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The Shinobi Knight
Chapter4: Battle of the Wave Part 1
Land of Wave: Coast
It took them two days to reach the island while sneaking passed the patrols and mercenaries that guarded it from 'unwanted inference'. Team B hadn't been so bad, or at least the bridge builder thought so. They were mostly quiet on the journey with Kirabi constantly writing in his pad—probably making up new raps—while the two Genin seemed to be trying to ignore each other. They had gotten off the boat and were walking through the forest when Yugito suddenly stopped and flung a kunai into the nearby bush.
"W-what?" Tazuza tensed as Kirabi pushed them both down.
Yugito dropped to the ground also but Naruto turned quickly, unsheathing the Ryujin and bringing it up to deflect the oncoming attack. A massive sword, a Zanbato came flying out of the trees and slammed into the Ryujin, forcing Naruto back several feet but it ultimately clattered to the ground.
"Impressive boy; to withstand the force behind a thrown sword of that size like that is impressive for a Genin. I see you train your students well Hachibi," the attacker said as he appeared beside his fallen sword. He shouldered the massive weapon and glared, "not that it matters. Hand over the bridge builder now," he demanded.
"Who the hell is this guy?" Naruto asked as he held the Ryujin at his side.
"Momochi Zabuza, one of the Seven Shinobi Swordsman of the mist. He's nicknamed the Demon of the Mist in the Bingo Book...it's said that he once tried to assassinate the Yondaime Mizukage," Yugito explained.
"It's good that I know whose ass I'm about to kick," Naruto said as he planted his sword in the ground beside him and brought his hands together in a seal. "Jinchuuriki no Jutsu," an instant later red chakra explode from his body.
'That's the...when the hell he learn how to harness the Kyuubi's chakra?' Yugito thought in surprise.
'I really need to thank sensei for teaching me this jutsu,' Naruto thought as he grasped the Ryujin again.
"My power comes with a price boy...remember that," he heard a sinister voice say from the back of his mind.
'Consider it rent for housing you for so damn long,' Naruto shot back as he twirled the Ryujin in his hands like it was second nature.
'This chakra is...inhuman,' Zabuza narrowed his eyes as the boy disappeared in a burst of speed. 'There's no question,' the nukenin thought and turned swiftly digging Kubikiri Hōchō into the ground just as Naruto appeared behind him and swung Ryujin around, hitting the Kubikiri Hōchō with a resounding clang of metal striking metal. 'He is definitely a Jinchuuriki if that jutsu and chakra of his is anything to go by. Still...compared to Yagura-teme he's nothing more than a child,' Zabuza thought before he spun quickly and cleaved the blond boy in half.
"Naruto!" Yugito shouted as saw her teammate bisected.
"Why aren't you helping them?" Tazuna asked the Jonin at his side who was currently writing in his notebook.
"Because I want to see how they fair in a real fight; it should be an interesting sight," Kirabi answered in rap.
There was no blood...
Just a poof of smoke...
'A shadow clone?' Zabuza thought in alarm as an orange blur appeared behind him. He turned quickly only to receive a solid punch across the face, knocking him away.
"How do you like that?" Naruto's voice echoed through the clearing. A second later Zabuza suddenly dissolved into water, "what?"
"Not bad kid but you just aren't there yet," the real Zabuza said as he appeared behind the blond boy. "Now die!" the nukenin shouted as he brought down Kubikiri Hōchō on the boy. There was an echoing clang as Yugito appeared before them, two kunai in hand, her body covered in blue-purple chakra and clashed with the far larger Kubikiri Hōchō. "Heh heh so he has two Jinchuuriki students...how fitting!"
Zabuza laughed as he forced his sword further down, trying to knock the girl off balance. Naruto then came in from the side and slashed with the Ryujin, forcing Zabuza to back off. Yugito then jumped over the boy and threw a ball of lightning at the nukenin.
"Raikyu!" Yugito called out as she hurled the jutsu at him. It struck its target and Zabuza dissolved into water, 'damn it he made a water clone!'
The real Zabuza suddenly appeared behind the two and swung Kubikiri Hōchō round, "I've got you now kiddies!" There was a resounding clang as Kubikiri Hōchō hit a katana held by Kirabi, "I thought you were sitting out?" he taunted.
