Village: Kirigakure no Sato

Rank: Chuunin, B-Class Missing Nin

Kekkei Genkai: N/A

Alias: Demon Brothers (Younger)

Trademark Technique: N/A

Trademark Weapon: Poisonous, large, metal claws on his left hand

Others: Wears a breath mask, always found with Gouzu

Name: Gouzu

Registration ID:

Age: 25

Hidden Village: Kirigakure no Sato

Rank: Chuunin, B-Class Missing Nin

Kekkei Genkai: N/A

Alias: Demon Brothers (Older)

Trademark Technique: N/A

Trademark Weapon: Poisonous, large, metal claws on his right hand

Others: Wears a breath mask, always found with Meizu

One down…

In a blink of an eye, they appeared behind a 'frozen stiff' Naruto, "Two down."

"Huh?" Unseen by all but the two Demon Brothers, Naruto smirked.

"Three strikes… and you're out."

Three…-?

The Demon Brothers and the other members of Team 7 blinked in confusion – suddenly a second Naruto appeared behind the two masked nuke-nins.

"Like I said…" He smirked triumphantly, "Three strikes."

The clone that had been cornered by the Brothers cocked back his fist, slugging the elder straight in the face.

'One'

The missing-nin reeled backwards, lashing out with his claws at the real Naruto. Misjudging the arc of the weapon, Naruto dodged easily, but the tip of the blades caught his left arm, ripping a gash in it from his forearm to the back of his hand. Naruto hissed and span about as he landed, aiming a kick at the younger brother.

The younger dodged simply and cracked the chains like a whip. They caught Naruto around the leg, but Naruto just smiled and swung his leg around, jerking the chain with him. The young brother foolishly held on, and was yanked forward. Naruto managed to land his second hit, bringing his free right leg round to crush into the Demon Brother's face.

'Two'

The momentum from the hit Naruto landed allowed the chain to unwrap itself from Naruto's left leg as the younger brother –Meizu– was flung sideways, crashing into Gouzu's frame. Naruto was just about to leap after them to land a final blow, when they suddenly both dissolved into water.

"Kuso!"

The two brothers had regrouped, and were hurtling towards Sakura. Naruto knew he wouldn't be able to get there in time. With their chains lashing out, the two brothers grinned. Sasuke, however, had different ideas. Not at all pleased with Naruto hogging all the fun, Sasuke leapt to intervene, pinning the chains to a tree with his projectile weapons.

Gouzu and Meizu detached their chains and jumped away from Sasuke. Instead, they headed for Tazuna, clawed hands extended. Tazuna quailed in fear, unable to move from the fright. He reeled back, his legs not working properly, just as the Demon Brothers lunged forward.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto appeared. The brothers' eyes grew wide, but their momentum didn't allow them to jerk away. Naruto appeared inches in front of them with his right leg swinging down from above to land a heel to the back of Gouzu's neck, while his body twisted round with the kick, bringing his left fist round to collide forcefully with Meizu's head… and there was nothing the two brothers could do about it.

'Thre—'

Suddenly, before Naruto could land his third hit and knock the two brothers unconscious, he leapt back hurriedly as, out of nowhere, Kakashi appeared behind Gouzu and Meizu, gripping them by the hair and hauling them backwards, crashing their heads into the ground. It knocked them out and stopped their forwards momentum. It all happened in the blink of an eye.

"Sensei!" Came Sakura's relieved voice, the fact that her sensei was actually alive dawning on her. Naruto paid her no attention.

"Kakashi-sensei, what…-?-!" Naruto stared at his sensei with wide, reproachful eyes. "I had them right where I wanted them, believe it! Why did you stop me?-!"

Kakashi turned to him, smiling his U-shaped smile. "Naruto…" He said cheerfully, opening his eye again. "You're bleeding."

"Wha—? Oh!" Hurriedly, Naruto drew his still-bleeding forearm to him, his uninjured hand searching through his pockets for something to stop the bleeding. He gave a slit jump when his hand brushed something unexpected. After a moment, he realized that it was the scroll he had found attached to the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing.

"Naruto? You okay?"

At the sound of Sakura's voice, Naruto realized that he had stopped searching his pockets. "Oh, yeah, Sakura." He was about to continue searching, deciding to look at the scroll after the mission, when Kakashi took a hold of his injured arm gently.

