*Chapter 7*: Chapter Six: Blood on the Water
Alright... I've had a number of complaints about Naruto seeming too close to canon for the type of Naruto I'm trying to portray. Well, all I can say, is that team seven- especially Kakashi- is making an attempt to work Naruto through his issues. Not that they are making much headway, as it will become increasingly obvious to both them and the readers. Today this will start to become apparent to them; Naruto may seem cheerful and upbeat, but they will be disturbed by what they see creep slightly to the surface.
Previously:
Team Seven train for their inevitable rematch against Zabuza- And several important conversations happen. Naruto and Sasuke both have significant breakthroughs in the use of their dojutsus, and Inari has two important conversations with first Naruto and then Kakashi. Yet none of them realize that the day ahead will bear greater surprises than they could have guessed...
Chapter Six: Blood on the Water
Most of the household stood at the entrance to the room where Naruto slept insensate. The exception was Shikamaru, who stood with a small mirror next to Naruto's tatami. "Well, the mirror is fogging up, so he's still alive."
"I guess even the Kyuubii can only take your endurance so far." Commented Sasuke under his breath.
Kakashi shot him a dire look of warning, before shifting his eye to look over at Tazuna and Tsunami. Neither one seemed to have heard. He looked back over at the genin. "We will discuss that later, Sasuke."
Sasuke's grimace went unnoticed. Kakashi looked back at Tsunami. "I'm afraid we will need you to look after him." At her questioning look, Kakashi continued, "He's over worked himself, and needs to rest. When he wakes up, tell him I want him to take the day off."
"Are you ready to attack?" Came the voice from the headset laying in the bottom of the boat. "Zabuza? Pay attention when I talk to you!" The voice demanded.
Zabuza ignored it. "Haku. It's time." He said. "Remember what I told you."
"Yes sir." Haku replied.
"Aw crap!" Naruto shouted, his footsteps echoing down the hallway. "I overslept!" He poked his head around the doorway, shirt off, but nightcap still hanging over the side of his head.
Tsunami looked over at him in surprise, then shock. He's really only fourteen? She wondered to herself. He doesn't seem to have any bodyfat at all! Then her eyes narrowed as she noticed something on the left side of his chest... a fading scar in the shape of a word. Trust? What does that mean?
"Naruto?" Tsunami said after clearing her throat. "What are you doing up?"
"Where'd everybody go?" Naruto said with a slight note of panic growing in his voice.
"Kakashi sensei said you'd strained yourself too much, and that he wanted you to take the day off." She said. She turned back to the stove. He's just a child... stop looking! "So I promised him I'd take care of you. And please put a shirt on... There is a child in the house, it isn't right to go running around half dressed."
Naruto stopped a moment, looking down at himself. "Wha-?" He said, trying to shift gears. "Uh, right... Sorry about that- I'll get ready and go, sorry!"
Tsunami followed him as he ran back to the room, but stayed out in the hall as he started getting dressed. In moments, he charged out of the room, but Tsunami halted him with a few words. "Where are you going?"
"I gotta protect Mr. Tazuna, he's-"
"Don't you trust your friends?" Tsunami asked.
Naruto blinked at her in astonishment. Trust? Trust brings pain! Of course I don't-
NO, YOU LITTLE IDIOT. Voiced the Kyuubi with a tone of exasperation. KAKASHI LEFT YOU BEHIND FOR ANOTHER REASON. ZABUZA IS NOT THE ONLY THREAT TAZUNA FEARS AND TAZUNA IS NOT THE ONLY TARGET THAT COULD BE STRUCK OUT AT.
You mean Gato or Zabuza might come after Tazuna's family next! Naruto thought in reply.
YES. EXACTLY.
Naruto had a momentary vision of Iruka Sensei laying bleeding on the ground, his fuma shuriken embedded dead center of his chest. All over he felt the stab in his chest at the memory of Iruka dying, the knowledge that the only person who truly cared about him, was dead at his own hands. I won't let that happen to Tazuna! "Um..." Naruto said, noticing Tsunami still looking at him in concern. "I guess, I'll stay here for now." He forced a half smile to his face. "Besides, I guess you could use some help around here, right?"
Tsunami seemed surprised at this turnabout. "I don't know, you're supposed to be resting..."
"Hey, it's okay!" Naruto replied, walking slowly first towards the wall, then up it, until he stood on the ceiling, looking at her casually. "I mean, it's not like I can just stand around like this all day."
Tsunami looked at him in astonishment before she giggled a little. "I guess not." She said.
Behind them, Inari just watched Naruto out of the corner of his eye.
"What the Hell?" Gasped Tazuna.
Around them, at the bridge, stretched a scene of carnage. Men lay bleeding and broken all around- Tazuna's crew. In spite of the horrific wounds, there was a terrible silence- and most of the bodies were far too still.
A slight groan issued from nearby- and though Tazuna was no ninja, nor even a young man, he was at the man's side almost before Kakashi could react. "What happened here?" He asked.
The man's eyes opened somewhat. "Tazuna?" He murmured. "Get out of here... run! They're monsters..."
"Inari! Can you bring your laundry downstairs please?"
