It's only later that same day, after Sasuke and him show off their tree climbing skills, that they all settle in for dinner. Naruto is quite happy, having completed his training goal as well as made a new friend in the kind boy from the forest.

Inari seems to be upset tonight though, and as tears pour down his face, he begins to shout.

"Why do you all train so hard when you will all be killed in a matter of days?! No matter how hard you work, the weak will always lose when fighting the strong!"

Naruto scowls. "Whatever. I'm not getting killed anytime soon, kid."

"You're a fool! I'd hate to be like you! What do you know about anything!? You're always so cheerful, you've never had a hard life!"

This is the last straw for him, and all the anger of yesterday comes back to Naruto in an instant-

"You're the only fool if you think that no one has ever suffered through tragedy like you," he speaks, his voice a low growl.

"I've suffered every day of my life, but I don't spend my days like you, pushing down others with hope! So just cry for the rest of your life, you little sissy!"

He storms out of the room, this time going upstairs to his bed. He can't deal with this child today. That stupid crybaby runt.


He wakes up the next morning to find the house all but empty.

"They left me behind! I slept in!" he cries out, pulling on his ninja gear and rushing out the door, ignoring Tsunami's reply of him needing rest.

But when he sees the boar sliced to pieces he immediately goes back towards the house, and emerges in time to save Inari and Tsunami from Gato's bodyguards, who aren't nearly as well trained as ninja.

Inari looks up at him, sniffling a bit.

"You came to the rescue." the child says, and Naruto grins.

"Yeah, I came to help, and just in time. But you did a good job! I'm sorry I called you a sissy!"

He ruffles the kid's hair. "You're strong!"

The kid's face lights up as tears pour from his eyes.


Naruto arrives at the bridge to a full-out battle between Zabuza and his sensei, with Sasuke fighting the hunter ninja from earlier. He doesn't look too good, and there's strange mirrors everywhere around him, but in an instant he's inside the mirrors and by Sasuke's side.

"I came to save you!" he shouts, and instantly Sasuke is... not happy?!

"You idiot! Why did you come inside the mirrors?! Do you even understand strategy?! I don't care! You're a moron!"

"This is the thanks I get for saving you, bastard!?"

Sasuke groans in frustration, before the hunter ninja returns to the inside of the mirrors.

Flashing hand signs, Sasuke raises his fingers to his lips.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" he calls out, and a sea of flames cover the ice mirrors for a few seconds before the fireball dies out, leaving everything just as it was.

"It didn't do a thing!" Naruto cries out in confusion, and Sasuke is trying to create a plan, but-

"You cannot melt ice of this level with fire jutsu," the hunter nin says, and then the enemy is in every mirror throwing out senbon, and they're coming at a speed that's too difficult to dodge. Within seconds, both boys are feeling the effects.

"You will never be able to catch me. Your eyes cannot follow me quickly enough." the ninja says, and Naruto growls. Best way to catch someone going fast is outnumbering them!

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he cries, and his army of clones jumps with him to each mirror, ready to smash it, but the hunter nin vanishes, and with a sudden poof, his Bunshin are destroyed by senbon once again.

Naruto collapses next to Sasuke, exhausted. "Damm it!"

He is ready to pass out. The senbon were thrown with precision, but just the sheer number of hits has wiped him out. I'm not strong enough...

"No. I won't lose here. I have a dream to fulfill!" he shouts, and pushes himself back up.

"If possible, I didn't want to kill you." their enemy says with a soft voice. "But if you come at me, I can destroy my kind heart with a blade and become a true shinobi. This bridge will be where we fight to defend our dreams. Mine, or yours. I will protect my precious person, so their dreams will come true. "

He looks right at them, and you can sense the malice. "For that, I can kill you."


From outside the mirrors, there's a scream from Sakura, but all Sasuke can focus on is this ninja, who's knocked Naruto down already and is pushing Sasuke to that point. But he won't give up. He's slowly understanding the movements of his opponent.

Just a little bit, but... I can see!

But then the ninja is suddenly racing out from the mirror towards Naruto, and all Sasuke can think of in that moment is-

Save Naruto.

He feels the senbon as they hit, landing everywhere on his body, but he doesn't mind, because he saved someone else.

Naruto is suddenly awake again, looking at him with complete confusion and despair.

"Don't make such a face, moron." he tells the idiot blond.

"But why did you do this?! I didn't ask for your help!" Naruto shouts at him, and he's not completely sure what drove him to do this. Maybe it was the way Naruto seemed to struggle, to need help, and he could remember when he wanted for comfort, for someone to save him, when he woke up some nights in his house screaming, or when he came home smiling only to remember no one was there...

And in that moment he knew that he wouldn't leave him to die.

"I don't know... My body moved on it's own..."


He found himself thinking back on his dream, on those ruby red eyes as they looked at him with malice.

"Monsters like us need to stick together, right?"

"Right." he snarled, as he placed Sasuke's body down before him, his heart twisting in pain. His mind seemed almost disconnected from his body, and he felt a rush of evil, powerful chakra fuel him, it's dark taint wrapping around him, heavy and warm. He found himself so much more angry, more bloodthirsty.

I'll kill you!

He turned towards the hunter ninja, and saw them as they backed up a little, and grinned.

The ninja began to throw senbon again, but he didn't care, he roared out, and the senbon were pushed away by his chakra in an instant. The hunter seemed to speed up again, but it was nothing to him; he was stronger, faster, deadlier.