"Let me take a look, Naruto…" He said lightly to the boy, smiling once more. "Those claws were poisonous!"

'Tch, I already knew that…'

"Perhaps you went a little overboard, Kit…"

"Huh? You think I showed them too much?" The boy pondered the Kitsune's words. "Yeah, maybe… I'll be more careful next time…"

"Perhaps being less careful would be better. If you were reckless, they would just believe it was a fluke."

"Ha, I think they believe that already…"

"Naruto?"

"Huh?" Startled, Naruto realized that he had let his mind wander away from the conscious world, retreating into his mindscape to converse with Sekimusha. Kakashi was looking up at his from where he crouched to get a better look at Naruto's arm. "Hai, Kaka-sensei?"

"I said that it looks fine…" For a split second, a frown appeared on Kakashi's face. 'The Kyuubi's already healing it…' "I'll bandage it anyway, so it won't get infected." True to his word, Kakashi bandaged Naruto's forearm.

Watching Kakashi curiously, Tazuna asked, "How did you know…?"

"About the two Missing-nin…? On a sunny day like this, where it hasn't rain in days, there's not going to be a puddle," replied the Jounin in a matter-of-factly tone of voice.

Tazuna blinked at the simple realization, but then frowned, "If you knew that, why did you let the brats fight?"

"If I wanted to," The Jounin replied confidently, "I could've killed these two instantly, but…" His eyes darkened, "There was something I needed to find out… I needed to know who these two were after."

"What do you mean?"

"Meaning that… were they after you or one of us?" Kakashi took his eyes from Naruto's arm and fixed Tazuna with a piercing gaze, his brow furrowed. 'Many would've tried to assassinate Naruto…' "We haven't heard that there are shinobi's after you. Our mission was simply to protect you from thieves or gangs. This has now become at least a B-Rank mission. This was supposed to be a simple protection until you completed the bridge." Tazuna looked down, ashamed. "If it was known that ninjas were after you, this mission would've been set as the more expensive B-Rank. I'm sure you had a reason, but it causes problems when you lie about the mission. We are now operating outside of duties."

On the sidelines, Sasuke and Naruto stood in thought, while Sakura blinked nervously. "We… We aren't ready for this mission!" She exclaimed, slightly sweaty with fright, "Let's quit!"

Kakashi nodded a little, "This might to too much…"

"No!" Naruto cut in determinately. Everyone turned to look at him as he stared them all down defiantly, a fierce look in his eyes. "We are ninjas and we're supposed to expect the unexpected, aren't we? So, if that's true, I'm going on whether you like it or not! …If we don't go on, then how are we ever going to learn a shinobi's life, sensei? I don't see sense in over-protecting us."

Kakashi blinked and gazed at him for what seemed the longest moment. 'He's… got guts, I'll give him that.' Naruto looked back at him, standing his ground, unwavering.

"Sasuke…Sakura…" Kakashi addressed them, looking over Naruto's head, "Do you feel ready to complete a mission of this status?"

"Hn." Sasuke nodded to his sensei without hesitation. If it helped him get stronger, he would participate… no matter what the cost. The Haruno's eyes, however, darted from Naruto to Sasuke, who were both now looking at her.

"…Sakura?"

Swallowing her fears, she fixed her sensei with the exact same defiance that burned within Sasuke and Naruto. She nodded.

Wherever Sasuke went, she would follow.

------

A while later found Team 7 aboard a small rowing boat…

"What thick mist… I can't see ahead," commented Naruto, somewhat annoyed. 'I wanted to see if there were any places for enemy ninja to hide…'

The man who was rowing the boat spoke up, drawing the attention of the passengers, "We should see the bridge soon. Nami no Kuni is at the base of the bridge."

Soon enough, a wavering silhouette emerged from the mist. As the bridge came into view, Sakura exclaimed in awe, "Wow! It's huge!"

"Hey! Be quiet," reprimanded the man rowing them, "Why do you think we are hiding in the mist and not using the engine? We'll be in deep trouble if Gatou finds us!"

Soon they reached land and clambered carefully out of the boat. Sasuke and Sakura got off undisturbed. However, when Naruto's foot touched the shore, he immediately felt something was off.

