Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the elements from Bleach… I do own this story!
Hey each and every one of my adoring fans out there, its xNamikazeKyuubix back with another chapter of Naruto: Demonic Shinigami! I'm glad to see people reviewing this story as well as Naruto: Force Unleashed, everyone who guessed that Madara is an arrancar is right. However he is not an Espada, the Espada have yet to be formed since this is before the Bleach storyline even started. I won't say any more lest I risk spoiling the rest of the story for you guys.
Harem is now consisting of: Akane, Anko, Shukaku, Yugito/Nibi, Tayuya and Koyuki. I am unsure if I should keep this as the final harem or not, if I add any more it may become too unmanageable but I also want to see a few other girls with Naruto as well… some choices are so hard to make!
So here is the next chapter for your enjoyment!
Chapter 3: Demons of Mist and Shadow
A month had passed since Naruto and his team had begun taking missions from the village, all of course C-rank and above since they refused to do anything below that. Naruto had also dealt with seven more Hollow sightings over the month; none of them were really serious since he didn't even have to use his Zanpakutou yet. Naruto had begun his research regarding training reiatsu as a human as he had promised Anko; needless to say he has yet to find a safe way.
Now we see Team 11 standing at ease in the middle of the Hokage's office, they had just returned from a B-ranked mission where they had to eliminate a group of missing-nins from various villages. Apparently they had joined forces and taken over a small village along the outskirts of Hi no Kuni, the people of the village have been suffering under their rule. Naruto had easily dispatched two missing-nins from Iwagakure (Hidden Rock) while Akane and Anko dispatched a missing-nin from Takigakure (Hidden Waterfall) and Sunagakure (Hidden Sand) respectively.
"So is that everything you have to report from the mission?" The Sandaime Hokage asked as he took another puff off his pipe.
"Well… the beds in their hotel are really comfortable if you catch my drift." Naruto smirked along with Akane and Anko causing Hiruzen to let out a perverted giggle as he discreetly wiped away the trail of blood from his nose.
"Very well Naruto-kun, so here is the pay for a successful B-ranked mission completed." Hiruzen picked the worst time to say that as Team 7 just entered the office with a furious looking Sasuke, heart-eyed Sakura, blank-faced Sai and apologetic looking Kakashi.
"I demand to know why the dobe has been allowed to attempt a B-ranked mission when I, an Uchiha, have to be stuck doing these stupid chores!" Sasuke demanded in an arrogant tone.
"Sasuke-kun is right, why does the Naruto-baka get to do a higher ranked mission than us!" Sakura screeched in support of her crush but before the Sandaime could reply, Iruka, who was in the room at the time, responded first.
"You idiot! You're just a rookie Genin that had recently graduated from the academy; everyone starts off with the simple duties and works their way up!" Iruka yelled at the two Genin as Naruto's group watch on in amusement.
"Then why does the dobe get to go on-" Sasuke's reply was interrupted by a slap to the back of his head courtesy of Kakashi.
"Sasuke might I remind you who exactly you are talking to?" Kakashi reprimanded his student before rubbing his head sheepishly and looking back at the Hokage. "Sorry about my cute little Genin Hokage-sama."
"That's quite alright Kakashi just make sure it doesn't happen again, as to answer your question young Sasuke… Team 11 have proven themselves to be capable of higher-ranked missions, something your team has yet to show."
Sasuke looked like he was about to retort when Naruto coughed to gain everyone's attention, "I believe I know the perfect solution to our little problem."
"Oh do you now Naruto-kun?" Hiruzen asked the demon-Shinigami hybrid with amusement.
"How about both our teams go on a joint C-ranked mission, that way their team can gain the experience needed without much risk." Naruto suggested causing the Hokage to look thoughtful and Iruka to smile slightly.
'It seems that your transformation really helped you to mature Naruto…' Iruka thought with happiness.
"That's an excellent suggestion Naruto-kun, I approve of your proposal for a joint C-ranked mission between Team 7 and Team 11." Hiruzen finally announced causing Kakashi and his team, except Sai, to look surprised.
'Naruto-baka actually helped us out?' 'Don't listen to him; he is obviously using this to make us love him!' 'That's right! No way am I falling for that trick, Sasuke-kun is the only one for me!' Sakura looked back at Sasuke with an adoring face.
'The dobe actually backed me up?' Sasuke thought in surprise.
'Naruto actually helping Sasuke… he must have something planned… meh I can't be bothered.' Kakashi shrugged lazily as the Hokage rummaged through the available C-ranks before finding an acceptable one.
"Your C-rank mission is a protection mission of a certain individual, Tazuna-san you may come in now." The Sandaime called out as the door to the office swung open and the occupants were immediately hit by a strong stench of alcohol.
"What's this?" A voice slurred. Standing in the doorway was a man with grey hair, moustache and beard and despite his relatively old age, they could see that he had a muscular frame. There was a sake bottle in his hand, which explained where the alcohol smell was coming from.
"This is my protection?" Tazuna said in a clearer tone this time. "They look like a bunch of brats, especially the pink one with the large forehead and the brooder with the duck-ass hairstyle."
"What's the point of killing the person we are trying to protect ne?" Kakashi eye-smiled as he held back both Genins as they tried to struggle free to attack the man.
"I am the super expert bridge builder, Tazuna. I expect you to provide me super protection until I get back to my country and complete my bridge." Tazuna stated.