"Okay mom, but I'm in the bathroom now!"
Outside, looking at the house, two ronin shared a vicious smile as they thumbed loose their katanas from their scabbards.
The mist around the bridge began to thicken. Kakashi shot to Tazuna's side. "Get ready! He's coming!"
Tazuna paid him no attention. "What do you mean, 'they?' Who are they?"
"They?" Shikamaru mouthed at Sasuke. The two of them quickly joined their Sensei's side.
They stood in a rough circle around Tazuna, eyes trained and alert. Kakashi lifted his hitai ate, and Sasuke activated his own Sharingan. After a moment, Sasuke tensed. Kakashi replied, "Go ahead, Sasuke."
Sasuke was a blur- Kunai flashed as forms rushed out of the mist, and water sprayed everywhere. After a second, Sasuke stood poised, both kunai out, waiting for the next assault.
"Well!" Commented Zabuza as he emerged relaxed from the mist. "It seems like you have matured quite a bit, kid. But where's the other one, your big brother?"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed angrily. "He's taking a nap. We don't need him for just you. "
"Ah!" Said Zabuza with a menacing cheer. "But I beg to differ- you see, it isn't just me... And I came prepared to take on all of you, today. Without him here I fear this might actually be a bit of overkill."
From behind him, a second, shorter figure walked calmly out of the mist, wearing a loose kimono, and a porcelain mask with dark eye slits. Between the eye slits was an engraved symbol of kirigakure village. "Shinobi hunter?" Wondered Kakashi out loud.
"Huh?" Said Sasuke, looking back at Kakashi.
"The mist village has a slightly different organization for their shinobi than we do in Konoha. But their Shinobi Hunters are roughly the equivalant of ANBU Black Ops. And this one appears to be fighting on Zabuza's team." Kakashi answered.
Sasuke stepped forward. "This one's mine."
Kakashi gave Sasuke a measured look, before nodding his assent. "Alright then."
"We're still on the offensive." Zabuza said. "Remember what I told you."
"Yes sir." The Hunter replied. He stood stock still.
Sasuke looked at this for a moment, then took a step forward, but paused as he felt something crunch underfoot. The water from the mizu bunshin had frozen into... ice?
The masked youth sprang into motion the moment that Sasuke's first footfall landed, hands rapidly forming seals. Needlelike shards of ice flew up from the ground, and Sasuke barely leapt out of the way. But as he landed, the masked boy was already there.
There was no time to block; Sasuke parried the senbon in the stranger's hand, and the two of them stood at an impasse, locked against one another's weapons. His kimono... it has some weird property, its blurring his chakra... and it's so loose I can't see enough of his movements to guess what he's going to do...
Suddenly, a second realization hit him. At this range, the mist could not conceal the mask the other wore. And from this close, he could see that the eye slits in the porcelain mask were carefully painted on. And at this second realization, Sasuke felt a real thread of fear grow in his belly as he understood just how much trouble he was really in.
The front door burst inwards in pieces. The two ronin stood there, katanas already resheathed before the door had properly come apart. Tsunami looked back over her shoulder in a panic, but Naruto was already gone.
"Old man Tazuna's daughter, right?" Asked the shorter of the pair. "Sorry, but you're coming with us."
Naruto gauged the two of them carefully from his spot on the counter. He was disguised as a kitchen knife- it was the first thing he could think of when the door burst inwards.
They're pretty fast. He thought to himself. And their weapons have more reach than mine do.
I need a distraction.
Just then, Inari opened the door to the kitchen. "Mama!"
The two ronin's eyes darted to the small boy. "What do you want, brat?"
"Inari!" Yelled Tsunami. "Get out of here! Go! Run!"
The two ronin looked at one another. "What do you think, Taki? Should we grab him too?" Asked the taller one.
Taki replied, "We only need one hostage." His comrade chuckled. "Too bad... for him!"
Inari cringed.
"Wait!" Yelled Tsunami, confidence creeping back into her voice.
The ronin paused.
"If you dare touch my child, I'll bite through my tongue and drown in my own blood! Then what will you do for a live hostage?"
"Heh." Taki laughed. "Be grateful to your ma, kiddo."
"Aw, man!" Complained his companion. "But I was dying to cut someone!"
"Relax, Memoru, my man!" Said the other. "You gave your blade a good workout before we got here. Get over it, and let's get moving!"
Inari sat on the step sobbing. Mama, I'm sorry- I can't save you... I'm just a weak little crybaby... And I'm scared... I don't wanna die...
("So just cause he scares you, you think he scares me?") Naruto asked from his memory.
Inari gasped.
("You think it's better to make everyone around you listen to you whine?") Naruto continued.
("I think... I think that one day he must have gotten fed up with crying.") Kakashi said.
("And as long as I'm around, Gato's gonna KEEP failing, because unlike you, I keep making myself better instead of treating everyone around me like a guest at your pity party!") Naruto said.
("He knows what it means to fight for what he believes in, and what it means to be strong. He knows what it's worth, and he knows what it costs... Just like your father, Kaiza, did.") Kakashi said again.