"Kit, something's wrong here…" The demon's voice sounded in Naruto's head as the boy stepped out of the boat and looked around at the boat docks inconspicuously.

"I know." The boy replied, turning with his other team mates to wait as their sensei stepped of the boat, followed by their now-sober client. "Someone is watching us… someone powerful… probably Jounin level… Do you recon Kaka-sensei knows?"

"He is a former ANBU captain, isn't he? Of course he noticed… or at least suspects."

"Yeah, you're right…"

Although Naruto was being loud and brash, acting foolish on the outside, he, along with Sekimusha, were on high alert, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious at all. Suddenly, without warning, he threw a kunai into the bushes on the side of the road, startling everyone.

"Naruto-baka! What was that for?-!" Shannaro! Scaring me like that!

Without answering her, the blonde made a show of going over to the bushes and revealed a downright terrified white snow hare, frozen in fright. Right above its head, stuck to a tree, was the kunai Naruto just threw. Everyone let out a secret sigh of relief as the target was revealed – the hare was definitely not an enemy.

"Baka! You scared it!" Sakura yelled, hitting Naruto over the head. Naruto just stumbled forward to the hare, pulling his weapon out of the tree.

Naruto hugged it tight, "Gomen, Usagi-chan!" "They used Kawarimi no Jutsu…"

Kakashi sighed, 'That Naruto… It was just a white snow hare…' Kakashi froze, his eyes widening as a thought came to him, 'Matte… a white, white snow hare? Their fur is supposed to be brown in spring… That would mean… Kuso… the enemy is already here!'

"Get down!" The Jounin's voice rang through the trees urgently, and the Genin obeyed, dragging Tazuna down with them. As they hit the floor, an object span through the air, ruffling the hair on their heads. With a thud, the gigantic sword held fast in a tree before them. Through strands of blonde hair, Naruto peered up, spying a ninja stood atop the blade. His eyes widened in shock.

'M-Masaka…-!'

"The Demon of the Hidden Mist…"

"Momochi Zabuza…"

Name: Momochi Zabuza

Registration ID:

Age: 25

Hidden Village: Kirigakure no Sato

Rank: Former ANBU, Jounin, A-Class Missing Nin

Kekkei Genkai: N/A

Alias: Devil of the Bloody Mist, Former member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist

Trademark Technique: N/A

Trademark Weapon: Head Cleaving Sword

Others: He slaughtered all the one hundred candidates one day for the Genin Exams as a child when he was not even in the academy. This incident led to a pivotal change in the Genin Exams for the future. An expert in silent killing, Zabuza attempted to assassinate the Mizukage, but failed to do so.

Naruto got to his feet steadily, shrugging of Sakura who had dived haphazardly on top of him in her haste. "He's a Jounin, Musha… I can't take him. What do we do? I can also sense someone else watching us… another male… a powerful too."

"Leave it to Kakashi, Kit, and help him when needed… It's the only thing you cando…"

In apprehension, the three Genin watched as Zabuza conversed with Kakashi, seeming almost polite in his speech, like an old acquaintance greeting someone he met long ago…

"Well, well…" Kakashi chuckled, "If it isn't Momochi Zabuza… The kid who ran off and left the Land of the Hidden Mists…"

Beside him, Naruto felt Sasuke tense and he looked over to see that the Uchiha's jaw and fists were clenched, with a steely determination and defiance in his onyx eyes. Naruto could've sworn that, for a second, those piercing midnight orbs flickered to him, filled with a venomous daring. 'Don't you dare,' they seemed to say, 'Just try it and see how far you get.' Without quite knowing why, shivers ran down Naruto's spine.

'Those eyes… that look… That look was…'

Musha's voice resounded urgently in his head. "Kit, he's going to try and fight Zabuza! Hold him back if you have to! Stop him!"

'…Itachi's look…'

'Don't you dare, Naruto…'

For a moment, Naruto couldn't tell the difference between the past and the present. Caught in nostalgia, if anyone had asked him so, Naruto could've sworn to them that those eyes belonged to Itachi… With the same look, daring Naruto to go against him, to contradict him, to stop… For a moment, Naruto could've sworn that Sasuke was his brother in disguise.

"Naruto!"

Quick as a flash, Naruto's hand whipped out and gripped Sasuke by the arm. The Uchiha turned to him, the same burning look in his eyes.

