Chapter 5: To Change Fate
Posted: Sept. 8, 2013
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
"Goodbye, please take care of Naruto," said Kakashi as he and the rest of Team 7 left with Tazuna to the bridge. Naruto on the other hand, was still asleep inside the house.
About 30 minutes later, Naruto began to stir. "Damn Time. What should I do? I don't want to alter the flow of time but I can't let Haku sacrifice herself like that." Looking over at a nearby clock, Naruto suddenly freaked out. "AHHH! I overslept!"
"Hey! Where is everyone?!" shouted Naruto as he opened the door leading into the living room of the house.
"Oh! Naruto, you're awake? Your sensei said that you'd be asleep the rest of the day," said a surprised Tsunami.
"I knew it! They left me behind!" shouted Naruto before dashing out of the door.
"Damn them! Damn Time. It's because of him that I overslept!" thought Naruto before his Shoraigan flared on, showing him images of two bandits breaking into Tsunami's home and kidnapping both her and Inari.
Tsunami was busy inside preparing food for when her dad and the shinobi returned. The moment she turned around to grab a pot, the door to her home was blown in by two of Gato's sword-wielding thugs.
"Are you Tasuna's daughter?" smirked the one wearing a black hat. "Sorry, but you're coming with us." With that, the thug not wearing a shirt smashed the table Tsunami was working on, causing the young woman to be throwing back against the cabinets in the kitchen.
"MOM!" Inari shouted, coming out of the bathroom after hearing a ruckus coming from the kitchen.
"What? There's a kid?" grinned the thugs.
"INARI! DON'T COME! RUN!" shouted a panicked Tsunami.
"Should we take him to?" asked the shirtless thug.
"We only need one hostage," said the hat wearing thug. "And the woman will be more use to us once we're done with her and the old geezer."
Tsunami shivered at that, but then the larger of the two drew his sword and looked towards Inari.
"If you touch that child, I'll bite my tongue and choke myself to death," threatened Tsunami. "You want a hostage? Fine I'll come, but leave my son out of this."
"Heh, smart girl," smirked the capped thug. Inari however, cowered back behind the wall, crying as the words from last night came to him.
"Such pretty skin. I can't wait until after we take care of the old man," smirked the larger thug. "I can't wait…"
Another shiver was sent down Tsunami's spine as she knew what awaited her should help fail to arrive.
"WAIT!"
"Huh?" asked one of the thugs as they looked over their shoulders to see Inari. "It's that kid."
"INARI!" Tsunami shouted.
"Get away from my mom!" demanded Inari.
"Heh, looks like I get to cut the little punk after all," grinned the larger thug.
However, as the two thugs slashed through Inari, Inari poofed into a log, with the exception of his hat.
"Sorry for being late," apologized Naruto as he placed Inari next to his mother, who was near the point of passing out due to hyperventilation now. "But usually, the hero shows up at the last second."
"Naruto…"
"Great job, Inari!" said Naruto.
"Hey look it's one of those loser ninja," mocked the thugs. The two of them charged at Naruto as Naruto threw a couple of shuriken at them. The thugs easily dodged the shuriken, but those shuriken weren't shuriken.
Before the thugs knew what hit them, the shuriken poofed into Naruto clones, giving a swift kick to the two thugs upside their heads and sent them skidding across the dock and into the water.
"Wait, how did you know they were coming here?" asked Inari.
"Let's just say I've got a knack for knowing what will happen," grinned Naruto. "Never mind that…sorry about yesterday, Inari. Sorry for calling you a sissy. You're actually pretty strong!"
At Naruto's words, Inari began to cry…again. "Damn it! I had decided I wasn't going to cry anymore!"
"What are you talking about?" asked Naruto before smiling at Inari. "It's alright to cry when you're happy."
Naruto then proceeded to bind the unconscious thugs in a mass of ropes and nets. "If they attacked here, then the bridge might be in danger. I've gotta go. I can count on you to handle things here, right?"
"Yup!" cheered Inari.
"Wha-What is this?!" shouted Tazuna as he and Team 7 arrived at the bridge only to find the workers scattered across the bridge, injured, bleeding, or dead.
"A monster…" one of the workers managed to get out before losing consciousness, just as the mist began to roll in. Team 7's guard rose as they instantly assumed formation.
"Kakashi-sensei, this is the Kirigakure no Jutsu, right?" asked Sakura. Sasuke began trembling.
"Long time no see…Kakashi," a familiar voice called out through the mist. "I see you're still with those brats. Heh, poor kid. He's shaking again."
Immediately, six Zabuzas appeared around the four.
"Hmph, I'm shaking…from excitement," grinned Sasuke before disappearing, and with a swift motion, cutting through all 6 Zabuzas.
Another laugh called out through the mist as the Zabuza's turned to water.
