Chapter 007
A/N: Many have done this already, I'm different. So mind the skippage. Rating is going to M, because apparently death is involved.
"Naruto, where did you get that manga?"
Kakashi had decided to go on with this A-Rank mission it has become now filled with B-Rank near danger. "I learned how that Akimichi guy, Chouji, was able to stash large bags of chips on his person, and followed his example, only instead of food, it's my various items," the blonde replied to his sensei. It was no secret that in Konoha, the Akimichi Clan has always enjoyed the delicate tastes that was food. To them, it was a sin to waste food, especially their village-famous BBQ ribs. It was taboo to call an Akimichi words that describe their weight balance... it's like signing your own death warrant.
"How?"
Naruto grinned. "Like I said: my secret..." And then he resumed reading The Adventures of Mana the Black Magician Girl.
Sasuke was glaring holes into Naruto, because his soon-to-be rival was acting as if he wasn't a ninja. What pissed him off was he was currently acting like a low-life civilian. And of course, Naruto's attitude reminded the Uchiha of his older brother when he would go about without a care in the world.
I'll kill Itachi... and regain my glory in the world...
I hope I can get my magazines from Sekai... I miss reading Mana's other adventures... These were Naruto's thoughts on the unrated manga of The Adventures of Mana the Black Magician Girl. Same storyline, just more... adult...
It was just a quiet affair... as they were nearing their destination.
=0=0=
The ferryman pulled away from the shore as they climbed the hills, and returned back to the main road, now in Nami no Kuni two hours later. Naruto has tagged his place in his good-rated manga and placed it away, and was just quiet with the others. Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound and threw a kunai... hitting the dirt next to a snow white hare. Because of this, Sakura bashed the blonde right over the head. He was knocked out cold because of it...
A Nukenin named Momochi Zubuza had appeared, tasked with the mission of killing Tazuna for the man named Gatou, and sine Naruto was knocked out from that duster to the head by Sakura, which she was scolded for, Kakashi dueled against Zubuza. He nearly won, but when the man was taken out and taken away by an Oinin from Kiri, his chakra levels were too low and so he joined Naruto in the realm of unconsciousness.
=0=0=
"What the hell happened?"
"You're in my home." Naruto opened his eyes and got up from the futon mattress. There was a kind young, beautiful woman. "Hello... I'm Tsunami. I live with my father Tazuna."
"The drunk-Jiji?"
"Yeah... my father," she sweatdropped, "your teacher is resting downstairs... Tazuna managed to led your two other friends here while dragging you and Kakashi-san."
"The last I remember was tossing a kunai at some bushes, thinking someone was following us... and then nothing."
"That girl with the pink hair thought you were killing some bunny and... well she struck you too hard it knocked you unconscious..."
"Oh... I see..." She removed the covers, glad that he was still dressed, and retrieved his coat to wrap around his waist again.
"Is there anything to eat here?"
"Yeah, I'll warm up some left-over dango." She got up and headed off towards the kitchen down the steps. Naruto followed and entered what was the living room, with Sasuke just looking out the window. With his laptop in tow, he finds a spot in a nice quiet corner with a nearby table, and sits down on the floor and switches it on. Gotta thank the Akimichi for developing their secret jutsu to hide more stuff on a single person.
While he was typing away on his laptop, which the clacking noises appeared to be bugging the Uchiha, in entered Sakura and Tazuna through the front door. As he opened up a website, with the volume up at its max, he got up to use the bathroom. When he returned, a familiar tune began to play... yup. Naruto's watching pro wrestling.
"Oh crap, forgot about that match!" Naruto cursed, as he plops down in his pillow and keeps his eyes glowed to the screen.
"What is that you are watching?" The Uchiha grunts.
"Pro wrestling... a match between Jeff Hardy and Triple H," was the blonde's reply.
"Naruto?"
"Hn."
"I'm sorry for... knocking you out like that..."
"Hn."
She glares. "Are you listening to me?"
The crowds cheered, and so does Naruto over the hard takedown Triple H delivers to Jeff Hardy in the ring. She growls and storms off.
=0=0=
"Still can't believe Edge interrupted such a great match," the blonde muttered, as the next day Kakashi had awaken, but was restricted to a set of crutches loaned from a local clinic that barely stayed open.