"Don't," Naruto said calmly, his grasp tightening.

"Don't do it, Itachi-nii!"

Sasuke flinched at the harsh grip, fingers biting into his arm. Uncaring for the moment that he was slipping out of his happy-go-lucky routine, Naruto continued dominantly, "Don't be a fool and try to take him on by yourself."

"You're being unreasonable, Itachi-nii! If you do this, you can't ever come back to Konoha!"

As he looked at Naruto, Sasuke felt like snarling. How dare Naruto talk like he knew him?-! Stupid dead-last! Yet, out of earshot of anyone else, Naruto kept talking. "You're just throwing your life away if you do, Sasuke."

"Itachi, would you really do that to your own family?-!"

Cerulean eyes burned right into Sasuke's soul, fixing him with the same look Itachi had given the Jinchuuriki so many times. "You. Can't. Beat. Him."

"You can't do this! Itachi-nii!"

"What would a Dobe like you know?" Sasuke's voice was low, choked with barely suppressed rage, as he addressed the blonde. He tried to jerk his arm away, but Naruto held on stubbornly. "Luck is all you have!" 'It must've been luck, to get so near to defeating the Demon Brothers…' "At least I know how to use a strategy, unlike you with your spur-of-the-moment rashness!" 'But still… The way he made it look so easy… I can't… I won't let a dunce like him upstage me… I can't let someone as weak as him get stronger than me!'

There was a look in Naruto's eye, and for a moment Sasuke wondered if Naruto could tell what he was thinking… if he was that easy to read…

"Why the hell do you feel the need to prove yourself, Sasuke?-!"

The question was so unforeseen, so abrupt, that, for a moment, Sasuke was taken aback. He blinked in surprise and stopped tensing up against Naruto's strong hold. Naruto let his arm drop and gazed at him with a look that Sasuke couldn't identify. "Why, Sasuke?" He asked quietly. Sasuke gazed back, his sight slightly unfocused, no doubt their whispered conversation dragging up memories from the past.

"…"

"…"

"…For my brother."

Naruto and Sasuke faced each other and, at that moment, Naruto swore that Sasuke and Itachi were one in the same.

"Itachi… Why?"

"…For my brother."

The words were the exact same… but the meanings, so totally different… Sasuke was trying to prove himself, so that he could kill Itachi… But… Itachi… Itachi just wanted to save him.

Naruto blinked a few times, as though dragging himself from a deep stupor. He was no longer confused by the past. In his mind, his memory of Itachi had, only for a moment, overlapped Sasuke, confusing him greatly. Now, the differences were made oh so clear to him. Naruto relaxed and, content, now, with the order of the past and present again, hid within his mask of smiles once more.

Sasuke averted his gaze and, without another word, Naruto turned away.

Their conversation had gone unnoticed by all, with everyone else to busy facing the Mist Demon. As Sasuke and Naruto turned back to the unfolding battle, they carefully avoided each others gaze, instead choosing to ignore all that had just happened. Naruto believed that he had just found the single chink in Sasuke's, other-wise full proof, emotional armor.

"Serves him right, then, for choosing the path of an avenger; he'll have to learn to expect a few kinks that he'll have to smooth out. If he didn't know it was going to be tough, avenging the past, he shouldn't have vowed revenge on his brother!"

"Musha, can't you learn to show a bit of empathy? It wouldn't hurt, you know!"

"He's a tough kid, he doesn't need my sympathy!"

"There's a difference between being sympathetic and empathetic, Musha… And I'm not telling you that you have to be, all I'm saying is that it wouldn't hurt you to be a bit kinder…"

"Naruto, I'm a thousand year old demon, sealed inside you. No one's going to know if I'm being kind or not, let alone care if I am!"

"Yeah, yeah, you're just worried it'll ruin your reputation."

"Shut up and eyes on the fight, Kit, you never know, you might just learn something new…"

With a small start, Naruto turned his eyes to where Kakashi had just revealed his sole Sharingan. Naruto watched, intrigued, having only seen Itachi's Sharingan in action a few times in the past.

"Watch closely, Kit… Because if you think I'm teaching you anything new this week after all that crap about empathizing, you're so wrong."

"Nani?-! Musha—!"