"Despite their age Tazuna-san, I'm sure my Genin can handle this mission. And even if something they can't handle comes along, the rest of us are more than enough to handle it." Kakashi told the bridge builder as the two insulted Genins calmed down and settled for glaring at the man.
"I guess you're right… so when are we able to set out for my country?" Tazuna asked.
"Meet us back at the gate in an hours' time." Kakashi replied before leaving the room with his team and Tazuna, leaving Team 11 in the room along with the Sandaime and Iruka.
"Aren't you and your team going to prepare for the mission Naruto-kun?" Hiruzen looked curiously at the former jinchuriki of the Kyuubi.
"Nah, we're already prepared for it." Naruto produced a storage scroll from a storage seal on his arm. "This scroll contains the necessary materials and rations needed for a typical week long C-ranked mission, and also money to buy more if the mission duration extends beyond that time frame."
"Oh very smart of you Naruto-kun but why are you still in here?" Hiruzen asked.
"Just wanted to tell you that we may run into Hollows on this mission so I was wondering…?" Naruto trailed off.
"Fine… you have tactical command of the mission once a Hollow shows up." Hiruzen sighed as the demonic Shinigami smirked as he left with his team via shadow portal.
An hour later at Konoha's gate
Tazuna was standing at the gate along with Team 11 and were waiting for Team 7 to arrive; they didn't have to wait long as the Genins of the team arrived a minute later.
"Yo." A lazy voice greeted as the group turned to the right simultaneously to see Kakashi leaning against a tree trunk, his face buried in his porn as usual.
"YOU Aren't late?" Sakura finished off in a softer voice in confusion before she pointed accusingly at him. "Who are you imposter and what have you done with Kakashi-sensei?"
"I'm not that bad, am I?" Kakashi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as everyone looked at him with a deadpanned expression, which he promptly ignored. "Right, let's get moving."
The first few minutes of the trip was serenely calm, with Naruto walking slightly ahead with Anko and Akane attached to his arms, Tazuna wondering how the brat scored two hot chicks, Kakashi giggling perversely either from the book or Naruto, Sasuke brooding and Sai being his emotionless self. That is until their resident pink-haired harpy, who had been hounding the self-proclaimed emo king, decided to ruin it with her voice.
"Um… Tazuna-san?" Sakura began hesitantly, prompting the bridge builder to turn and look at her over his shoulder.
"What is it girl?" Tazuna replied but was inwardly thinking. 'I think it's a girl… maybe.'
"You're from Nami no Kuni (Land of Waves) right?" Sakura asked.
"That's right, what about it?" Tazuna answered but the pink-haired… girl had already turned to face her teacher.
"Umm… Kakashi-sensei? Do they have shinobi in that country too?" Sakura asked.
"No, not in Nami no Kuni but in most other countries… the culture and customs may be different but hidden villages exist and so do ninjas." Kakashi looked at her lazily with his eye but was mentally sighing as his student was taking time away from reading his precious.
"To the many countries of the continent, the existence of a shinobi village means military power. This is how they hold and maintain advantages over each other but it's not that the villages rule the countries; they merely stand equally with the countries government. A small island country like Nami no Kuni doesn't receive much interference from the larger countries and does not need a shinobi village. Within the many shinobi villages, Konoha, Kiri, Kumo, Suna and Iwa are the largest and most powerful, commonly referred to as 'The Five Great Shinobi Villages'. And these are the only villages whose leader receives the name 'Kage (Shadow)'." Kakashi had launched into an explanation that everyone was listening too. "The five 'Kages' are the Hokage (Fire Shadow), Mizukage (Water Shadow), Raikage (Lightning Shadow), Kazekage (Wind Shadow) and Tsuchikage (Stone Shadow), they reign over the thousands of ninja in the world."
"Wow! Hokage-sama is the best!" Sakura squealed but her inner-self disagreed. 'That lame geezer is that incredible? Sounds fishy… I bet Sasuke-kun could kick his ass!'
"However, you guys don't have to worry. There won't be any ninja combat on a C-ranked mission." Kakashi ruffled Sakura's hair reassuringly.
"Then, we won't come into contact with any foreign ninjas?" Sakura asked with a mental sigh of relief.
"Hahaha, of course not." Kakashi chuckled in reply but missed the slight flinch and nervous look Tazuna had but Naruto spotted it and frowned slightly. The group walked on in relative silence with a few whispers of conversation until they approached a puddle in the middle of the road, Naruto, Kakashi, Anko and Akane instantly recognised it as a genjutsu.
Anko and Akane smirked when they saw that a devious grin had stretched itself across the whiskered blondes face while Kakashi lifted an eyebrow but decided to just watch the show. Naruto slowly began to gather reiatsu into his left palm and it formed a small blue orb that was barely visible.
"Hadō #33: Sōkatsui. (Blue Fire, Crash Down.)" Naruto whispered as a blue beam of fire blasted into the 'puddle' as he walked past causing two figures to emerge from it screaming as they rolled on the ground trying to extinguish the flames.
"You bastard!" One of them shouted after the pair had righted themselves after successfully extinguishing the blue flames that had burned their clothes.
"Ah Gozu and Meizu the Oni Kyōdai (Demon Brothers), missing-nins from Kirigakure no Sato." Anko said as she recognised the pair.
"Our reputation seems to precede us Meizu." Gozu chuckled.
