New chapter guys! This time I both updated in a timely manner AND hit the five thousand word mark I usually aim for!
Please, enjoy, and let me know how it is.
Also, yeah, I'm changing the genre from humor. That was a mistake. Thanks for that review.
"You know," the old landlady chirped. "You really don't belong here."
Naruto, for the third time that day, shrugged. His landlady had said that to him numerous times throughout the day and would not stop repeating it until he responded. Instead of dignifying a conversation, the boy shrugged and got back to doing his job for the day: cleaning the gutters of his own apartment building.
"I don't mean here," the lady said, gesturing to the apartment building. "I mean here, as in doing this. You're far too skilled. You're more than overqualified."
Once again Naruto shrugged. Using a new technique his Jonin teacher of the week taught him, Naruto coated his hand with chakra. A thin film of the stuff coated his hand, and Naruto attempted to use the now gloved appendage to sweep the gunk out of the gutters. As soon as he tried, however, he lost focus. The light coating of spiritual and physical energy dissipated from his hand, leaving him to touch the mud and leaves with his bare skin.
"Ew," Naruto said. His face scrunched up as the landlady smiled.
"I knew you could talk," she said, her mirth evident from the chuckle that escaped her lips. "You should do it more often. You're far too young to have run out of words."
Naruto considered shrugging once more but thought better of it. Instead he wiped the gunk off his hand and onto his pants. He leaned back from his perch on the wall and stared at his neighbor. "No."
The old lady chuckled. "And why not?"
"Because," Naruto said, his voice soft and barely audible. Only years of listening for the slightest noise allowed the retired ninja to hear the boy. "I don't want to."
"Ah," the landlady said, an air of knowing in her voice. "Then what do you want to do?"
Naruto seemed to take a moment. The chakra, which he had tried to reapply, dissipated from his hand once more as the boy seemingly stared off into the distance. After a while the boy seemed to snap out of his reverie with a shake of his head. He leaned back from the wall again and stared at his landlady.
"I want to get stronger."
The landlady lost her smirk almost immediately. With a hum, the old ninja hobbled back into her house and retrieved a white envelope. With a huff, she tossed it out into the open air, and watched as the boy detached himself from the building wall to chase after it. With all the grace of a brick, the boy shot through the air and caught the envelope, before falling to the ground and landing unharmed.
"There's the payment for the D-ranked mission, brat." The landlady leaned on her windowsill as she stared imperiously down at the orange wearing boy. "It'll get split when you report in, but I asked that you get a good cut. I know the old monkey. He'll give you some spending money."
Naruto, instead of thanking her, simply looked back to the gutters. The landlady huffed.
"Don't worry about that. I sent in the mission as an excuse to talk to you anyway. If I wanted the gutters cleaned, they'd be clean."
Naruto raised a perfectly blonde eyebrow in response. The landlady rolled her eyes. She ran through hand seals faster than Naruto could discern.
"Earth Technique: Cleaning Out The Gutters."
Immediately all of the gunk in the gutters jumped out and floated as if possessed. Naruto would have whistled at the feat, if not for the mischievous grin on the old lady's face.
"Get going, boy," the landlady grunted. As if those words were the command, the gunk seemed to tense, before flying at the blonde boy. Naruto dodged the first volley easily enough, but the next came in increasing speed. Before long, Naruto had to flee, the gunk following him as if on a mission.
The landlady looked after the boy wistfully. Once he was effectively out of her sight, the old lady turned and hobbled back into her room.
"So you're looking to get stronger, brat?" The landlady rubbed at her bad leg, a habit that was almost instinctual at this point. "Don't we all."
XxX
Naruto stepped into the room of the Hokage, his bright blue eyes taking in everything around him. The Hokage, as usual, sat rather leisurely behind his desk, but prior knowledge clued Naruto in to the fact that the man was anything but relaxed.
"Ah," the old man said. He looked up from a piece of paper he was examining to eye the young blonde as he made his way into the room. "I see you are done with the mission. Were you given your pay?"