"Hmm…he saw right through the water clones. It looks like you may have a rival, eh Haku?" asked Zabuza to his apprentice, both of them standing on the opposite end of the bridge.
"So, my thinking was right on the mark," said Kakashi, eyeing the hunter-nin from before. "That hunter-nin from before is working with Zabuza."
"I'll fight her," declared Sasuke. "Tricking us with that stupid act…I hate bitches like that the most."
"You're so cool, Sasuke-kun!" squealed Sakura.
"She's way too hung up on him…" sweat-dropped Kakashi.
"Go," ordered Zabuza and the hunter-nin instantly disappeared in a water Shunshin, reappearing next to Sasuke and swiping at the young Uchiha with a senbon. Sasuke swiftly responded with a kunai and the two weapons clashed with one another.
"So, he can keep up with Haku," thought Zabuza.
"Sakura, guard Tazuna. We'll let Sasuke handle her," ordered Kakashi as he eyed Zabuza.
"I don't want to have to kill you, but you won't stand down, will you?" asked Haku.
"Don't be foolish," grinned Sasuke.
"I see…but you won't be able to keep up with my speed next time. Plus I've already gained two advantages," smiled Haku underneath her mask.
With that, Haku made a single-handed sign, surprising Sasuke…and also Kakashi. As she did that, the water around them rose up and formed into 1000 icy needles. "Sensatsu Suisho (1000 flying water needles of death)."
Sasuke concentrated as the water needles rushed in, focusing chakra to his legs to give his own speed the boost it needed for him to dodge the attack. Just as the needles collided, both Sasuke and Haku jumped out of the way, avoiding the attack. Just as Haku landed, she was forced to jump and dodge a few shuriken aimed at her, and then Sasuke appeared behind her.
Haku ducked underneath Sasuke's knife swipe, only to be kicked in the stomach by Sasuke's foot.
"Haku, you do realize that we'll be driven back at this rate?" asked Zabuza.
"We can't have that," said Haku as an icy chill filled the air around Sasuke. To Sasuke's surprise, and horror, the water around him rose up and formed into a dome of ice mirrors. "Hyoton: Makyo Hyosho (Ice-release: Crystal Ice Mirrors)."
"What is that jutsu?" thought Kakashi, equally as surprised as Sasuke. However, the surprises didn't end there as Haku actually stepped into the mirrors, her reflection appearing on all of them. Knowing that Sasuke was now outmatched, Kakashi moved to assist but was intercepted by his opponent…Zabuza.
"Against that jutsu, your brat's finished," smirked Zabuza.
Back in the ice dome, "Shall we begin?" called out Haku from everywhere. "I'll show you my real speed." Before Sasuke could even register what was said, he was assaulted by various slashes from all around.
Wanting to assist, Sakura threw her knife, hoping to catch Sasuke's attacker and assist her crush. However, Haku merely reached out of the mirror and caught the kunai, only to see a shuriken appear in front of her. She quickly moved the kunai to deflect the shuriken, but it poofed into Naruto, delivering an axe kick to Haku's head and knocking her out of the mirror before dispelling, revealing it to be a clone.
"Now that I'm here, everything will be fine!" declared Naruto out loud, clearly announcing his arrival to the world. "The main character of a story usually shows up in these types of situations and instantly, kicks the enemy's ass!"
Both Kakashi and Zabuza sweat-dropped at this. "That idiot! What kind of loud entrance is that? And he calls himself a ninja?" Kakashi sighed.
"You're kidding me, right?" asked Zabuza.
"I wish," Kakashi said, dropping his head, causing Zabuza to laugh.
Naruto launched a few shuriken towards Zabuza and Haku responded by throwing a few senbon to deflect the shuriken.
"Zabuza-sama, I'll fight them," said Haku.
"Damn Haku. I don't want to fight you. Why can't you see that I want to help you. You don't need to be that Zabuza's tool to throw away!" thought Naruto.
From inside the ice dome, Sasuke rose to his feet. "Those attacks were weak. He wasn't trying to kill me, and I was only scratched. But what's with this jutsu and those mirrors? Are there clones in the mirrors? No, it's way too fast and I can't even see where they're coming from," Sasuke thought, analyzing the situation. "Well, with me on the inside and Naruto on the outside…"
"Hey, Sasuke! I came in here to save you!" announced Naruto, prompting Sasuke to smack himself in the face at Naruto's stupidity.
"You moron! If you're a shinobi, then use your head! Why did you come inside the mirrors?! You're such an idiot!" shouted Sasuke.
"What?! I come here to help you out and this is what I get?!" responded Naruto in full force.
Back with Kakashi and Zabuza, "Naruto…He comes to help and yet only makes things worse," sighed Kakashi. "If I just make a shadow clone, he'll counter with water clones. If I leave Sakura and Tazuna to help, he'll just kill them. Damn, it looks like you two are on your own."