"That is has Gozu but if you know of us then you must know of our combat speciality." Meizu smirked under his mask as he jingled the shuriken chain linked to each of their gauntlets. Before anyone could move, Naruto had disappeared from the spot and emerged behind the duo and sheathed his katana.
"Kuroryuu no Tsume. (Black Dragon's Claw)" Naruto whispered as a resounding click sounded through the area and the chain was sliced in two. Sasuke fumed that the 'dobe' had been able to spot the genjutsu when he didn't, Sakura fumed because Sasuke was upset, Kakashi had a smile under his mask at his sensei's son's abilities and Tazuna had a gobsmacked expression. Akane had quickly taken the opportunity to deliver lightning fast blows to two missing-nins' necks, which knocked both of them out.
"Well done team!" Anko declared proudly with a smirk as Naruto helped Akane tie the demon brothers to a tree.
"I wish I could say the same for you guys, only Sai managed to figure out that the puddle was a genjutsu. You just had to use some common sense; there shouldn't be a puddle when the weather has been sunny." Kakashi berated his team causing Sasuke to sneer and turn away and Sakura went to try and comfort the emo king. "Good job in taking their advantage out Naruto but I had hoped to figure out who their target was."
"Kakashi…" Naruto shook his head sadly and pointed at a grinning Anko, who was licking a kunai as she approached the two still unconscious and tied up shinobi.
"Oh right…" Kakashi deadpanned as he remembered that Anko was part of the Torture and Interrogation Department. Anko grinned as she cut one of them free and dragged him off into the forest; Kakashi pitied the poor Chunnin as he heard cries of pain coming from their direction.
"All done, they were working with Momochi Zabuza to kill the old drunk." Anko jerked her thumb in the direction of a nervously sweating Tazuna.
"Interesting… do you have anything to add to that Tazuna-san?" Kakashi asked the bridge builder.
"Alright the truth is that I lied about the mission but I had no choice! Wave had been taken over by a corporate tyrant known as Gatou, he controls all the shipping lanes around Nami no Kuni now. His thugs run rampant over our entire country doing whatever they please and our economy has suffered greatly. The bridge I am building is our only way to break free from his tyranny and the only protection mission we could afford was a C-rank." Tazuna explained.
"Well that's sad and all but if it was known that there would be ninjas after you this would have been a B-rank and a proper squad of ninjas would have been sent. As of now, we are operating outside or our duties." Kakashi told him.
"We're not ready for this kind of mission. Let's quit so Hokage-sama can send a proper team to accomplish the mission!" Sakura added since she was terrified at the prospect of fighting enemy ninjas.
"Are you stupid or just a moron?" Naruto's voice interrupted their small chat.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY BAKA!" Sakura screeched with a tick mark on her abnormally large forehead causing everyone to cover their ears in pain.
"Our team had just returned from a B-ranked mission when your team entered the office or have you forgotten?" Naruto replied once the ringing had left his ears.
"B-but-"
"You can go back if you want but our team is going to continue the mission regardless of how much they paid because Gatou is a scum that deserves to die." Naruto growled slightly causing Tazuna to look at him gratefully.
"I agree with the dobe, an Uchiha such as myself will not back down from a mission." Sasuke grunted with a voice filled with arrogance causing everyone except Sakura to roll their eyes.
"Whatever you say teme (bastard), we should get going while the coward can stay with the two prisoners until leaf shinobi come to get them." Naruto directed his gaze at Sakura.
'N-no I'm not a coward; I will show Sasuke-kun my strength!' Sakura thought to herself before shaking her head and informing the group that she will continue with the mission as well.
"So isn't this Gatou one of the world's wealthiest people and owns Gatou Company?" Kakashi asked offhandedly as they walked.
"Yes… officially he runs a large shipping company but secretly he sells drugs and other illegal items while using ninjas and gang members to take over businesses and countries. He is a very nasty man. It was about a year ago when he set his eyes on Nami no Kuni. Through money and violence, he quickly took control of the country's shipping industry. Gatou now has a monopoly on all business traffic in the country; the only thing he has to fear now is the completion of the bridge." Tazuna replied with a sigh.
"I see… since you're the one building the bridge, you're in his way." Sakura deduced with her oh so large brain causing everyone to roll their eyes.
"Gee you think?" Naruto responded sarcastically.
A few minutes later, the two shinobi teams found themselves on a wooden boat being rowed along by a fisherman friend of Tazuna's.
"Wow this mist is seriously thick, I can barely see ahead of us." Akane commented but added inwardly. 'Unless I channel youki to my pupils to enhance my eyesight.'
"We should be able to see the bridge soon, Nami no Kuni is at the base of the bridge." The fisherman stated as the group was just able to make out a blurred image past the mist.
"That's a big bridge…" Naruto whistled in awe at the sheer magnitude of the stone bridge that had just came into view.
"WOW! IT'S HUGE!" Sakura screamed.
"Hey be quiet! Why do you think we're hiding in the mist and not using the engine? We'll be in deep trouble if Gatou's thugs find us." The fisherman whispered harshly causing Sakura to slap her hands over her mouth in embarrassment.
"Hey this is the end of the line for me; I wish you good luck in your efforts Tazuna and shinobi-sans." The fisherman said as they alighted before rowing back the way they came.
"Hey you guys actually got me back to my country safely." Tazuna sighed in relief as they continued walking though Kakashi and Naruto were thinking about something.