Naruto nodded, before walking forward and placing the envelope on the desk. The Third Hokage opened it and leafed through its contents, before landing on a note that was included alongside the pay. The Hokage read it quickly, allowing first a scowl, then a small smile to grace his face.
"Your client is rather manipulative. She intends to have me give you the full pay."
Naruto nodded. It made sense. He did, after all, do the full work. Sort of. Mostly.
"However, that is not how it works. If the Village is to have any capital, we need to tax our people for their services. It is customary for us to take a majority percentage of the pay, but since this is a low-ranked mission and I know the client…"
The Hokage continued to take a small pile of coins off the top of the payment.
"I think I can excuse it, this one time. Take your payment and be gone, Genin Uzumaki."
Naruto nodded, then walked forward and took the money left for him on the desk. He made to count it, but then suddenly decided that such a thing wasn't necessary. Instead, the boy shoved the money into his pocket and made for the door. As his hand reached for the handle, however, the door was shoved open. Unfortunately for whoever was on the other side, Naruto stood barring the entry to the room. The door stopped immediately upon hitting Naruto, even it knowing an unstoppable force when meeting it.
Naruto stood unperturbed by the occurrence, even though whoever it was on the other side very clearly collapsed from the unexpected run in with a suddenly immovable door. The blonde looked around, uncertain of what he had to do, and eventually let his eyes fall on his leader. The Hokage sighed.
"Just… let whoever that is in."
Naruto nodded and stepped to the side. The door, warily this time, opened and allowed in a rather disheveled Chuunin.
"What the hell was that…" the boy, just barely into his teens, mumbled. He shook off his disorientation soon enough and looked to his leader. "Never mind that. Lord Hokage! There is grave news from Team Kakashi!"
The Hokage snorted. "Don't you mean Team Seven?"
"He insisted that I call it otherwise, sir."
"Very well," the Hokage allowed, knowing that while Kakashi was childish, the man was also stubborn and easily one of the best soldiers at his command. He would allow such frivolity. "What is this grave news?"
"It appears that Jonin Kakashi and his pack of Genin have run into enemy missing ninja while on their trip. He is requesting back up."
The Hokage sighed, then rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Why didn't he abandon the mission and return, should that have been the case?"
The Chuunin looked away, then started rubbing the back of his neck. "He, uh, included that in his S.O.S. He said that, and I quote, 'his cute little Genin were too hard to refuse.'"
The Hokage sighed. Of course he did.
"Very well, I will endeavor to send him some reinforcements." And the Hokage then proceeded to do so, before he realized something.
He didn't have to call for anyone if the strongest, and cheapest paid, member of his forces was in this very room.
"Genin Uzumaki," the Third called. Like a good soldier, Naruto answered, albeit clumsily. His salute was a little lax. The Hokage didn't mind. "You are to travel to the Land of Waves and assist Jonin Hatake and his squad in whatever little trouble they find themselves in. As per usual, you are freelance, but for the duration of the rest of their trip you are to answer to Kakashi Hatake. Is that understood?"
Naruto nodded.
"Then make speed, Naruto," The Third said with what he hoped was fondness in his voice. He hadn't been able to connect with the boy as much as he had wanted to, but he hoped there was still some sort of connection there between himself and the boy.
That hope was answered when Naruto smiled back. It was a tiny, almost imperceptible thing, but the boy smiled regardless.
"Of course, Gramps," the boy said, before turning and making his way out of the room. He was gone before long, leaving the Hokage alone in his office with the confused Chunin who had notified him and really far too much paperwork.
The Hokage was prepared to dismiss the boy and go about his work again when a small quake from outside the Tower he resided in interrupted that.
"What the—" the Chuunin asked. The Third held up a hand.
"That was… Naruto," the elder said, his voice weary. "He's on his way to Wave."
"Oh," the Chuunin responded, clearly surprised. "I guess that's it, then."
The two went silent, letting the sentence and its implications sit in the air.
It was the Chuunin who broke it.
"I'm surprised he knows the way to Wave."
Silence reigned once more. The Hokage put a hand to his head.
"Shit."
XxX
Going out of the Village for the first time was supposed to be a magnificent adventure. Naruto could just feel it. Where the Village was boring and stagnant and filled with disapproving looks, the world outside was to be amazing.