The Kyuubi just laughed. 'Me, empathizing? Yeah right, I think that talk he had with the Uchiha brat unhinged Kit a bit… he's out of his frickin' mind!'

Unaware to the Kyuubi's musings, Naruto watched warily as pure killing intent emanated from Kakashi as his brown and blood red eyes searched for Zabuza in the rapidly forming mist. The intent was so thick and suffocating, that it froze Sasuke, Sakura and Tazuna to the spot. Naruto couldn't blame them, for even he was somewhat intimidated by the sheer hate rolling off Kakashi in waves.

There was a sudden spike in the blood lust, and Naruto gulped apprehensively, his hands shaking as the feeling of pure despise enveloped him. This was the level of an ex-Anbu captain… Zabuza's laughed echoed from the fog, ringing in their ears.

"Relax," Kakashi's voice suddenly pierced the uncanny silence that had fallen. The three Genin raised their eyes to lock with their sensei's as he looked over his shoulder. Slowly, reassuringly, Kakashi smiled, "Even if I'm killed, I will never let my comrades die."

Naruto mentally rolled his eyes at the last statement, 'A fat help you are once you're dead. Besides, mistakes of the past can easily be repeated.' However, despite his misgivings, Naruto found the strength to repel the killing intent, thanks to Kakashi's words of reassurance. Looking to his left, he saw that Sasuke and Sakura had been able to do the same.

Someone, however, obviously didn't believe Kakashi's self-proclamation, as Zabuza's cruel laughter echoed in their ears once more.

"I wouldn't bet on that…"

Perhaps Kakashi realized before Naruto, perhaps not, but it didn't matter for they both moved at the same time.

"Game over, gaki."

Zabuza suddenly materialized in the midst of the Genin, sword already swinging round to live up to its name as Naruto's eyes widened and he fell backwards, pulling Tazuna with him. At the same moment, Kakashi used the Shunshin no Jutsu and drove a kunai into Zabuza's side, simultaneously flinging Sasuke and Sakura from harm.

Hefting himself into a sitting position on the floor, Naruto narrowed his eyes as he spied not blood, but water dripping from the wound in Zabuza's side where Kakashi still held the kunai. With a gasp, Naruto gave a yell, "Sensei, behind you!"

The Mizu Bunshin exploded into water as Kakashi whipped around in time to see Zabuza's sword swing wide and low, slicing his midsection in half. Sakura screamed and Sasuke's eyes widened. For a moment, Kakashi looked surprised, Zabuza triumphant, before the Hatake suddenly burst into ribbons of water, splashing to the ground.

"Wha—?-!"

A cold blade was pressed against the Mist Demon's neck. Zabuza hissed as Kakashi looked at him in contempt, "Game over, gaki." The Leaf Jounin copied the Demon's words just like he copied the Demon's jutsus. There was a heartbeat of absolute silence, before Zabuza suddenly laughed. Kakashi frowned and pressed harder on the blade as he stood behind the missing-nin.

"You think it's over, Kakashi? Give me some credit. I'm not that easy to fool…"

Then he too scattered into water droplets and Kakashi's kunai slipped from his grasp. 'Kuso!' On instinct, Kakashi ducked as the great blade once more swung at his midsection. The Hatake felt his hair raffle in the blade's wake and, before he knew it, he had been kicked high into the air. 'Nani?-!'

He landed with a splash in the nearby lake, coughing slightly as he rose to the surface. 'The water… It's… heavy… Why…-?'

"Suirou no Jutsu!"

"Nani?-!" Water encased him, swirling up from beneath his feet as Zabuza trapped him in the water prison. Gasping and suddenly having the urge to voice every swear word he knew, Kakashi looked out across the water to where his Genin stood, shocked and scared. Despair washed over him when he realised that there was no way he could get out.

"Kami damn him…" Kakashi whispered, a snarling hate bubbling up in his chest as he peered up at Zabuza, leering down at up. "Dammit!" He swore again. He locked eyes with his team. "Just run!"

"It's no use, Kakashi… Their so incapable, they can't even move from fear… look at them."

And Kakashi did look. Sakura's eyes were wide and she was trembling, whereas Sasuke looked determined, yet unsure what to do… He would obviously get jumpy if the uncertainty carried on for long. Then, Kakashi's eyes found Naruto's and saw that he was completely calm.