"For a kid to master a jutsu like that…it's a kekkei genkai," deduced Kakashi as he reached for his headband. "Sorry but, I'm going to end this instantly."
Zabuza just let out an evil grin at the sight of Kakashi's Sharingan. "The Sharingan again? Is that all you can do?" Immediately, Zabuza dashed at Kakashi, swinging at him with his sword, but it was a fake as Zabuza attempted to jab Kakashi with a kunai. Kakashi quickly caught the kunai.
"You say this is all I can do, but you're afraid of the Sharingan, Zabuza…" said Kakashi.
"A shinobi's supreme technique is not something that should be shown to an opponent twice," mocked Zabuza. "And even if you can defeat me, you won't win against Haku. "Ever since she was a child, I trained her myself in the ninja arts. And her jutsu surpasses even my own, thanks to her kekkei genkai. Unlike you, I have a high quality tool for myself."
"Kirigakure no Jutsu!" Just as Zabuza announced his jutsu, the mist grew thicker than ever before and Zabuza became a demon that was hidden by the mist.
"Hehe, you rely on your Sharingan too much," Zabuza called out from everywhere in the mist. Immediately, Kakashi sensed an attack and deflected a number of shuriken. And then he saw him, Zabuza with closed eyes. Moments after revealing himself, Zabuza disappeared back into the mist, waiting to strike again.
Kakashi waited, bracing himself for Zabuza's next strike to come. Realizing that Zabuza was a master of silent killing, Kakashi realized that Zabuza could in fact fight without his sight, so long as he could hear his targets.
Moments passed, and nothing. It was then that Kakashi realized… "Tazuna!"
Immediately, Kakashi shunshined over to where Tazuna and Sakura were, just in time to meet Zabuza's blade, but too late to block it with a kunai or another tool. As such, Kakashi had to resort to using himself and taking a hit, a moderately deep slash across his torso.
"KYAA!" Sakura screamed out upon seeing her sensei injured by Zabuza.
Back in the ice dome,
Naruto and Sasuke were soon assaulted with a barrage of senbon as Haku attacked from all directions. The attacks were also proving to be more damaging than just some scratches. Haku had apparently resolved herself to fight for real now.
Naruto at first was afraid to activate his dojutsu, out of fear of revealing it to Haku, but he immediately realized that he would need it in order to minimize the damage he would take in this fight. Still, Naruto already found himself taking a few senbon to the limbs. Looking over at Sasuke, he saw his comrade was fairing much worse without the aid of a dojutsu to assist him. "Just a little longer," thought Naruto. "Why Haku?"
Sasuke picked himself up off the ground just as he heard a scream echo throughout the mist. "Damn it…I need to do something! This is getting bad," thought Sasuke. "But…my eyes are getting accustom to her movements."
"I'm aiming for critical areas, yet both of them are dodging…" Haku thought. "Based on my encounter with the blonde boy yesterday, Zabuza was correct in that something is up with him. It's like he can see what's coming, but he's not quite fast enough to dodge all of my attacks. But I should still be able to hit the other one. He must be slowly learning to follow my patterns. This boy…can see something."
Haku unleashed another round of senbon, only for both of the boys to move out of the way of the attack. "They shouldn't be able to see my attacks, not at this speed…wait!" It was then that Haku saw them, dojutsus. "That one kid has a Sharingan?" Indeed, Sasuke's Sharingan had finally revealed itself, blazing away with two tomoe in one eye and a single tomoe in the other.
"I see, the Sharingan. So you are also from an advanced bloodline; however…" Haku turned her attention to Naruto. "I am unfamiliar with those eyes of yours. I've never seen nor heard of eyes like those."
"Naruto…" Sasuke turned to Naruto.
"Heh, you're welcome Teme," replied Naruto before turning to Haku. "Damn Haku. What to do? Either now everything plays out like it should and you end up dying, or I do something to get through to you that your life's worth more than just throwing it away! What to do? Time said I shouldn't try to save you, but I can't help but feeling that if I save you, it won't be the end of the world. I know inside, you're good and don't deserve to die. Fine, Time can just screw with himself. I was given these powers for a reason and just sitting back as everything happens wasn't one of them!"
"These kids…I can't fight them for much longer," thought Haku. "My jutsu uses a lot of chakra, and I can't keep up this speed for much longer. I'll have to end one of them right now. But who?" Haku took a quick moment to observe her two options, concluding that it would be best to take out the one who had taken more damage and was more likely to take the attack…Sasuke.
Haku gathered up a good amount of her chakra left and dashed out of the mirrors towards Sasuke. However, Naruto had realized what was happening. From the vision, Sasuke and Naruto had swapped places in who was being targeted. It all happened in the blink of an eye. Sasuke saw himself the target of Haku's next attack and unable to move in time due to the senbon sticking out of his legs. The next thing he knew, Naruto had moved in front of him, taking the attack as a few senbon now stuck through his neck.