Princesses and Evil Warlords, power hungry mad scientists and Evil Cults. All of that and more was supposed to be awaiting him the instant he stepped out of the Village.
What he was met with, however, was more of the same.
"Kidnapped princesses?" a man asked while half leaning on an old gardening tool. "You realize that we're a farming village, right? We don't have any princesses here. If you want that, you're going to have to head to the Fire Capital."
After asking and being assured that no, there weren't any missing villagers to be found, Naruto reluctantly made his way to the Fire Capital.
"Princess? Why would we allow you to see the princess?" a Royal Guard asked Naruto. The boy, who was currently standing unperturbed even though there were three different guards trying to move him, just shrugged in response. "She's fine and doesn't need saving. Now shoo. Go about your day."
Naruto did just that. He went about his day and stumbled into Rice Country.
"Mad Scientists?" A bespectacled young man asked. He adjusted his glasses nervously, his eyes roaming everywhere but the honest blue eyes of the young man. "None of that here. I assure you."
Naruto stared at the man. His gaze pierced through to the man's very soul.
"I assure you on my name that Lord Orochimaru isn't here."
Naruto shrugged. He had no idea who this "Orochimaru" was, but he didn't seem like an Evil Scientist. Bidding the young man a good day—much to said young man's relief— Naruto took off again.
Surprisingly, he did find a Cult.
"Lord Janshin demands your blood!" a silver haired man yelled. He hefted a mighty fine scythe above his head. Just a single blade of the weapon was bigger than Naruto, and each of the scythe's three blades was tinted the color of blood.
Speaking of which, Naruto wasn't sure of the last time that he saw his own blood. Giving a half-hearted shrug, the boy held out his arm and prepared for the swing.
At least it would be interesting.
"Ask for directions when you're done," the Fox sighed. "You've been roaming far too much."
Naruto snorted. He wasn't roaming, he was just hitting up places on his way to Wave.
Wherever "Wave" was.
XxX
Sasuke cursed, or tried to, as he ducked under yet another volley of ice needles. Scarlet eyes darted around the battlefield, trying to take in everything they could, before their owner reacted. New to the Sharingan, Sasuke was quickly realizing that he wasn't nearly fast enough to react to the things that he could see.
And that was a problem.
"Stand still, you freak!" Sasuke yelled. With practiced ease, the raven haired boy pulled a knife out of a holster on his leg. With a twirl, he swiped upwards, deflecting several ice shards that were aimed for him.
"That would appear… unwise," his opponent answered. The masked boy, or girl as they were wearing a kimono, then slunk back into a floating mirror of ice. It was one of many that surrounded the Uchiha, some of which were floating in the air, forming a dome of ice mirrors that had very little space in between. "You will prove interference to my precious person, and for that reason, I cannot allow you to escape."
The masked ninja, now reflected in every mirror, seemed to hesitate before continuing.
"I don't… I don't want to hurt you," the masked person said. Even through the mask, Sasuke could feel the reluctance in his opponent. "But if you push the issue, I will kill my heart in order to do what I must. If you just stand down, I will let you live."
Sasuke scowled. His teeth grinded against each other as he contemplated the dilemma he was currently in. Simply put, he was outmatched in every way against his opponent. They were faster, stronger, and simply better than he was. He had unlocked the Sharingan after so many years of trying and still…
It just wasn't enough.
It was frustrating. After all this time he was no closer to Itachi than he was before. The gap between them seemed to be widening every time he thought he was shortening it.
Worse still, he wasn't even getting closer to Naruto.
Sasuke was under no illusions about how strong he himself was. He was the best of his generation, that's for sure, but before Itachi's progress he was behind. By this age Sasuke's murderous older brother was already a prospective ANBU.
By his age Naruto, who was technically younger than him, was decimating landscapes with nary a thought.
"Damn it," Sasuke cursed. His empty hand twitched, and briefly he contemplated reaching for a second knife.