"Naruto, stop your muttering and keep trying to walk that tree," Kakashi called out without looking up from his book.
Today, Kakashi was teaching his Genin the exercise of Tree Walking. Because of the threat of Zubuza and that Oinin who was apparently the man's accomplice, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke all have to train. This went on for the rest of that week, one Sunday afternoon Naruto refused to leave the house, too busy on the computer watching the Armageddon PPV.
=0=0=
At the end of that week of training chakra control exercises, Naruto was walking along a forest, when he looked up to see a young girl an age who appeared fifteen, on the ground collecting some herbs and plants.
"Hello, are you searching for something?"
"Oh, hello," the girl replied, "yeah, I'm searching for medicinal herbs for a friend of mine."
"Ah... I'm just bored and traveling around the forests..."
She then noticed his Hitai-ate worn around his neck. "Are you a ninja?"
"Yeah... but beforehand I never knew of the shinobi realm. You see, I was born from a village known as Konoha, but for some reason I was taken away after my birth, and left to be adopted by my loving father Crawford J. Pegasus beyond the mists..."
"You're from somewhere else?"
"Yup. It's kind of cool to be a ninja and all, but sometimes I just miss hanging out with my friends, or dueling to the top." He proudly displayed his Duel Disk to the girl, "oh, sorry. I'm Crawford U. Naruto. Just call me Naruto, or fox-boy."
"Fox boy?"
"My whiskers," he stated, showing her the fox-like whisker marks upon his cheeks. She giggled softly.
"They make you look cute."
He blushed a bit.
"So, what is that thing on your arm?"
"It's a Duel Disk; it's a technology from the outside world. This stack of cards is my dueling Deck. It's for a game known world-wide as Duel Monsters. I'm classified as a duelist. But ever since I became a ninja, as it said in the letter after my thirteenth birthday, I'm now a Shinobi Duelist." He activated the device, and with his deck, slots it in.
"I summon to me, Kyuubi no Kitsune!" The girl watched as the spiraling lights appeared before them both. She was in a trance seeing the spiraling lights, before a cute little fox appeared, with nine fluffy tails and a cute little growl.
"Kyuubi to the dueling community is my signature monster card. I also love foxes. I even have a pet back at home. Her name is Kyuubi, named after the monster card."
"Wow, it's so... so life-like."
"It's a hologram, or an illusion, but she's a solid one." He turns it off, and Kyuubi disappears from the playing field. He slots his deck back into the case, along with Kyuubi, and locks the Duel Disk up.
"So, I never did get your name."
"Oh, I'm Haku."
"Haku... cute name... for a cute girl..." and being the flirt that he was, he pulled up and wrapped his arms around her. No way could she fool herself into a false gender now.
"Nice." She smacks him across the chest, and he chuckles, letting go. However he remained behind, to help her search for the needed herbs. They were at it all night, until the morning hours when they finally parted ways. Haku couldn't help but feel for this young man. However attracted she was... he was the enemy...
=0=0=
"So, where did you go?" She flinched hearing that cold voice. She turned around and saw that blonde-haired man, wearing the clothes that most rich men or women would wear.
"Ano... I went gathering herbs for Zubuza-sama," she replied. He then pushed her against the wall, and she had a Senbon ready to impale, however he had er in a stalemate; a pistol was cocked towards her head. The cold metal pressed against her temple, and a dark sneer crossed his lips.
"Try it you ninja bitch... I doubt you have any of your fancy techniques to revive someone with a blown skull..."
He removed the gun and holsters it at his side under the trench coat. "Go to your pathetic master... and remember... you tell anyone little girl... you and he will die after I kill off that Gatou man..."
Then he neared closer. "And I know you met that Crawford boy... when you get the chance, kill him and bring his body to me... then I'll make sure you disappear off the radar of this world. That, or you lure him into the open for me to take him out myself."
"How?"
She winced when he backhanded her across the face, and smiled as he stood straight. "Never talk back you foolish little girl... never get a Hunter mad at you, understand?" She picked up the basket and returned to the room where Zubuza was resting as he walked off in another direction, to continue his charade of being a suck-up to the greedy fat man with arthritis-filled legs. Of course she used the small medical jutsu she knew to heal the bruise on her face before walking in.