"Naruto? Why?" asked Sasuke, unable to believe what he could see.
"Because Teme, I wasn't about to let any of my friends die," spoke Naruto. "And besides, I think it's about time we bring this match to an end." With a last grin on his face, Naruto dropped to the ground, disappearing in a puff of smoke.
"What?! Shadow clone?!" thought a surprised Sasuke and Haku.
"So he had a plan all along? Tsk. Well, as he said, looks like it's time to finish this," thought Sasuke. As he went through some hand seals, Haku immediately jumped backwards to avoid the impending jutsu. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"
Haku was able to make it into the mirror just in time to escape the fireball. When the flames died down, the mirror remained standing. Now Haku was running out of options. The time she could sustain the jutsu was running low and with only one opponent entrapped and another who knows where, she couldn't let this match go on any longer. She would have to hope that this next attack was enough to take out Sasuke.
Just as Haku left the mirror, a kunai flew in front of her. It appeared as if it was going to miss, but just as it was in front of her face, the kunai transformed into Naruto, who immediately, grabbed onto Haku and threw her out of the dome. Moments after she left the dome, it came crumbling down in a hail of ice as the chakra to sustain it was no longer being supplied.
Within moments, Naruto and a few of his clones were on top of Haku, pinning her to the ground. "I said I wouldn't let my friends die, and that includes you too," Naruto said to Haku as he pulled he mask off her face. "I don't get why you can't accept the fact that your life is worth more than just simply throwing it away!"
"While I still am unsure as to what you're talking about, it appears as if I've been beaten," said Haku. For her, she was at her end, with almost no chakra left while she could feel this boy's chakra was still running strong. She would not be able to overpower him in this situation. "I've been defeated and Zabuza-sama has no use for a weak tool…"
'SMACK!'
Naruto's hand hit Haku across the face, leaving a red imprint of a hand on the side. "Stop it! You're not a tool! You're a person, and a good person too."
"Naruto," Sasuke called out as he made his way over to the blonde. "What's going on?"
"It's…I'll explain later," said Naruto, flaring his eyes to Sasuke to give the Uchiha a hint.
"I see," replied Sasuke before falling to his knees. "Damn these needles hurt!"
Back with Kakashi,
The Copy Ninja was having trouble finding Zabuza in this mist, even with his Sharingan. The mist was too concentrated for his gifted dojutsu to see clearly and to make matters worse, he now had a large bleeding gash across his chest. "I'm going to have to end things here. I don't know how Naruto and Sasuke are holding up and I don't want to risk their safety anymore," thought Kakashi as he pulled out a scroll from his vest. Kakashi smeared some blood on the scroll before slamming it into the ground. "Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu! (Summoning: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique)."
"Hehe, whatever you do is useless, Kakashi," Zabuza laughed through the mist. "You can't figure out where I am, but I know exactly where you are. You are trapped by my jutsu." Suddenly, Zabuza heard some sort of growling coming from around him and then a stinging pain shot through his legs as he felt the jaws of a dog clamp onto his ankle. Zabuza's eyes shot open to see what was going on, but all he saw were a number of dogs jumping upon him. Before Zabuza could even react, there were eight dogs digging their teeth and claws into Zabuza's flesh.
"That's what happens when you have your eyes shut in the mist," said Kakashi as he walked towards Zabuza through the thinning mist. "This summoning is specifically designed for tracking down an opponent."
"I let my blood spill twice on purpose," explained Kakashi. "These are my cute ninja-hounds. They were easily able to find you from the scent of my blood on your blade. You are the one trapped in my jutsu and the mist is clearing. Your future is death."
"My future is death? I'm sick of your bullshit!" swore Zabuza.
"Don't be foolish. There's nothing you can do in this situation. You will die here. You went too far, Zabzua," said Kakashi. "Your ambition was too great. You abandoned your country and became a missing-nin. Both your attempted coup 'de tat and attempted assassination of the Mizukage failed. You needed money and to avoid the hunter-nins, so you attached yourself to a lowly piece of scum like Gato."
Kakashi flipped through a few more hand seals and grabbed the wrist of his right hand with his left. Suddenly, chakra sparked and crackled around Kakashi. "Raikiri (Lightning Blade)!" Zabuza eyed the crackling chakra in Kakashi's hand with a look of horror. "You are too dangerous. Tazuna-san, who you're trying to kill, is this country's courage. I cannot allow him to die."
"I don't give a damn, I'll fight gor my own ideals, and that shall continue!" declared Zabuza.
"I'll ask once more, surrender," said Kakashi.
Zabuza merely chuckled. "Never!"
Letting out a sigh, Kakasih resolved himself for the kill before charging forward with his one original jutsu, set on piercing Zabuza's heart.