"I wouldn't recommend it," the masked ninja said, their voice echoing around the area through the multiple mirrors. "You're no stronger for it. I haven't been going at full speed. You'll have twice the weapons to deflect my needles, but I'll be going at thrice the speed."
Sasuke's hand stopped halfway to his holster. Now frozen there, he had no choice but to abandon that thought. Was the masked ninja telling the truth, or were they bluffing? Could they really go three times as fast as they were going now? He could barely keep up with them as he was.
Reluctantly, Sasuke let his free hand fall. He had no other choice. He wanted to continue the fight, but he couldn't risk dying. It hurt, but he was outmatched. To lose here would mean his pride, and that was all he had left.
But he couldn't avenge his clan if he were dead.
"Damn it…" Sasuke cursed. His fist clenched around the knife in his hand. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
It was so frustrating! He burned and he bled and he freaking cried to get where he was now. He did everything he could, and still it wasn't enough. There were others out there who were simply stronger than him.
Some of those people were his own age.
If only… if only he was stronger. If only he were faster. This masked ninja would be a piece of cake if he had been faster. Was he not training hard enough? Was that it?
That had to be it. Before, his goal of revenge was enough to keep him going. But he hadn't seen Itachi in years. His rage was still burning, but it was muted now. Colder. Some far off dream that could be accomplished whenever.
No, Sasuke remembered when he trained his heart out. Sasuke remembered when he had a tangible rival egging him on from beside him.
Kiba Inuzuka was crass, and a bit of a jerk, but he always pushed himself to keep up with Sasuke. Whether it was out of sheer stubbornness or a desire to prove himself, Kiba was a worthy rival that Sasuke had to work to keep ahead of.
Sasuke remembered when he had support of someone whose opinion mattered.
Ino Yamanaka was a worthy ninja. She wasn't physically as strong as he or Kiba, but where she lacked in power, she made up in skill. And she fawned over him. Sure, she did it with a scathing tongue and condescending eyes, but that was what he needed. Acceptance without blind adoration.
Sasuke remembered the pillar that showed him what was possible.
Naruto was a bastion of hope for the young Uchiha. He was power incarnate. He was silent acceptance. He was an enduring rival to pursue.
They were all friends.
They were all taken away from him as he was put on a team with the silent boy and the pink haired one.
"Damn it," Sasuke cursed again, his prized eyes closing in an attempt to stave off his frustration. "Damn it all. Where are you guys when I need you…"
If only he had them.
"I can't get what I want like this. Is this as far as I go?"
If only he were stronger.
"Damn it, where are you guys?"
If only he were faster
"Damn it…" Sasuke choked out. "Where are you, NARUTO?"
This was where Sasuke had decided. Dying here was better than never being able to face his brother. He would die anyway with his lackluster skills, so why not go out with the one thing he had left? His pride on his sleeve, Sasuke reached for his second knife anyway, spinning all the while to attempt to keep an eye on his opponent.
"You fool," the masked ninja hissed. They darted from mirror to mirror, throwing ice needles while they moved at supersonic speeds. Sasuke managed to deflect some, but quite a few embedded themselves in the boy's skin before he even retrieved his second weapon.
"You will die here," the masked ninja hissed. Each of the reflections raised a hand, revealing a fist full of needles.
"Perhaps," Sasuke responded, a bloody smirk on his face. "But at least I died with honor."
"Is that it? Is your honor worth your life?" The masked ninja sounded genuinely confused. It made Sasuke smile all the harder.
"For me?" Sasuke asked. "Definitely. Pride is all a man has, after all." Sasuke then smirked even harder somehow. "But at least I know you're definitely a woman, now."
This seemed to bristle the masked ninja. Two needles dug into Sasuke's knees before he could even react, felling Sasuke to the ground.
"W-what?"
"I told you," the masked ninja said. "I wasn't even going at a third of my speed." The masked ninja looked away. It was weird as the action was reflected in each mirror. "Though it is regrettable, I am going to have to take you out. Please, forgive me."
This time, Sasuke could see them. Needles seemed to pour out of the mirrors. Unlike before, however, where they came out one at a time at extremely fast speeds…
… this time they seemed to come from all around him, all at once.