'Normally, I would praise him for being calm in such a situation…demo… Naruto's the one kid who'll disregard anything anyone says and do something reckless… Dammit, Naruto—!'

Kakashi's thoughts were cut off as Zabuza suddenly spoke, grinning at him with an evil look in his eye. "I'll finish you later, Kakashi… Now that you're out of the way, I have no hindrance. Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!" There was a swishing sound as a second Zabuza morphed out of the water and advanced on the three Genin.

"You, gaki, you call yourself a ninja? I bet you're scared of even such a trivial thing as getting injured, let alone dying… I can see you trembling as you stand." Zabuza's sadistic eyes found Naruto's somewhat calm ones and the demon smiled, his eyes lighting up with an evil sheen of hungry delight. "…Whereas a true ninja is one who has crossed and re-crossed the border between the lands of the living and the dead…"

'He thinks I don't know that? He says that like he's died a thousand times over… I bet he never had over one hundred assassination attempts by the age of four…'

"Don't do anything reckless, Kit…"

"Ha, look who's talking? You would've ripped his head off already!"

"Hai, demo, Kit, I'm a Bijuu King, I'm allowed to be reckless." Naruto could almost see the smugness in his voice.

"Well, Ou no Bijuu, your recklessness is what got you tricked by a certain Hebi Sannin and got you sealed within me."

"Hey! That's a low blow…"

"Hai, demo, Musha, guess what?"

The Kyuubi heaved an exasperated sigh, swearing that he could almost see his vessel's hidden smirk. "What, Kit?"

"It's true." Cue serious blow to a certain Bijuu King's pride right about here.

"Kit?"

Something about the Kyuubi's suddenly calm, collected and absolutely normal voice should have warned Naruto to watch his step right then. However, Naruto was completely oblivious, too busy silently laughing at his own joke… which was kind of sad, in the Kyuubi's eyes. Luckily, on the outside, the blonde looked as serious as anything could be, staring defiantly at Zabuza. Little did the Mist Demon know that, Naruto's gaze was actually turned inwards, towards the Kyuubi.

Soon, Naruto finally got his laughter under control, "Hai, Musha?"

The Kyuubi smirked and Naruto suddenly felt very exposed. "I'd look out, if I were you."

Naruto snapped back to reality just in time to find Zabuza's foot connecting soundly with his chest. "Ack—!" He landed with a crash on the ground, vaguely hearing Sakura scream his name through the buzzing filling his ears. A drip of blood slid from the corner his mouth.

Amazingly, he smiled, "Heh."

"You blocked my senses on purpose, you damn fox!"

Musha just laughed wholeheartedly at that"It's your own fault for provoking someone who has the power to do that to you."

"Shut it, fox," growled Naruto as he immediately cut off the Kyuubi's voice, turning his attention to Zabuza. Carefully, Naruto clambered to his feet, an aura of carelessness about him.

"Yo, what's it like living without eyebrows…" Naruto gave another cough, blood tumbling in a small stream from the corner of his mouth. "…Freak?"

Zabuza's nonexistence eyebrows twitched at that comment, and he leaked out a dose more of killing intent. Kakashi was staring at him, eyes wide in pure horror, knowing Naruto has just signed his death contract. From behind the blonde, Sasuke and Sakura were looking anxiously from Zabuza to Naruto and back. They were wondering if he was going to get himself killed.

'I can't take him on and win… that would be plain stupid…' Naruto wiped the blood from his mouth, grinning triumphantly. Zabuza would never guess the millions of plans flashing behind his cerulean eyes. 'My best bet is to get Kakashi free… I can see a few possible ways of doing it… But there's that stranger, in the woods… watching us.' His eyes flickered briefly to the exact spot where a hunter-nin stood, hidden to any eyes but his own. 'Something tells me that he's not on our side…Dammit! What to do…-?'

Then it hit him. It was the most efficient –albeit not the easiest– plan at his disposal. At least, it wouldn't compromise on his hidden abilities. 'It's too early for them to know the real me…'

"Oi, Sasuke, Sakura… Listen up."

Sakura and Sasuke's attention immediately turned to him, surprised. Sasuke spoke, "What is it, Dobe?"

Naruto grinned foxily, "I have a plan."