'If we get attacked again it will surely be a Jounin ranked ninja and not a Chunnin ranked one…' Kakashi thought gloomily since that meant he wouldn't be able to read his Icha Icha.
'My enhanced sense of smell can pick up two distinct scents, one smells like iron and blood while the other… smells like ice and snow.' Naruto thought as he took discreet sniffs of the air that was only noticed by Akane and Anko.
Naruto suddenly flung a kunai straight into some bushes off to the side of the road; everyone tensed as he walked over slowly and revealed that it was just a white-coloured rabbit.
"NARUTO-BAKA! STOP SCARING US! AND LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO THE POOR RABBIT!" Sakura screeched as she held the shocked rabbit to her underdeveloped chest.
'That was a snow rabbit, its fur changes colour depending on the amount of sunlight, white is for during the winter… so that means this is a rabbit that had been bred indoors for the purpose of Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Switch technique). So the enemy is already here…' Kakashi glanced around wearily as Naruto, Akane and Anko seemed to have come to the same conclusion.
"Everybody get down NOW!" Kakashi shouted as he pushed Sakura and Sai to the ground while Sasuke pushed Tazuna down. Naruto merely drew his katana in a flash and deflected the huge cleaver-like sword into another tree trunk, where a figure landed on the sword's handle. The figure was a muscular man with pale skin, short spiky black hair, brown eyes, and small eyebrows; the lower half of his face was covered with white bandages like a mask. He was bare-chested except for a simple sword holster over his chest; he wore pinstriped pants and matching mimetic wrist warmers and leg warmers.
"Momochi Zabuza, the Kirigakure no Kijin (Demon of the Hidden Mist)." Naruto felt a grin stretch across his face at the prospect of fighting such a well-known master of kenjutsu to test himself.
"Ah I'm flattered that you know me but I'm afraid the only people I know from your little group would be Sharingan no Kakashi (Kakashi of the Sharingan)." Zabuza chuckled but he was thinking differently. 'This kid was able to deflect my blade with just a katana, he must either be freakishly strong or an expert swordsman… or both.'
"Ah where are my manners, Uzumaki Naruto at your service." Naruto bowed dramatically before turning to Akane. "Sorry Akane-chan but I call dibs on this guy; I've been itching to fight a swordsman of Zabuza's calibre for a while now."
"Fine…" Akane pouted before smirking at him. "You owe me for this."
"Sure I'll make it up to you tonight." Naruto kissed her on the lips before drawing his katana again and pointing the tip at Zabuza. "Yo mister demon of the mist, let's find out right now who's the better demonic swordsman!"
"I wanted to fight Kakashi but my gut instincts tell me that you will be much more interesting to fight but your flimsy katana won't be able to defeat my Kubikiribōchō (Decapitating Carving Knife)." Zabuza smirked under his bandages.
"I wouldn't go and underestimate the strength of my sword if I were you." Naruto smirked as well.
"Good point." Zabuza admitted before kicking off the tree trunk and grabbing his sword free of it at the same time before landing on the lake's surface.
"Are you sure it's wise to let Naruto fight Zabuza on his own?" Kakashi asked Anko, who was chewing on a Dango skewer uncaringly.
"Meh Naruto-kun can handle himself in a fight with that chump." Anko replied with a shrug and grin.
'What did he mean by Sharingan no Kakashi?' Sasuke thought as he glanced at his sensei in confusion but his unasked question was answered the next second.
"Would you or your student mind if I use this to observe the fight?" Kakashi lifted his slanted headband slightly.
"Go ahead, it's not like you will be able to copy any of my student's moves." Anko grinned at the surprised look on Kakashi's face but he just shook it off and lifted his headband up, revealing a scar running over the skin around his eye along with a Sharingan eye.
'Even he has a Sharingan and he's not even an Uchiha like me!' Sasuke clenched his fists in anger that he had yet to activate his clan's famous eye bloodline.
"Ninpou: Kirigakure no Jutsu. (Ninja Art: Hidden Mist technique)" Zabuza whispered as he begin emitting a large amount of chakra from his body which started to create a dense mist around the entire area, effectively cutting off everyone's eyesight.
"So it begins." Naruto grinned as he shifted into a sword stance as the mist steadily grew thicker and thicker before the air became thick with Zabuza's killing intent.
"Eight choices. Liver, lungs, spine, clevical vein, neck vein, brain, kidneys and heart. Which one should I go after?" Zabuza used a technique to amplify his voice, which coupled with his impressive killing intent caused Sasuke, Sakura and Tazuna to start sweating in fear.
'W-what an incredibly dangerous KI. It feels like I'll be killed if I make a single move, that's how heavy the air is right now. Experiencing this for a while is enough to drive a person crazy. The intensity of an opponent like him… it feels like my life is being squeezed. I can't take it… I'd almost rather die now and get it over with.' Sasuke trembled as he slowly lifted his kunai to his neck.
"Wow and I thought only the Haruno was a coward but apparently your whole team are cowards eh Kakashi?" Naruto chuckled as he pointed his katana at Sasuke. "Looks like you really are an emo ne? Don't worry Uchiha, while I may not like you in the least, I won't let you die." '…yet.'
Naruto's words seemed to have shaken Sasuke out of his suicidal thoughts and Kakashi shot him a grateful look but Naruto had already returned to finding Zabuza.