If he's Crawford-san's enemy... then he could hopefully save me... but he'll kill us both with that metal object of his easily if I disobey him... what can I do?
=0=0=
Two days later, after Naruto verbally tore into Inari, and then slapped him twice when he refused to listen despite his teammates thinking it was a bit cruel for him to do so... Naruto woke up to crashes downstairs.
"Kill them both!"
He sprung into action. At the bridge, another battle occurred. Sakura was forced to remain back to protect Tazuna, while Kakashi held round two with Momochi Zubuza. And Haku, under the guise of the Oinin mask, attacked Uchiha Sasuke. The battle gone great, even though Sasuke unlocked the Sharingan, he had still fallen to Haku's ice-oriented jutsu. And this is when, even with the mist up, Naruto had arrived, to see the Oinin take off her mask when Naruto saw her.
"Haku...?"
"Naruto..."
A gunshot rang through the air, interrupting Kakashi from impaling Zubuza with the Chidori jutsu. The sound of a body hitting the ground was heard as the mist faded away. Standing above the fallen dead man, Gatou, was the man Charter Malfoy, whom had blown the greedy man's head wide open. Behind him, the entire village arrived, hoping to throw Gatou and his tyranny out only to se the man they now held courage, now dead to the world.
"Hm... Haku... I thank you for luring Naruto out for me... The Kyuubi Hunters thank you..." He took aim, and fired at Zubuza when Kakashi released his Doton jutsu holding the man down. He collapsed to the ground, struck in the heart. A mad glee radiated in Malfoy's eyes, as Haku screamed out her master's name and rushed to his side. Even Kakashi was shocked as hell, and poor Sakura, about to collapse in a dead faint.
"And now that you have helped me lure Naruto out, you and Zubuza can now die for me."
"You promised we would no longer be hunted by shinobi!" She shouted, with anger in her eyes.
He chuckled softly. "Oh that... ever heard of the term double-cross? Now then, Crawford... I want you to step on up..." he tossed the gun to the aide, as it hit the waters below and began to sink, "and do not worry about those thugs that Gatou hired... they had their last meals with tainted food."
"Sadistic freak... what do you want?"
"A duel... master has told me to duel you for real this time..." He revealed the Duel Disk of his... a familiar green one, which sprouts the blade at the end of the duel arm.
"A duel...?"
"Yes... to determine my status as The-One-Who-Killed-Kyuubi."
"Great," he muttered taking up his Duel Disk and switching it on.
"Now then... I go first since I mad the challenge."
"Naruto, stop! What are you doing?" Kakashi called out.
"Sorry, but he's my business now. This is non-shinobi business so you can't tell me to stop... He'll end up destroying this town if I don't fight him now!"
Naruto's LP: 8000
Malfoy's LP: 8000
Malfoy grinned. "Activate the Spell Card: The Seal of Orichalcos!"
Naruto: 0 Facedown,
Malfoy: Field/Seal of Orichalcos, 0 Facedown,
Naruto's LP: 8000
Malfoy's LP: 8000
Everyone watched as a giant green beam of light shot high into the sky. From nearby, Team Eight led by Yuuhi Kurenai immediately rushed over with her Genin Team following. Hinata however felt something tug at her heart.
Naruto-kun... Are you alright? She thought.
As they got closer, the light slowly faded. For the others, they watched as a six-pointed green star-like pentagram burned itself into the floor of the large bridge, with odd symbols surrounded by two rings. The mad blonde man looked straight up, and glared harshly. They were now tinted red, as the Orichalcos formed upon his forehead.
"Gotta love these cards... their magic still works even long after the main source was destroyed by those Legendary Knights..."
Naruto glared.
"Now Crawford... I want you to remain sealed!"
A bit short, sounds crappy I know, however many people have done this so much; I wanted to skip past the whole ordeal. Nami is saved as per usual, however... according to some suggestions I allow Haku to live... sorry for those who like Zubuza, but I saw nothing for him to fit in the future. Gatou is dead, and time for another duel to commence. Be forewarned: I will not tolerate people who flame me.