------

Within his water-y prison, Kakashi watched the scene unfold with avid eyes, trying to see any way out of the unfolding situation. 'Baka Naruto doesn't know when to quit!'

"What the hell is wrong with you?-!" The Jounin yelled desperately, his voice slightly broken up by the water sphere swirling about him. "Get out of here, it's already over! You have to protect the bridge builder!"

Startled by unexpected cry, Naruto started and turned to his sensei. "Huh?-!" He raised an eyebrow and answered back, disbelieving, "Sensei, didn't you first say that those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worst then scum?-!" Naruto's cerulean eyes blazed defiance as he looked Kakashi squarely in the eyes, unflinching as his steely gaze met the Sharingan, daring the Jounin to say otherwise. "You are our comrade, Kaka-sensei, and we're not leaving you behind!" His voice dropped to a growl and he glared at his sensei. "Don't you ever say different, Sensei."

For once, Hatake Kakashi, the infamous Copy-Ninja, esteemed ex-Anbu Captain and son of the White Fang, was completely stunned; he didn't know how he should react. Part of him was proud that they took his words to heart, and yet, another part was distressed knowing that they might as well have just handed their souls to the Shinigami on a silver platter.

'Baka, Naruto. Stupid idiot.'

"Oi, Ojii?"

Tazuna started, realizing that Naruto was addressing him. "Hai?"

"Can we…?" Naruto trailed off as he gazed up at the old man with his infamous puppy dog eyes. The ones that usually got Kyuubi, Sandaime Hokage, Iruka and all his other precious people to do as he said.

Tazuna gave a deep, long sigh at the blonde's hopeful gaze, "It's my fault you got into this mess in the first place, lying about the requirements… The least I can do to repay you is to let you save your sensei." He let out a small smile, "Don't worry about me, gaki, just do what you want to do."

Naruto turned back to the two Jounin with triumph in his blue eyes as he stuck out his tongue in a childish manner, "Tazuna-jiji just gave us the permission to stay behind, so there!"

Kakashi glared at him through the water prison as Zabuza just threw back his head and laughed.

"Soon, shrimp, you're going to wish he'd never given you that permission." The Mist Demon sneered, grinning insanely beneath his mask of bandages.

Naruto's face turned to a snarl as he forced a smile. As calmly as could be expected for the insult he had just received, he asked, "What did you just call me?"

In his cage, Sekimusha snickered into his paws, eagerly awaiting the blonde's next move. Past experiences had told him that Naruto seriously hated being called short. The word 'shrimp' was practically taboo.

"Screw the plan." Naruto glared at the smirking Jounin as he let out a small animalistic growl, killer intent leaked from every fiber of his being. Although, it was only a tiny bit compared to what Naruto could really generate – he decided it wouldn't be good for a Genin to be seen releasing anything other than what he was releasing now. He satisfied himself with the knowledge that, had he released his normal amount of killing intent, Zabuza would've surely flinched.

Without warning, Naruto leapt wildly at the clone, kunai in hand, bearing slightly longer canines thanks to Musha's excitement of the forthcoming battle.

"Naruto!" Sakura's frightened outburst echoed through the air as a mist suddenly rolled in from all sides, swallowing up her team mate and shielding him from her sight. "Naruto!"

Ignoring Sakura's worried cries, Naruto hurtled towards Zabuza's real body, dodging the water clone, clenching the kunai tight in his hand as he ran. With another leap, he saw the Mist Demon's hand shift to his gigantic sword, ready to swing it outwards and split the blonde's stomach wide open. Tensing, Naruto waited until his momentum hurled him close enough so that he could see the burning desire for battle gleaming in Zabuza's eyes, before he suddenly disappeared.

Growling, Zabuza's head whipped from side to side, surprised, "Was that Shunshin no Jutsu?" His eyes narrowed, "Iie… It was just a shadow clone." His thick mist apparently was a double-edged sword, as it had hindered his own eyes; the smoke from the dispelled clone had been camouflaged amid the swirling expanse of white.

Suddenly, there was a shift in the air. The mist thickened and out of the white vapors flew a giant Windmill Shuriken; startled at first, Zabuza's look of surprise turned to a smirk as he deftly caught it in his hand. Laughing at the sheer fruitlessness of the Konoha ninja's situation, he was suddenly cut off by a fist flying out from his left. His laughter was cut short and he leant back to avoid it, his arm still encasing the water prison around Kakashi's helpless frame.