Feeling his power growing even more, he slashed out at the ninja, grabbing their wrist as he forced the chakra out of his body, and there was too much-

The mirrors around them began melting, the ice hissing from steam, and they were only barely held up, but that wasn't too much of a worry, as Naruto pulled his fist back, and swung it into his enemy without holding back, launching them through a mirror and shattering it to pieces, the others following it soon after.

A bit farther away, the hunter nin stood up, their mask broken, and he ran, his body faster than ever, holding out his clawed fingers ready to finsh the job-

But then suddenly it was not an enemy, but Haku. Kind, soft spoken Haku, the boy he'd met that day in the woods, and he stopped, frozen before the boy.

Finish it, boy! He killed your friend. Avenge his death, and make him pay. Make everyone on this bridge feel your pain, feel your hatred.

No, nonono it's Haku, I can't hurt Haku-

Make them understand your suffering, and how powerful you are, child.

Nhhgg-!

"H-Haku." he said, voice flickering between normal and feral.

The boy frowned. "Finish this fight, please. Kill me. I killed your precious person, your comrade."

Naruto growled a bit, and his chakra gave a little surge at the words.

"My precious person was Zabuza-san, but I have lost. I'm no longer a weapon strong enough for him. So please, kill me." Haku said, his face blank.

Naruto felt the angry chakra in him surging once more, and fought to keep it down.

Let him die, child. Kill him, and then kill this Zabuza for making him into a tool. Use this anger, this pain, use it to suffocate your enemies in their blood!

Naruto groaned, dropping to one knee. He wanted to make others bleed, to watch them as the light drained in their eyes-

But he didn't, because he'd hated watching the light die in that man's face, and the blood had sickened him, the smell made him gag-

"N-no, Haku. I won't kill you. I c-can't watch you die, I-"

The chakra started to burn in his body, and he pushed it away with all his strength.

So weak, you cannot even kill an opponent who wants to die. You claim to want power, but power only comes from those who destroy the weak! You will be destroyed, child. You will bleed out, dying the way you kille-

And then the angry voice of the Kyuubi was gone, and the burning chakra drying up, but he nearly fell over again with the drained body he was left with.

Naruto looked up at Haku.

"I'm sorry Haku, but I can't kill another person, I can't watch you die the way he died. I-I'm not strong at all."

Haku nodded his head, almost accepting. "I understand. Death is the hardest part of a shinobi's life. I won't make you-"

Something caught his attention, and the boy was alert.

"I cannot die yet!" He shouted, and vanished in a swish of smoke.

Naruto staggered on his feet as he hurried to follow, moving into the mist to see two figures in battle, one still and one moving.

That's Kakashi-sensei fighting! Haku's going that way!

Taking one last glance at the body of his teammate, he bowed his head before following his friend.

As he got closer, he heard the chirping of birds, and then suddenly he was next to Kakashi-sensei, who's hand was through Haku's chest in front of Zabuza. The Swordsman's face was spattered with blood from Haku, but the man didn't seem to care at all.

But all Naruto could do was stare at the blood as it came from Haku's chest, and the eyes of the already dead boy. He began to shake again - still so weak - as Kakashi pulled his hand out from Haku's body

"Stay there, Naruto." Kakashi said, but it didn't matter, because he couldn't move a muscle.

They began to fight again, but the silver-haired ninja seemed untouchable, dodging sword strikes with ease, before stabbing the missing-nin in the arm, incapacitating both limbs without even a flicker of emotion.

He probably would have decapitated the missing ninja, except for the fact that their battle was interrupted once more, this time by a short man in dark glasses with puffy brown hair; behind him lurked an army of bandits wielding blades and assorted weapons of various sizes.

Zabuza frowned, halting in his attack on Kakashi.

"Gato?" he said coldly. "Why are you here?"

The man smirked.

"I'm going to have you killed here, Zabuza. I never planned on paying you any money."

Gato walked forwards, towards the body of Haku. He gave it a sharp kick.

"This one, I don't like. Heh, he's dead now though."

Naruto grew upset at this. How dare this puny man defile the dead body of someone so kind, so pure?!

"Hey! You bastard!" he shouted, but was held back by his sensei's hand holding tight to his collar.

"We talked about this, Naruto. Think before you act. Their numbers are far too many." he said, indicating the many thugs behind Gato.

Naruto's head turned sharply towards Zabuza.

"You were friends! Say something! Don't you feel anything?!"

"Shut up, kid. Haku is dead already. I was used by Gato, just as Haku was used by me. I have no regrets." the Swordsman said quietly, not looking at them

Naruto growled, pulling free of his sensei and moving to face the missing-nin.

"He loved you. He truly loved you! Can you really stand there and not feel anything? He threw away his life for you, without a dream of his own, just as a tool-!"

The Demon of the Hidden Mist interupted him.

"Kid... you don't have to say anymore..." he said, as tears trailed down his face. "Let me borrow a kunai..."

Naruto pulled one out of his weapons pouch, tossing it towards Zabuza. His bandages unravled, he gripped the kunai in his sharp teeth, eyes dark and cold. A true killer.

He rushed at the army without hesitation, plowing through men like it was nothing, before he was right in front of Gato. The grunts near him stabbed their own weapons into his back, joining the many others, but it didn't matter to the shinobi.

Pulling his head forwards, he snapped it back, kunai out-

And Gato's head popped off in a burst of blood; dead.