"We'll see about that!" Zabuza shouted as he suddenly appeared in the middle of the Genins of Team 7 and Tazuna and was about to swing his zanbatou when Naruto's form appeared in front of him and slashed through his body.
"Mizu Bushin (Water Clone)…" Naruto whispered as the body in front of him burst into water before he switched his katana to his left hand and blocked a side swing of Zabuza's blade.
"Not bad gaki (Brat)." Zabuza grunted as he shifted his weight and kicked out with his left leg but Naruto caught it with his free hand before it could connect.
"Not so bad yourself… No-brows." Naruto chuckled as Zabuza grew a tick mark on his head while everyone else snickered at the nickname that Naruto gave the missing-nin.
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?" Zabuza roared as he pulled his leg back and jumped back a few paces.
"You heard me… No-brows." Naruto switched the katana back to his right hand and beckoned for Zabuza to attack him with his left.
"That's it gaki, you're dead!" Zabuza dashed straight at Naruto with a series of slashes that Naruto managed to avoid or deflect with his katana easily. Naruto grinned as this was exactly the kind of sword battle he had been looking for; he blocked a right swing and slammed a palm into Zabuza's chest.
Zabuza stumbled back a few steps and coughed but recovered in time to use Kubikiribōchō to block a vicious combination of attacks from the blonde he was fighting. Zabuza parried a strike before bringing his huge blade above his head and slammed it down onto Naruto, who managed to block the blow but grunted at the amount of strength it took. Zabuza grinned underneath his bandages as he drew his leg back and kicked Naruto straight in the stomach since both his arms were occupied with blocking his blade.
Naruto's eyes widened slightly before he vanished in a column of smoke causing Zabuza to pitch forward slightly due to the lack of resistance under his sword suddenly. Zabuza quickly pulled his sword back and looked around for his opponent when a dark chuckle escaped from the surroundings.
"Eight choices. Liver, lungs, spine, clevical vein, neck vein, brain, kidneys and heart. Which one should I go after?" Naruto imitated Zabuza with his demonic voice whilst releasing his own killing intent. "Does that sound familiar Zabu-chan?"
Zabuza gritted his teeth as he tried to pinpoint the so-called Genin that could match his strength and his eyes widened as he snapped his head up to see a descending Naruto.
"Kuroryuu no kōka! (Black Dragon's Descent!)" Naruto used the momentum of his fall to power his attack and unsheathed his katana at the last moment, impacting directly against the flat of Kubikiribōchō. Zabuza was thrown backwards by the force of the blow; he stabbed his blade into the ground to prevent himself from flying any further and pulled himself upright.
"That's a pretty good attack kid, now try mine! Suiton: Mizu Kamikiri! (Water release: Rising Water Slicer!)" Zabuza channelled his water affinity into his blade before pulling it out of the ground in an arc in Naruto's direction. A fast jet of water shot straight through the ground directly at Naruto, the jet was so strong that it literally split the ground it travelled along. Naruto quickly leapt directly up into the air but it appeared to be part of Zabuza's plan as he had finished forming several handseals.
"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu! (Water release: Water Dragon Projectile technique!)" Zabuza shouted as the water in the nearby lake started forming into a giant water dragon that roared once before shooting straight at Naruto. Naruto cursed as he didn't have enough time to counter with a high enough spell since it needed incantation so he sighed.
'Looks like I have to reveal you sooner than I thought…' Naruto mused as he held his katana straight in front of him and started concentrating on his reiatsu.
"Kurayami kara nukedasu, Kagekōtei. (Emerge from darkness, Shadow Emperor.)" Naruto whispered as his katana turned completely black in colour before he stabbed himself with it, earning gasps from everyone in the area. However, instead of piercing him like it should, the black katana seemed to sink into his body.
Zabuza was startled when he saw the kid stab himself after whispering something but relaxed when he noticed that his water dragon had impacted into the kid. Water sprayed across the sky and rained back down to the earth but no sign of Naruto could be seen, everyone looked frantically around for the demonic Shinigami.
"What's the matter? Did you lose something?" A demonic voice asked with amusement as everyone's head snapped over to the voice and gasped when they saw a Naruto, who looked much more… different than normal. Naruto was now completely shrouded in shadows so that only his outline remained along with a pair of glowing amethyst eyes.
"What the fuck?" Zabuza eloquently expressed what was on everyone's mind.
"I see you noticed my new look." Naruto grinned but you couldn't see it causing everyone to give him a deadpanned look. "Technically you are my enemy so why should I be revealing anything to you? Let's just say this is a special ability of my sword, now let's get wild!"
Naruto dashed towards Zabuza with his hands held outward and two shadow katanas materialised within his grasp and he swung them both at Zabuza, who caught both blows with his larger sword. Naruto smirked as several sharp tendrils erupted from his shadow on the ground and attempted to impale Zabuza but he managed to leap back in time.
'What the hell is this kid?' Zabuza thought mentally as he swung his huge butcher-knife again and again, repeatedly hacking apart the shadow tendrils that chased after him but they just kept re-growing. Naruto vanished in a blur of speed and appeared in front of a panting Zabuza and punched him into a tree with a large shadow fist.
"What the hell are you?" Zabuza coughed out blood that stained his facial bandages red as he lay injured against the base of the tree.
"Me? I'm your death." Naruto formed a shadow spear in his hand and was about to plunge it into Zabuza's heart when two senbon came flying out of the tree and piercing Zabuza in the neck, he stiffened for a moment before slumping down.