Sasuke closed his eyes. There was no deflecting this.
XxX
Kakashi grunted. He was forced back by Zabuza once more. Where Kakashi had technique and skill galore, the man in front of him was pure strength. Zabuza's sword, which was little more than an oversized cleaver, had been embedded in the stone bridge nearly halfway.
Kakashi was a tall man. The sword was nearly his height. It was buried halfway into the stone bridge.
"Cowardice doesn't befit your name, Copy-Ninja." Zabuza heft the sword out of the stone with one hand. He let it rest on his shoulder. "Come, fight me."
Kakashi scoffed. Like that was going to happen. Deep in this mist was where the Rogue Ninja excelled. He wasn't fighting on even ground with Zabuza so long as he was in it.
"Are you not coming to me?" the man asked. "Very well. Then I will come to you." With that Zabuza, cloaked in all black with bandages covering his face, slowly retreated to the far end of the bridge. The mist engulfed him, and soon he was out of sight.
Kakashi wasted no time. A second knife was in his hands in less than a second, and his one Sharingan darted over what limited area he could see.
"Heart, lungs, kidneys," Zabuza whispered from the mist. His gruff voice echoed out from just beyond sight in every direction. "There are so many vital places that I could cut. How would you prefer to die today, Copy-Ninja?"
Kakashi very much preferred not to die. It was with this resolve that he ducked under a horizontal slash that displaced the mist around him from sheer force alone.
"Your reflexes are good, Hatake," Zabuza said with a sneer. "But they will dull with exhaustion. Come!"
Kakashi grunted as he raised both of his knives. They stopped the man's cleaver just short of hitting him, but only barely.
Zabuza smiled. He had forced Kakashi to grunt from the sheer force he was pushing down. "Your life will end today, just like that of your students. They don't stand a chance against Haku. He is the last of his clan, and a wielder of the rare Ice Release."
Kakashi let himself spare a glance towards the dome of ice. For a second, he let himself feel worry, and the urge to rush over and help his students almost overwhelmed him. Doing so would expose his back to an enemy that they could not let roam free, however, and thus Kakashi squashed that urge.
He was of no use to his team dead. He would just have to have trust in his students. Besides, he was sure at least Sakura was okay.
"You're not the only one with an amazing Blood Talent on your side," Kakashi grunted. He started to push back the cleaver, albeit slowly. "I have the last of the Uchiha."
Zabuza looked surprised at those words. That shock was soon gone, however, replaced by a barking laugh. "Is that so? Is that good enough, though?"
Kakashi sincerely hoped it was.
XxX
Warm liquid splashed his face. To Sasuke's surprise, however, it wasn't his own blood. Slowly, the Uchiha opened his eyes to see, not a hail of needles, but several animals of ink surrounding him. One animal, which he couldn't make out anymore, had fallen apart and bathed a circle around him in ink.
Within the goo he could see stained needles melting away.
"Pretty Boy," a voice called from outside the dome. "Do you need assistance?"
Sasuke wanted desperately to reply with a sarcastic "no," but that would probably be interpreted literally and he would be left alone. Instead, he nodded vigorously and hoped that the boy could actually help him.
"Very well," Sai replied. On cue, a myriad of ink animals climbed from the sides of the bridge. Orangutans, snakes, lions, tigers and… an elephant? Yeah, an elephant, launched over the railings and headed straight for the dome.
The masked ninja, rather than be alarmed, simply prepared more ice needles. They flew out of the mirror, from behind this time, and pierced the ink beasts before they reached the dome.
"Pretty Boy, now!" Sai screamed. As one the ink beasts raced for the small gaps between the ice mirrors. Haku had caught wind of this, however, and refocused his attention to the inside. The needles came slower, however, as the masked boy had to focus on the ink animals still coming from outside.
Sasuke made to follow the animals in their charge, when an ink gorilla grabbed him.
"What are you—" Sasuke started. He was cut off when Sai's voice started to come from the beast.
"You are not going with them. You are meant to go up." And then the beast, with no further prompting, cocked its arm back.