Back with Naruto,
The blonde time-user was getting nowhere with Haku.
"Damnit! What do I need to do to get you to see that your life is more than giving it to this Zabuza-teme?!" shouted Naruto.
However, Naruto saw as something snapped to Haku's attention and the blonde's eyed kicked into full gear as he saw Haku's death…again. Trying desperately to stop Haku from making the ice mirror, Naruto rushed to tackle Haku and prevent her from giving herself up like that. Before Naruto could make it though, Haku had disappeared into a mirror of ice.
"No…" gasped Naruto before looking in the direction where Kakashi was. "Haku! STOP!" Shouted Naruto before he ran towards where Kakashi was about to kill Haku instead of Zabuza.
As Naruto ran though the mist, what he saw when things came into view shocked him the most. There stood Kakashi, Zabuza, and Haku. Kakashi was just about to jab Zabuza with his lightning blade, Zabuza was being held in place by numerous dogs, and Haku was preparing herself to take the blow for Zabzua. But they were all frozen there, even the senbon that Haku had thrown just hung there in mid air.
"W-what?" stuttered Naruto.
What also caught Naruto's attention was a bit of the mist that appeared to be shifting and taking on the form of the mysterious Time. "What's going on?" Naruto asked, hoping for an answer.
"It appears as if you've decided to go against what I warned you against," spoke the misty figure of Time.
"Why is everything frozen?!" shouted Naruto.
"It looks as if you've passed the test," said Time.
"What are you talking about? Test?" asked a now confused Naruto.
"Yes. A test of your resolve. Would you allow things to play out like they were meant to, or would you embrace your gift and the powers associated with it," explained Time. "That was the test. And from the looks of it, you've chosen to embrace your gift and try to change things. As such, you've passed the test and unlocked the next ability of your bloodline, Jikan no Teishi (Halting of time jutsu)."
"Jikan no Teishi?" asked a now curious Naruto.
"Yes, it will become one of the most powerful tools at your disposal. However, for now I suspect you will only be able to pause time for a short duration, maybe five seconds at most, although that duration will increase as you develop," said Time.
"Wait…five seconds?! But time's been stopped for more than five seconds," said Naruto.
"That is because I am the one pausing time right now and my limit is much more than five seconds," spoke Time. "Once I leave, then you will have five seconds to do what you must to try and save the girl's life. Also, time will resume should you move an object that's frozen. Now, I should mention this to you, that whenever you use this jutsu, there is an interval you must wait before you can use it again."
"Interval?" asked Naruto. "How long are we talking?"
"For every second that you pause time, you must wait 5 seconds for the flow of time to resume its normal flow," explained Time. "That means that should you pause time for the full 5 seconds of your current limit, you must wait 25 seconds before using that jutsu again. And in your world, 25 seconds is a long time."
"Hold on, I thought last time though you said if I decided to change what I saw, there would be 'unforeseeable consequences' and the 'flow of time would destabilize'," said Naruto.
"Yes, I did say that last time. And yes, should you save the girl, the flow of time will destabilize. But it will eventually re-stabilize," spoke Time. "This will be something that you will notice, but should you change an event, you will notice that you won't be able to use your Shoraigan to see more than a few minutes into the future for some time. This is because the flow of time hasn't fully re-stabilized and the near future is still unpredictable."
"But you just said that the flow will re-stabilize. How long are we talking?" asked Naruto.
"Hmm…I would say maybe a few weeks, perhaps a few months or even a year depending on the severity of the change. However, I doubt you would be without your ability to see further into the future for no more than 3 weeks if you save the girl," spoke Time.
"So if I make any sort of noticeable change to this timeline thing, I won't be able to use my Shoraigan for a certain period of time?" asked Naruto.
"Yes and no. You will still have the few seconds of foresight when using it in combat, but you won't be able to look into the future like you have been," said Time. "And the severity of the change will determine how long you won't be able to see. However, even I can't tell how big of an impact a certain change will have."
"I think I get it now…kind of," said Naruto. "So I have 5 seconds to get Haku out of the line of Kakashi-sensei's attack?"
"Yes," said Time. "Are you ready?"
"I am," spoke Naruto, determined to make sure the young ice-user didn't die on the bridge. "The moment I touch Haku, time resumes. Kakashi-sensei is too close to Haku and I don't think I could move her in time. I think my only chance is to stop Kakashi-sensei."
"I will see you again in time, Naruto. Your five seconds starts…now."
As soon as Time began Naruto's timer, the blonde was immediately off towards Kakashi. His target was his sensei's arm, wanting to knock the Raikiri out of the path of impaling Haku, but he also had to block the senbon that Naruto had foreseen were headed towards Kakashi's scroll that he had summoned his dogs with.