"Sorry that would be me." A surprisingly soft voice said as a hunter-nin with a Kirigakure symbol on his mask emerged from the forest. "I thank you for your assistance shinobi-san; I have been tracking him down for quite a while."
"You are a Kirigakure hunter-nin." Naruto stated simply as he released his Shikai (Initial Release) and bent down to check Zabuza for a pulse. 'No pulse… must mean he's dead.'
"Most impressive, you are correct." The masked ninja nodded in Naruto's direction.
"Hunter-nin?" Sakura voiced aloud, having found her voice again.
"Yes my duty is to hunt down missing-nins; I'm a member of the Kirigakure hunter-nin forces." The masked ninja replied before vanishing in a swirl of leaves and landed beside Naruto next to Zabuza's dead body.
"In this world, there exists people younger than you but stronger than me." Kakashi said wisely to Sakura, who looked confused at the young hunter-nin.
"Your battle is now over. And now if you will excuse me, I have to dispose of this body since it has many secrets that I cannot let fall into enemy hands. Farewell." The hunter-nin placed Zabuza's arm over his shoulder and vanished in a swirl of leaves.
'There was something fishy about that hunter-nin… she was the one that smelled like ice and snow but why only come out after the battle is almost done?' Naruto mused to himself before realising everyone was looking at him. "What?"
"What do you mean what? How come you never told me your sword could pull some cool ass shit like that?" Anko poked his chest repeatedly.
"Umm… it slipped my mind?" Naruto offered lamely causing Kakashi to give him a thumbs up and Anko and Akane to facefault at the lame excuse.
"Dobe I demand you give me your sword, a weapon like that belongs in the hands of an Uchiha!" Sasuke arrogantly demanded as he held his hand out to Naruto.
"Sasu-" Kakashi was about to reprimand his student when Naruto held a hand out to stop him.
"You want my sword? Well come and get it then." Naruto said with an emotionless face causing Sasuke to smirk as he stepped forward and tried to take the katana sheathed at Naruto's waist. Before he could even touch the handle, a spike of shadow shot out of the handle and impaled Sasuke's palm causing him to let lose a girly scream.
"SASUKE-KUN! NARUTO-BAKA WHAT DID YOU DO TO SASUKE-KUN?" Sakura screeched as she tended to the wound on the Uchiha's hand while Kakashi merely sighed.
"Are you fucking blind Haruno? It was the idiot who thought he could take my weapon; it is no fault of mine that my weapon rejected him." Naruto snorted as he walked past the dazed bridge builder. "Come on Tazuna-san, you have to lead the way to your house."
"R-right!" Tazuna stammered as he took the lead and the rest of the group followed.
Five minutes later
Tsunami heard the rhythmic knocking on the front door and placed the last dish away before wiping her hands on a cloth, she unlocked the door and opened it to be greeted to the sight of her father and several strangers.
"Tou-san!" Tsunami cried out in joy and embraced her father before smacking him upside the head with a frying pan she pulled out of… somewhere. "How many times have I told you to inform me before you leave?"
"Ehehe, sorry… but look! I managed to hire some ninjas and they continued the mission despite me lying to them!" Tazuna announced only to get smacked with the frying pan again.
"That's not something to be proud of!" Tsunami lectured her father before turning towards the group of ninjas, who had sweat-dropped at the scene. "Sorry about my dad, my name is Tsunami and please do come in."
Everyone had settled down in the living room soon after, Tsunami was busy in the kitchen cooking dinner so they were free to converse.
"Kakashi-sensei who was that masked kid?" Sakura asked.
"That's the mask worn by the Kirigakure special hunter-nin forces. They are also known as body erasers, their duty is to completely dispose of the body without a trace. Ninja bodies have many of their village's secrets hidden within them, information on different chakra types to herbs and other different things. For example if I died, the secrets of the Sharingan could be revealed and if you don't be careful then there is always the chance that the enemy could gain something." Kakashi explained.
"A ninja's body can reveal important information so by killing and disposing of missing-nins who have abandoned their village, the hunter-nins protect the information from getting out… they are the specialists that guard the village secrets." Naruto added but looked like he was thinking about something else.
"That's right, no sound. No smell… that is a ninja's end." Kakashi finished solemnly.
"So that Zabuza guy has been chopped up and disposed of? Scary!" Sakura shivered as the image of a pile of body parts appeared in her mind.
Elsewhere
Somewhere else in the forest, the masked hunter-nin was kneeling beside the still body of Zabuza; Kubikiribōchō was stabbed into the ground beside his head.
"First I'll cut the bandages around his face, drain some blood and…" The masked ninja reached for a pair of scissors and was about to snip the bandages of when Zabuza jerked upright and caught her hand.
"That's alright… I'll do it myself." Zabuza gasped out.
"Oh… you've come back to life already?" The masked ninja seemed surprised.
"Damn… you sure are rough." Zabuza commented as he pulled the senbon out of his neck forcefully, each tug accompanied by a squirt of blood.
"You shouldn't be so rough in pulling them out like that; you could actually die in that case." The masked ninja told him.
"How long are you going to keep wearing that ridiculous mask?" Zabuza grunted as he seemingly ignored the advice.
"It reminds me of the old days… plus it was useful for this act." The masked ninja slowly removed the porcelain mask to reveal a beautiful female face behind it. "If I had left you there then you would have definitely died."