Naruto's form faded out of the fog like a ghost, flitting out towards Zabuza. To the Jinchuuriki's annoyance, the Demon of the Hidden Mist easily dodged all of his blows, still keeping the swirling water torrent in place. Naruto growled.

"He is a Jounin, Kit…"

The halfway consoling comment from the Kyuubi was dutifully ignored as Naruto slipped back into the mist, weapons clanging to the ground, deflected by Zabuza's sword that was currently being wielded with one hand. 'If he had both free… I wouldn't stand a chance. Kuso!'

Naruto froze. Zabuza's killing intent was pushing down on him from all sides, trying to force him out. Subconsciously, Naruto noted that this was probably how people felt when he gave them a dose of his own bloodlust. Right now, Naruto couldn't move. The sheer force of the Jounin's intent had him frozen to the spot. Dear Kami, it was terrifying!

"MoveKit!"

At the barking command in the Kyuubi's voice, Naruto suddenly snapped out of his rabbit-caught-in-headlights frame of mind. He shook himself and growled, suddenly feeling very tired.

'Dammit, what the hell's happening? My chakra's low…'

"Well, with you laying your own Kirigakure no Jutsu on top of Zabuza's to give you cover, it's draining your chakra reserves even further when they're still not back to their original level from that training you did the other day, you baka! I warned you and warned you but you wouldn't—!"

"Just… shut it, Musha."

'My chakra won't last much longer at this rate…Kuso…' Naruto growled under his breath. 'Change of plan… Where's that bastard Sasuke?'

Zabuza stood in the mist; alone save for the trapped Jounin by his side, his water doppelganger having been dispelled since the mist swelled up. 'That brat… What's he up to now?'

Suddenly, from the corner of his sharp eyes, he caught the sight of another giant shuriken zooming towards him. Zabuza jumped over the dangerous weapon in the nick of time, just an inch above it. "You'll have to do better than that, gaki!" he shouted triumphantly to the air.

Momentarily, his heightened ears caught the sounds of a small poof behind him, and he turned his head sharply, to see Naruto falling through the air with a kunai ready in his hand.

"Sasuke!" The Jinchuuriki's voice rang out through the doubled mist which, Zabuza discovered too late, had been a cover for the Uchiha. As the kunai left the blonde's hand from behind the Mist Demon, a fireball suddenly morphed from the mist, heading straight for the Jounin missing-nin. Zabuza swore. With an attack from either front, his only option was to dodge completely. He wrenched his arm from the water prison as the kunai grazed his cheek, blood spurting into the fog Naruto's jutsu was still creating.

Water crashed in torrents into the lake as Naruto made it back to dry land, unnoticed by anyone else. Coughing the water from his lungs –due to his impact with the water after his little stunt–, he pulled himself up against a tree, not noticing that he was a fair bit further down the lake's shore from his team mates, not to mention covered from their sight by the curving tree line.

With a small cough, Naruto dispelled his Hidden Mist technique, the fatigue of chakra depravation finally dragging down his small frame. 'Damn… no more training for me for a while… I should've listened to that damned fox…' Looking out across the water, he spied Kakashi climbing from the lake to stand and face the Kirigakure Jounin. "Heh." Naruto smiled tiredly at the thought of the ass-kicking Zabuza was sure to receive, before swaying dangerously. His head span and vision blurred as he suddenly collapsed, hitting the ground.

Suddenly, in the back of his ebbing mind, he was aware of a strange chakra presence beside him. It seemed… familiar; where had he felt it before? That's when he realized – his team mates didn't know where he was. As the mind-numbing darkness claimed his consciousness, the foreign chakra presence slipped from his memory and his last thoughts were ones of annoyance.

'Crap… I'm… not getting… left behind…'

He really should've listened to that damn fox.

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What do you think of our fourth chapter? Read and Review. I just love you reviewers.

Disclaimer: Any characters you recognize form the Naruto Series aren't ours, they are Kishimoto Masashi's. Only the plot, etc... are oursPlease ask for permission and getting it before taking our things.

PS There's a reason I said'etc' people.

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May fantasy guide your writing through it all - Dementra