Naruto already knew the path he would have to make as he jumped towards Kakashi's arm, knocking the senbon out of the way with his head and restarting time. As soon as the top of his head made contact with the side of the senbon, everything that was frozen instantly began to move again.
"W-what?! N-naruto?!" said an utterly shocked Kakashi as his blonde student tackled his arm, just above the Raikiri and knocked Kakashi's jutsu aside before he tumbled to the ground next to the battle. Everyone watching just looked at the blonde who had instantly materialized out of thin air.
"Sorry Kakashi-sensei, but I couldn't let you kill them," apologized Naruto. It was then that Kakashi saw Haku standing in front of Zabuza. Haku especially was to shocked to even move, but Zabuza's surprise quickly turned to laughter.
"Haha Kakashi, I'm destined to die? Even your own student doesn't seem to agree with you," mocked the Demon of the Hidden Mist.
"Naruto, what happened?" asked Kakashi. "Why did you save Zabuza?"
"I don't care what happens to Zabuza, but I couldn't let you kill Haku," said Naruto as he turned to the still shocked kunoichi. "I know how you feel. I know what it's like to be all alone, what it's like to be without a purpose or someone precious. I know what it's like to just want to give up. It's unbearable. You look for the first person who will even acknowledge you, regardless of who that person is. I'm sorry, I know you were ready to give your life up for Zabuza, but I couldn't let you. I couldn't let one of my precious people die."
Haku only stared at the blonde, eyes widened. He wasn't lying and she could clearly see it in her eyes.
Sakura was the next one to come to her senses. "Naruto, where's Sasuke-kun?" she asked as Naruto pointed over towards a limping figure coming through the mist. It was Sasuke, sore and injured from the needles through his legs, but nothing that would kill him.
Suddenly, a truly evil laugh came through the mist. "Ooh…you're getting your ass kicked," called out a smug little voice. Everyone turned their attention to the newcomer to the fray. As the remaining mist dissipated, everyone saw a short man with a sinister grin plastered on his face and about 100 goons and thugs armed with all sorts of sharp and/or pointy objects.
"Gato…why the hell are you here?" growled Zabuza.
"Hehehe, the plan has changed," snickered Gato. "Well, actually I planned on doing this from the beginning. Zabuza, I'm going to have you killed here."
"What?!" growled Zabuza.
"I never planned on paying you any money anyways," admitted Zabuza. "Hiring a normal ninja from the village is expensive and they may betray me. So I hire missing-nins who are easier to take care of afterwards. I have the ninjas battle each other and once they're weakened, I kill them off with numbers. Doesn't cost anything so it's a good plan I say. The only problem in the plan was you…Zabuza. The Demon of the Hidden Mist? What a joke if you ask me. Hehe, you're just a…cute little baby demon."
All of Gato's thugs just laughed. "We can easily kill you now!"
"Kill them all," ordered Gato. "Although, leave the girls alive. The pink haired girl will make some good money on the market after she's trained a bit and I've got some personal business to settle with the other bitch."
"What was that you bastard?!" growled Naruto before he began to run towards Gato and his thugs.
"Naruto! Look at their numbers," advised Kakashi as he caught Naruto by the collar. "Don't just jump in there."
"Kakashi…this fight's over," said Zabuza. "Release me from these hounds and I'll do you the favor of removing Gato's head from his stubbly little body myself. Besides, I won't let anyone talk like that about Haku!"
"Oh, so now you care about her?!" shouted Naruto.
"Shut it brat! I know I used Haku as a tool. In the world of shinobi, there are only those who use and those who are used. We are shinobi and as shinobi, we are nothing more than tools. I originally took Haku for her bloodline, not her; to use her as my tool. However, over the years with her, she became more than just a tool to me. The truth is, she's more of a daughter. Say I don't care for her again and I'll rip that smug little mouth clean off your face," said Zabuza, silencing Naruto. "So how about it Kakashi?"
"Fine," said Kakashi as he called his dogs off. Zabuza was still sore from the numerous dog bites, but he was still able to wield his sword. Zabuza grabbed his oversized blade and quickly dashed towards Gato's army. Like the scared little coward he was, Gato ducked behind his human shield as his thugs prepared for some 'fun'. However, once Zabuza got close, he flared a sizable amount of killing intent, scaring the crap out of many of Gato's thugs. Once in the middle of the fray, and with a single swipe of the sword, over a dozen of Gato's hired goons dropped to the ground, drowning in their own blood.
The Demon of the Hidden Mist then glared towards Gato, scaring the smug tyrant shitless. With his way to Gato now clear, Zabuza slowly and calmly walked towards the small business man, unopposed by the frightened thugs.
"You want to know something Gato? You weren't the only one who planned on killing someone," grinned Zabuza. "Once I was done with my job, I was planning on killing you and guess what…my job IS done seeing that you called it off. So guess what, you can go to hell you smug little bastard! You were looking for a demon? Well I'm certain there are dozens just waiting for a pathetic excuse where you're going!"