"You two take a break and consider what's at stake," Kirabi said to his two students.
"So you're finally getting off your ass and doing something eh? Alright I'll take you on," Zabuza said and spun quickly; bring his sword around to slash the dark-skinned Jonin. Kirabi withdrew another sword and parried the strike with ease. He then flexed his arms slightly and another five swords shot into the air which he caught with different parts of his body, 'what the-'.
Kirabi stood there for a moment and spoke with the hilt of a sword in his mouth, "I'll give you a taste of my hook."
'What's up with that stance?' Zabuza thought with narrowed eyes as Kirabi suddenly shot forward. "Shit," he grunted as he pulled back just as Kirabi struck down on the position he was just at. Faster than most could see, Kirabi was already upon him again forcing him to bring Kubikiri Hōchō up to defend himself.
"Yo first I'm gonna float and fly like a butterfly," Kirabi began as he charged lightning chakra through his swords, knocking Kubikiri Hōchō to the side and leaving an opening in Zabuza's defences.
'What's up with his Kenjutsu? I can barely read it at all,' Zabuza thought with widen eyes.
"Then I sting ya like a killer bee! Cause' I'm the eight-tailed beast!" Kirabi declared as he impaled Zabuza with five of his swords.
'Awesome,' Naruto thought as he watched on.
Zabuza hit the ground with a thud as the Hachibi Jinchuuriki moved in to finish him off, "and I end my flow with a finishing blow!"
A white blur came in from the side and grabbed Zabuza, rolling them out of the way just as Kirabi struck down.
"What the—where the hell did he come from?" Naruto shouted as he pointed to the newcomer who was wearing a mask.
"I didn't even sense him," Yugito muttered worriedly.
"You aren't a hunter-nin," Kirabi said simply and charged forward. "You would have killed this guy already instead of saving him you little fly!" he shouted as he closed in.
'We must escape now!' the mask-wearing newcomer thought quickly and formed a hand-seal. The newcomer and Zabuza disappeared in a poof of smoke a second later, "Shunshin no Jutsu."
"What was that about?" Naruto asked confused.
"The guy who saved Zabuza was dressed as a Kiri hunter-nin but if that was true then he would have not only killed Zabuza himself but also completely destroyed the body. That hunter-nin was clearly one of Zabuza's allies," Yugito explained.
"So it's not over yet," Naruto said as he sheathed the Ryujin.
"That's not a pleasant thought," Tazuna said with a sigh. "Come on; my house is not too far from here. We can rest once we're there...this way," the four disappeared into the mist again a moment later.
Land of Wave: Nami House
"Are you alright father?" the twenty-eight year old woman asked Tazuna. The bridge builder nodded with a sigh as he dropped onto the futon, "you look like you've been through hell."
"Stupid old drunk, he didn't even do anything," Naruto muttered before Yugito elbowed him.
"I'm fine Tsunami but it's been a long day so I need my sleep," Tazuna said as he stared up at the ceiling.
"Zabuza will probably take a week to recover...what until then?" Yugito asked.
"We're gonna train yo, and then we're gonna make them wet their pants like little ants," Kirabi replied in song.
"And how do we do that?" Yugito inquired.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu," Naruto said as he slapped his hand down on the ground and seals spread out across it. A large scroll instantly appeared in before him and he hefted it up onto his shoulders.
"What is that?" Yugito asked surprised.
"This is the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing which I brought with me when I...left Konoha and came to Kumo. The Raikage can't open it because of something the dragons did to it and they've been holding onto it for me. Only I can open it because it's keyed to my blood so no one else can get their hands on its secrets," Naruto explained as he set the scroll down.
"So what's in it?" Yugito asked intrigued.
"Every jutsu Konoha has ever acquired...including my father's," Naruto replied.
"You don't have the chakra control yet for those, fool, ya fool," Kirabi spoke up.
"Yeah I know," Naruto nodded in understanding.
"You need to bring up your control so I want ya to start walking on water while swirling kunai in your hand. This will allow you to at the very least stand," Kirabi said to his two students.
"Yes Kirabi-sensei," the two Genin nodded at the order.
Just then a young boy entered the room...
And Naruto could tell it was going to be a long week...
Land of Wave: Nami House
"So what's the plan?" Yugito asked as they all sat down at the kitchen table.