"No kidding… that kid was really something else." Zabuza bandaged his neck to prevent any more blood from seeping from the two puncture wounds.
"Hai, what should we do the next time we encounter them?" She asked. "You won't be back to full mobility for a week at least but you should be recovered sufficiently in a few days to move about."
"Efficient as always Haku." Zabuza eyed the girl beside him.
"That's how you trained me Zabuza-sama." Haku giggled in response as she helped him back to the hideout.
Back in Tazuna's home
"Hey Anko-chan…" Naruto called out the snake mistress' name.
"What is it Naruto-kun?" Anko turned to face her 'student'.
"Don't hunter-nin normally dispose of the target's body directly on the spot?" Naruto asked.
"Yes they do… you don't mean!" Anko exclaimed suddenly with her eyes wide as Akane caught on to their train of thought as well.
"I see you came to the same conclusion as me Naruto." Kakashi eye-smiled causing the remaining Genin, except Sai, to look back and forth between Kakashi and Naruto.
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked after her patience (The little amount she had) had worn out.
"What Naruto meant was… Zabuza is still alive." Kakashi replied as Sasuke looked surprise while Sakura and Tazuna were completely shocked.
"W-what do you m-mean Kakashi-sensei, Naruto checked the body for a pulse and confirmed it was dead." Sakura stammered.
"That hunter-nin used senbon, a weapon that unless it hits a vital organ, it has a low possibility of killing your opponent. It's even an item used by doctors in acupuncture therapy. Hunter-nins are required to know all about the human body so putting a person into a momentary state of death is probably easy for them. First the hunter-nin carried away the body of the much heavier Zabuza rather than destroy it on the spot. Second, he used a weapon that has a low probability of killing. These two facts indicate that his motive was not to kill Zabuza but to save him." Kakashi listed out his reasoning.
"Aren't you putting a little too much thought into this?" Tazuna asked, hoping that it was just the ninja's paranoia.
"No, all these evidence state that Zabuza is definitely still alive and kicking. He will probably be healed by the end of the week and be back… probably with reinforcements." Naruto sighed inwardly as he saw that Sakura looked ready to shit her pants. "Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to take a nap, the day has been pretty exhausting for me."
Naruto walked up the stairs to the second floor of Tazuna's house where the bedrooms were, Akane made to follow him but was blocked by Sasuke's hand.
"Why are you following the dobe when you could have an Uchiha?" Sasuke smirked his trademark… smirk causing several reactions through the room. Sakura looked ready to explode, Kakashi face-palmed, Anko smirked as she knew what was coming while Akane merely stared at him.
"And exactly in what way are you better than Naru-kun?" Akane lifted an eyebrow as she crossed her arms.
"I'm an Uchiha, we are the elites of the village and everyone else pales in comparison to us." Sasuke declared arrogantly.
"Then Mister Elite Uchiha, why didn't you detect the genjutsu puddle or why did you try killing yourself when Zabuza appeared?" Akane asked rhetorically causing Sasuke to grit his teeth and clench his fists.
"That won't happen again when I activate my Sharingan." He boasted causing Akane to lift him by his shirt's collar and slam him against the wall and she punched Sakura dead in the forehead when she tried to save her 'Sasuke-kun'.
"Listen well Uchiha because I am only going to say this once. You are nothing but an insect compared to either me or Naru-kun, you are a coward who expects everything to be served to him on a silver platter just because of your name but you know what?" Akane grinned and revealed her elongated canines. "I hate Uchihas and I hate the Sharingan."
With that said, Akane slammed him against the wall once more and then tossed him on top of his number one fangirl before climbing up the stairs.
"What was that about?" Kakashi asked Anko, who merely shrugged.
"Something about her past, ask her if you want to know. I think I will be heading upstairs as well." Anko replied as she stood up and made her way up the stairs as well, leaving Kakashi with a blank-faced Sai, fuming Sasuke and unconscious Sakura.
"You guys are going to need some serious training…" Kakashi sighed as he inwardly cried anime tears as he looked up at the ceiling. 'Kami-sama why do you hate me?'
Naruto was sitting on the edge of his assigned bed when he felt a pair of arms encircle him from behind; he smiled slightly as he recognised the owner's smell.
"Hey Akane-chan…" Naruto greeted the demoness and leaned back into her embrace. "Something bothering you?"
"The Uchiha tried to get me to be his mate, arrogant fool." Akane replied but pushed Naruto back down onto the bed as he growled and attempted to rise. "Don't worry; I put him in his place already."
"I'm beginning to think I should have just let the little arrogant bastard kill himself." Naruto said as he shifted his position so Akane's head was on his lap and ran his hands through her blood-red hair.
"I think so too." Akane giggled as Anko entered the room as well and laid her head against Naruto's shoulder.
"What were you two discussing?" Anko asked curiously.
"Nothing important, just wondering if I should have let the arrogant fool commit suicide." Naruto shrugged slightly as he didn't want to disturb Anko's resting spot.
"Hmm, but it isn't as satisfactory if the little bastard takes his own life." Anko mused as Naruto used one hand to rub his chin thoughtfully.
"I guess you're right…" Naruto admitted.
"Hey Naru-kun… was that your Shikai?" Akane asked seriously after a small moment of silence.
"Yeah… it was." Naruto replied after a slight hesitation.
"Wow hold up… what's a Shikai?" Anko asked in confusion.