With that, Zabuza swung his sword at Gato's neck, easily cleaving through the tissue connecting Gato's head to his body. The short stump of a body that Gato had fell to its knees and his head rolled off the shoulders. Gato was dead.
"Damn you ninja! You killed our meal ticket!" shouted one of thugs before they all went in a panicked frenzy, attacking any ninja in sight. However, they were stopped in their tracks as a barrage of arrows landed at their feet. Standing at the other end of the bridge, were the villagers of Nami no Kuni, led by none other than Inari.
"Inari!" shouted Naruto.
"Heh, a hero always shows up at the last minute, right?" grinned Inari.
Naruto smiled back. "Ok! I can help out! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" About two dozen Narutos appeared along with the army of Nami villagers.
"My chakra's running low after using the Sharingan, summoning, and Raikiri, but I can at least do that," thought Kakashi. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" 10 Kakashis suddenly appeared next to the army of Narutos and villagers.
Adding just a little more, "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!" Joining the fray were 6 Zabuza water clones. If Gato's thugs weren't sweating before, they were freaking out now.
"Let's get out of here!" shouted one of the thugs as they all hightailed it out of there.
"We did it!" cheered the villagers.
As Zabuza, Naruto, and Kakashi regrouped with the rest of the ninja, Haku had just finished removing the senbon from Sasuke's body and already the young Uchiha was noticing a return in feeling and mobility.
"Naruto, you and I need to talk once we get back to the house," said Kakashi.
Naruto sighed. He had seen that coming. "I know Kakashi-sensei."
"So what are you going to do, Zabuza?" asked Kakashi.
"In all honesty, I don't know. Both of won't be able to move real well for a few days," said Zabuza.
"Hey Kakashi-sensei, do you think they could come back to Konoha with us?" asked Naruto.
"Heh, you really are a naïve brat," laughed Zabuza. "But I'll consider the offer. It honestly would be nice to stop running from the hunter-nins."
Later that night, after much celebrating,
Kakashi had taken his team out to the isolated clearing near Tazuna's house. "So today was certainly an interesting day, wouldn't you say?" asked Kakashi. "I see you unlocked your Sharingan, Sasuke."
Sasuke nodded and then turned to Naruto. "Did you know?"
"I did. I found out that you would get your Sharingan the day before. But I thought if I told you, things might change and you wouldn't have gotten it," said Naruto. "Yeah, but couldn't you have at least warned me about the needles? I'm still sore, Dobe."
"S-sorry," apologized Naruto.
"Whatever," said Sasuke. "I've got my Sharingan and you said it could have been much worse, so it's fine." "And now that I have my Sharingan, Itachi, your days are numbered!"
"On that note, what happened on the bridge Naruto? I didn't even see you move," asked Kakashi. Naruto knew this was what Kakashi was going to ask him and he was prepared to tell Kakashi what had happened on the bridge.
"A new ability, eh? And it sounds like a pretty powerful one too," said Kakashi.
"Yeah, but it's only 5 seconds for now," said Naruto.
"Yes, but in our world, 5 seconds is a lot of time," said Kakashi. "You'd be surprised what you can do in five seconds."
"And Naruto…" said Kakashi. "Next time you plan on doing something like what you did, let me know. Perhaps I can help. I may not be able to predict the future, but I know how the shinobi world works and I may be able to offer some insight."
"I will, Kakashi-sensei. Thank you and I'm sorry about earlier," said Naruto.
"Now, we'll be here for another week or so to recover and help Tazuna-san with the completion of the bridge. With Gato gone, Tazuna-san should be able to work on it all day and without any interruption; however, there are still some remnants of Gato's organization around the island and we may face an attack or two by a few of his bandits," said Kakashi. "Now, I've sent word to the village for an ANBU team to come and clean up Gato's mess. There are certain things that just aren't meant for your eyes."
Kakashi sent a look towards Sakura and immediately she knew Kakashi was talking about some sort of sex slave operation Gato was running. He was right, that wasn't something she'd want to see. Sakura merely shivered at the thought.
The rest of the week proceeded with much work and celebrations. During the day, much of the village was busy doing what they could to either assist Tazuna on the bridge or something else that would help get their country back on its feet. During the evening, the villagers did what they could to celebrate their liberation from Gato's tyrannical grasp.
By the end of the week, Tazuna's bridge was complete, providing a permanent link between the island nation of Nami no Kuni and the mainland, Hi no Kuni. Already, the village itself was showing signs of improvement as various stores showed increase in items on their shelves, homes were finally seeing much needed repairs, and the villagers themselves had their hopes and dreams returning to them.