"We find out where they're hiding and bring them pain. That way we will become their bane," Kirabi rapped.
"So we find this Gato guy and then hit him where it hurt right?" Naruto asked having gotten used to their sensei's habits.
"Right-oh nine-oh," Kirabi sang with a nod.
"How do we find him? I'm a sensory type and I can't sense Zabuza or that hunter-nin anywhere on the island. Where do we start looking?" Yugito asked.
"Naruto you should make some clones and have them scout the other islands. When you find something Yugito should be able to locate Zabuza; fools ya fools," Kirabi explained.
"I'll do that," Naruto nodded.
"Why? No matter how hard you train, you'll never match Gato's thugs!" yelled Tazuna's grandson, Inari. "You all act cool and talk tough but big, strong guys like that are always too much for people weaker than they are. They'll destroy you!"
"Shut up; I'm not you and I'm not going to lose to anyone. Least of all a bunch of bullies," Naruto said with a snort.
"Just watching you ticks me off! You go running your mouth when you don't know a thing! This isn't your town and you don't know a thing about me! You're always clowning around and having fun. You don't know a thing about suffering or loneliness or what my life is like!" Inari shouted.
"...Actually I know more than you think," Naruto said after a moment. "I've heard that your father was considered a hero, someone who put his life on the line to do the right thing and your entire country betrayed him by not helping him. You think you're the only one has suffered? Don't be stupid," he levelled a glare at the boy. "Since the day I was born I have been lied to by those around me and people have even tried to kill me simply because I exist. My father was a hero too and despite that they discarded his dying wish and even went as far as to not even tell me he was my father."
'Naruto...' Yugito thought in surprise and a bit of sadness as Kirabi looked on silently.
"I had to be brought to the edge of insanity just to find out who my father was and you sit there in front of me and whine about Gato's invincible mercenaries? Don't insult me," Naruto snarled as his flashed red for a moment. "I have stood in front a demon that could level a nation by itself and chose to become a sage instead of a monster. Even now it tries to corrupt me but I won't let it and I'll keep fighting long after Gato is dead." He stood up a moment later and headed for the door, "I'm out of here."
"Wait Naruto-" Yugito stood up in protest but Kirabi grabbed her arm.
"Let him go...he needs to time so take it slow," the Hachibi Jinchuuriki told her.
"Was what he said true?" Tsunami asked worriedly.
"He hasn't had a very good life even by Jinchuuriki standards," Kirabi explained. "He has only started to live his life away from those bastards," he finished referring to Konoha. "At least Kumo trained me...but unlike Kumo, Konoha didn't want anything to do with the Kyuubi," he added after a moment.
"I-I didn't know," Yugito stammered out and lowered her gaze to the floor. "I had no idea that he...I thought he was treated like we are."
"Naruto grew up facing the darker side of humanity; even I am amazed he has maintained his sanity," Kirabi said with sigh. "He wasn't beaten or anything like that...but they wouldn't have lifted a finger if he were to go splat."
'And I said those things to him back in Kumo...I'm such a fool,' Yugito thought sadly.
Author's Notes:
Before anyone complains I made up the Jinchuuriki no Jutsu as a means to successfully draw on the power of the Biju without any unnecessary action (like being pushed off a cliff or going into rage-induced insanity). In this story Kirabi created it to train in using their Biju's chakra without losing complete control. Currently they can only withstand the regular Jinchuuriki form with their tailed forms being too far out of their reach just yet without losing all control.
In related news, holy shit! Have you seen the anime lately? I haven't been watching it in quiet awhile since the start of the Pain Arc but seriously have you seen the latest episode? Hinata gets more screen time (though it could have done without the flashback of Naruto getting beaten up) and Naruto kicks it up to six tails against Pein. This battle is just plain beautiful, especially the ending with Minato appearing.
I do have one thing to ask everyone though...when is the new Naruto Shippuden movie coming out? I mean the Lost Tower? I know it says the thirty-first of July but when does the translated version come out?
Translation
Ryujin = Dragon Sword
Jinchuuriki no Jutsu = Human Sacrifice Technique
Kubikiri Hōchō = Decapitating Carving Knife
Raikyu = Lightning Ball
Shunshin no Jutsu = Body Flicker Technique
Kuchiyose no Jutsu = Summoning Technique
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