"You know that this is my Zanpakutou right?" Naruto lifted up his sheathed katana and getting a nod from Anko. "Well each Zanpakutou has two separate… special abilities, the first is known as Shikai or Initital Release. Shikai differs for everyone and no two people can have the same Zanpakutou, it effectively increases your combat ability by at least double or triple depending on how strong your Shikai is."
"That's a lot of power." Anko whistled in awe.
"Yes it is but there is still the second stage, which is simply known as Bankai or Final Release. Bankai allows you to access more special abilities, usually an improved version of your Shikai but sometimes they can be completely different. Bankai boosts your power level by at least five to ten times again depending on your Zanpakutou." Naruto explained.
"W-wow… so have you achieved this Bankai thing yet?" Anko asked.
"Unfortunately no… but I'm close." Naruto stared at his katana before looking at Akane. "I know you have a Zanpakutou as well, so do you have Bankai Akane-chan?"
"Well I do but… I haven't used it in several centuries already." Akane's hand strayed to her own Zanpakutou which hung at her waist.
"I see… Kagekōtei is the strongest shadow Zanpakutou." Naruto smirked as he felt his Zanpakutou hum in agreement. "Well we should probably go down for dinner."
Naruto and his team walked down just as a small boy walked up past them, Naruto gave Kakashi a curious look as there was a fuming Sakura in the room.
"That's Tazuna's grandson Inari, he apparently lost someone important to Gatou and thinks that we are going to die as well so he told Sakura that and she blew up at him." Kakashi recounted what happened causing Naruto to nod in understanding. The shinobi teams sat down at the dinner table as Tsunami began setting the dishes on the table; they quietly dug in to their meal with murmurs of gratitude.
"Tsunami-chan let me help you with the dishes." Naruto offered as everyone left the table after they had finished.
"T-that's quite alright Naruto-san, there's no need for you to help." Tsunami blushed a little at the handsome young man calling her name with the affectionate suffix.
"Nonsense, think of it as my way of saying thanks for the lovely meal." Naruto gave her his foxy grin, which just caused her to blush further but conceded to his help in the end. So Naruto chatted with her about Inari as he helped her wash the dishes, he learnt all about Kaiza and how he was killed by Gatou. "I see so that's what happened…"
"Yes, unfortunately Inari has never been the same since Kaiza's death…" Tsunami sighed as she wiped the last plate clean and gave Naruto a small smile. "Well Naruto-kun thank you for your help."
"It is my pleasure to offer my services to such a beautiful young lady such as yourself Tsunami-chan." Naruto grinned as he kissed her hand before leaving the kitchen, leaving a blushing Tsunami behind.
"Gaki isn't two girls enough for you?" Naruto turned around to see a grinning Tazuna leaning against the wall.
"Hmm let me think… nope!" Naruto smirked at his reply as Tazuna chuckled.
"Kid… I would like to thank you for protecting me and still continuing the mission even though you didn't have too." Tazuna said seriously but Naruto just waved it off.
"Think nothing of it." Naruto replied before heading back to his room. Naruto opened the door to see a naked Akane sitting on their bed and blinked.
"Didn't you say you would repay me tonight Naru-kun?" Akane cooed as she sauntered up to him and pressed her bare body against his clothed one.
"That I did…" Naruto smirked as he kissed her passionately on the lips as he began removing all of his clothing; he was so engrossed that he forgot to apply a Silencing Seal to the room. As a result, not many people managed to get much sleep that night especially one mother whose room was right beside the couple's.
Zabuza's hideout
Haku sat on a chair overlooking Zabuza's condition when she heard the door creak open, she turned around to see Gatou and two of his lackeys with him.
"So even the mighty Zabuza has come back defeated, it looks like the Kiri ninjas are really pathetic." Gatou taunted as he walked in. "You can't even avenge your own men and you call yourself a demon? Don't make me laugh!"
"…" Zabuza chose not to reply to the midget tyrant.
"Hey you, reply when I'm talking to you!" Gatou reached out to grab Zabuza's bandages but yelped when he felt someone grab his arm forcefully.
"Don't you dare touch Zabuza-sama with your filthy hands." Haku glared at him causing both of Gatou's samurai guards to draw their blades but they found their swords at their own necks in an instant. Haku had instantly moved from sitting in the chair to snatching both their weapons and positioned them at their owners' throats. "You shouldn't do that when I'm angry…"
"One more chance! If you fail one more time then you won't be getting paid!" Gatou shouted before leaving with both his bodyguards.
"Haku… you didn't have to do that…" Zabuza murmured as he revealed that he had a kunai in his hand the entire time.
"I know… but it's too early to kill Gatou because they will be after us again if we cause a commotion here. We must be patient." Haku smiled at him causing Zabuza to feel the strange urge to ruffle her hair like a proud father would but he quickly shook off the thought.
"Yeah… you're right…" Zabuza drifted back to sleep.
Okay guys that's it for this chapter, I know I stated that this would be the entire wave arc but I changed my mind seeing how long this was already! As you have read, Naruto's Shikai has finally made an appearance in this chapter and it is the strongest shadow Zanpakutou.
I am stuck on whether to have Tsunami join his harem and what to do with Haku so please review to let me know what you think about the chapter, his Zanpakutou and the pairings. Stick around for more awesome chapters and mind-blowing epicness, this is xNamikazeKyuubix signing out.
Ja ne!