A few days earlier, an ANBU team from Konoha arrived and began to dismantle the remnants of Gato's organization. The amount of drugs and smuggled weapons they found were beyond belief, but what truly was disgusting was the human trafficking operation that was located on the island. Hopefully now, with the elimination of Gato, there would be some form of closure for his victims.
To the benefit of everyone, Gato's vast fortune was uncovered on the island with Konoha taking just enough to pay for the missions that Nami had commissioned with the rest of his fortune going to help jumpstart the economy of the island.
Now, a week after the hope of Nami had been restored, its heroes stood at the gate to the newly constructed bridge, ready to depart back to their homes.
"So have you made a decision on what you're going to do, Zabuza?" asked Kakashi.
"I have. As gracious as your offer was, I must decline," said Zabuza. "I have just received word from a close associate of mine that the rebellion against the Mizukage is regaining steam."
"So you intend to finish what you started?" asked a questioning Kakashi.
"Kakashi, the Mizukage is a tyrant just as bad as Gato. HE is responsible for so much violence and death that spread across the country. The rebellion wasn't for any sort of personal gain, but rather to protect something I hold dear to me," said Zabuza. Kakashi took the hint and looked over towards Haku, who was with the genin of Team 7.
"I see," said Kakashi as he raised an eyebrow.
"Then you can understand I hope," replied Zabzua.
"I think so," replied Kakashi. "If you don't mind me asking, who is your acquaintance?"
"Her name is Terumi Mei," said Zabuza. "She took over for me when I was forced to flee."
"I've heard that name before," Kakashi said, intrigued.
"Kakashi, I want to ask a favor of you. I've already talked to Haku about this, but I want you to take her back to Konoha with you. Let her live her life away from the hunter-nins and the violence," Zabuza asked. "She said she wants to join your ninja forces. So long as she's happy, I'm fine."
"Will we see you again?" Kakashi asked.
"Once Kirigakure is secure and free of Yagura's tyranny, I'll visit Konoha to see how Haku's doing," said Zabuza.
"Very well. I shall inform the Hokage of this development," said Kakashi.
"One last thing," said Zabuza eyeing Naruto. "What the hell is up with that orange brat of yours?"
"That's something that I wouldn't even tell your dead corpse," said Kakashi sternly. "What Naruto's abilities are, are none of your concern."
"Fair enough. It was worth a try though," shrugged Zabuza before turning to Haku. "Haku, I am leaving now. I want you to go with these ninja to Konoha and live your life for yourself. I want you to be happy and not have to worry about running. And don't worry, once I have finished my business in Kirigakure, I will come and see you."
"I understand, and thank you," Haku said. "Otousan."
Zabuza then proceeded to pull Naruto off to the side. "If I come back and find that you've hurt Haku, I'll decapitate your other head and force you to eat it and die choking on it."
Naruto just looked at the Demon of the Hidden Mist in utter confusion, having absolutely no idea why Zabuza was talking to him like that, but still for some reason couldn't help but feel like he had just been warned.
With that last threat, Zabzua disappeared, leaving Haku in the care of her newest precious people.
Jutsus
Jikan no Teishi: (Halting of Time Jutsu): This jutsu is one of the jutsus associated with the Jikaton bloodline. It involves literally freezing everything in time except for the user. The time at which this jutsu lasts depends on the user's skill and experience. At this point, Naruto can only freeze time for 5 seconds at most. Also, for every second that time is frozen, 5 seconds are required for every second time is frozen before this technique can be used again.
Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu! (Summoning: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique):
Raikiri (Lightning Blade)
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Jutsu)
Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu (Water Clone Jutsu)
Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Jutsu)
Sensatsu Suisho (1000 Flying Water Needles of Death)
Hyoton: Makyo Hyosho (Ice-release: Crystal Ice Mirrors)
Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire-release: Great Fireball Jutsu)
Author Notes
Here's chapter 5 of Naruto: Time Sage.
This concludes the Wave Arc.
Regarding pairings, I'm honestly strongly leaning towards pairing Naruto and Haku together. I've had many requests for NaruHina, and that is still by far my favorite pairing for Naruto; however, I already have two active stories which feature NaruHina and I wanted to try one of the lesser used pairings (ex. femHaku, Fuu, Temari, Yugito, ect…). Both NaruFuu and NaruFemHaku interest me as both Haku and Fuu have similar pasts to Naruto. Considering on how determined Naruto is to save Haku during these chapters, I've decided to go the route of femHaku with Naruto. Again, pairings won't be a main part of this story, but they will be present. Also, I do plan on doing SasuSaku.
As for updating this story, I'm going to try and update this story every other week by Tuesday at the latest. I'm not 100% set on that update schedule, but I'm going to see how well that fits with updates to the Uzumaki Tales and Rewriting the Past (my other two active stories). In short, expect an update for this story (ch 6) around Sept 24, 2013 although I do reserve the right to post the chapter a day or two either way.
That's it for now,
Please Review/Comment.