"Wait," Sasuke said, his voice trembling. "You couldn't possibly be—"
The gorilla launched Sasuke, sending him flying for a gap in the ice mirrors at the top of the dome. Surprisingly there was no reflection in the ice mirror making up the dome's ceiling. In his flight Sasuke could make out his pale teammate diving towards him on a bird of ink.
"Pretty Boy!" Sai called. "My hand!"
Sasuke nodded. He held out his hand to take Sai's outstretched one. He was close, almost making it clear of the ice dome, when a sandaled foot kicked him in the chest, sending him careening back down to the bridge. He hit it with bone crunching force, and for a second he could feel the wind knocked out of him.
"Darn," Sai cursed. He made to fly back to the safety of the air, but ice needles pierced his bird before he could ascend. Abandoning it, Sai intended to retreat once more.
Then a water bullet shot him out of the air. He fell, twisting in midair, before clipping an ice mirror and falling into the dome.
Unlike Sasuke, Sai was able to land on his feet. Much like Sasuke, however, the boy was injured to the point he could barely move.
"S-Sai," Sasuke grunted. He had managed to push himself to his hands and knees, but not much further. "Can you… do that again? The ink things?"
Sai shook his head. "It took me far too long to get even that many done. Why do you think I couldn't help you before?" Sai then frowned. "Still, as it stands, I barely have any chakra left. We're stuck."
Sasuke cursed. With visible struggle he forced himself back to his feet. With another knife in his hand, he attempted to ready himself, but failed to do so.
"You're dead on your feet, Uchiha," the masked person said. Once more did he have a volley of ice needles holstered in his fist. "I can see you swaying. Give up, now. I will let you live."
"Maybe we should take his advice," Sai whispered. Sasuke pushed the boy away. The action nearly cost him his balance, but it was worth it.
"No," Sasuke grunted. "I will not give up now. I refuse to lose before I'm standing before that man again!"
The masked boy, in each of the mirrors, seemed to sag. It was obvious, the disappointment reflected across the many mirrors.
"If that is how you choose to proceed, then you cannot begrudge me on how I choose to proceed. I will kill my heart and with it, you." The masked boy, Haku, readied his projectiles. "Please forgive me in the Pure World."
Sasuke, once again, closed his eyes. Sai didn't.
"Um, you realize that I'm not exactly with him, correct? I am fine with giving up to live another day."
Whether or not Sai was heard was inconsequential. Haku released his ice needles at the both of them. The projectiles, deadly and precise and sharp, sailed straight and true for the two downed ninjas.
Sasuke had accepted his death.
It was really too fortunate that another didn't.
XxX
Sakura heard her voice before she registered that she was screaming. It was an unconscious action, born of concern and fear for her teammates. The ice needles closed in fast around them, packed so thick that they were an almost wall of white. They would pierce and skewer then boys without fail, leaving them bloody and bruised and surely dead.
Then, far off, a shockwave shook the bridge. It was a clap the threw even her off her feet. Behind her the person her team was meant to protect, a bridge builder by the name of Tazuna, cried in alarm as he held onto his bridge's railing.
Then, like a divine breath of the gods, a gale swept over the bridge. It pushed away first the mist, then the hail of needles. The ice mirrors attempted to hold their form, but even they were blown away from the gale's unstoppable onslaught. The bridge, now clear of smog, showed all of its occupants.
Sasuke and Sai lay on the ground further down the bridge. They were caught in the gale with nothing to hold onto, and thus were carried away.
Even further down the bridge lay Haku under the debris of his own broken ice mirrors. He was very clearly knocked out.
Further up the bridge Zabuza, the scary missing ninja, held onto his massively oversized cleaver. He had stabbed it into the bridge and was using it as both an anchor and a shield against the wind. It proved effective.
Kakashi had done the same with his two knives.
"What was… what was that?" Tazuna asked. Sakura didn't know. She looked to the direction where the blow came, only to see something she hadn't seen in a very long time.
Standing with a fist outstretched as if he had just thrown a punch, was a blond haired, orange clad boy. Said boy slowly retracted his fist and stood in a more casual stance, before tilting his head.
"Is…" the boy started. "Is this finally Wave Country?"