("If you dare touch my child, I'll bite through my tongue and drown in my own blood! Then what will you do for a live hostage?")
Inari wiped the tears from his eyes. Everyone else is so strong... so awesome... His fists clenched, and he gritted his teeth. Can I... be strong like them? Be strong like daddy?
("If something is precious to you...") His father said from memory, ("Protect it with everything you've got!")
Naruto carried himself iwth dignity, just as he thought Tsunami might were she in this situation. Beside him, the Ronin with the eyepatch was prattling on about cutting "her," while his companion urged him to stop dawdling.
NOT A BAD RUSE. admitted Kyuubii grudgingly. IT'S ALMOST WELL THOUGHT OUT.
Naruto snickered at the kyuubii. You're just mad cause you didn't think of it first. And the best part is, these guys are gonna take me right to Gato- I can end this whole mess today.
"Hey!" Came Inari's voice from behind, interruptingNaruto's mental conversation.
HUH/Huh? Kyuubi and Naruto thought together. Naruto looked back with the two ronin at Inari, who stood there at the end of the walk, tears streaming down his face, with a look of determination and a kitchen knife in his hand.
"Well, looky there. The brat came back." Commented Eyepatch.
"You get away from my mama!" Inari shouted, charging at the ronin.
Aw, shit. Thought Naruto to himself.
With a ripping sound the ropes binding Naruto's wrists was cut by the kunai knives he'd palmed. A rapid twist and slash with each hand and the knives were buried to the wrapped bindings in the temples of each of the ronin. And just like that, it was over.
STUPID KID. Growled the Kyuubii angrily.
Inari stumbled to a stop, dropping the kitchen knife. "N-Naruto?"
Naruto looked down at the two bodies angrily. "Well, so much for sneaking into their hideout, pretending to be a hostage."
From behind Inari, Tsunami ran out the door of the house, scooping up her child in her arms. Inari hung his head, not looking Naruto in the eyes. "I'm sorry I ruined your plan." He said quietly.
Naruto looked angry, but slowly, he sighed, and his features relaxed. "Inari, you NEVER let an enemy know you're there before you attack unless you got a LOT more people behind you to help."
Inari sniffled, but Naruto continued after a second. "But I'll say this much- that took some balls. Trying to save your mom, I can... understand. And... it was a good try- while they were focused on you they never saw me move." Inari sniffled harder. Naruto's eyes widened. "Aw crap! If they attacked here, that means they're gonna go for the bridge next! Tsunami san, do you have anywhere in the town you can hide?"
"I-I guess I can stay with-"
"Go! I gotta head to the bridge!" Naruto shouted. "Find someplace and hide! We can't afford you two taken hostage!" Naruto was gone almost before he finished talking.
Senbon and Kunai rang brightly as Haku and Sasuke fought back and forth, while Zabuza and Kakashi warily eyed one another. Sasuke was losing ground slowly- the loose kimono and impassive mask hid almost all the cues that the Sharingan relied on, and even though Sasuke was adjusting slowly, he was still being driven back.
Sasuke gave a quick jump backwards, watching his position. Several needles impacted on the ground where he'd been standing a split second before, and the Masked hunter leapt to pursue.
"Sasuke, now!" Shikamaru yelled, his hands already moving.
"Katon!" Sasuke called, hands blurring in their familiar pattern. "Gokyaku no Jutsu!"
The fireball roared out, engulfing the descending Haku, who whipped the heavy folds of his kimono about himself to preotect against the flames. The fireball shone brightly; casting a long shadow stretching from Shikamaru almost all the way to Zabuza.
"Gotcha!" Shikamaru said. Both he and Zabuza ran towards the edge of the bridge- But it was Zabuza who was closer to the edge. And the angle he was headed was right towards some rocks breaking the surface of the water below.
"Haku!" Zabuza snapped.
Haku swiftly disengaged himself from the burning tatters of his kimono revealing the bodysuit underneath, lined with bandoliers of senbon needles. Sasuke had kept the fireball oriented in its original direction, maintaining the shadow for Shikamaru, and prayed that shikamaru could get Zabuza over the edge before Haku could catch him unable to move.
But Tazuna- not Sasuke- was the target of the thrown needles, and Sasuke's jutsu faltered as he relized the hand not throwing needles was... forming seals one handed?
Kakashi threw shuriken to deflect the needles, but as Haku landed, a stomp of his foot sent the water and ice across the bridge bouncing into the air, forming needles in all directions around himself. "Hidenjutsu no suidon: Suisenbon Bakuhatsu!"
And the hedgehog formation of icy shards exploded outwards in all directions.
Shikamaru released the shadow jutsu as he tumbled over the side. Gotta remember the training! He thought as he flipped over and extended his feet against the bridge support. The soles of his feet caught traction and his fall stopped.
Shikamaru's blood ran cold as he found himself face to face with Zabuza.
"Tazuna san." Said Kakashi, pulling out a kunai. "I'm afraid I have to leave your side for a moment."
Tazuna nodded. "Go save your boy."
Haku darted desperately to the side as a flurry of shuriken flew at him. Still fighting blind, he noticed the absence of sounds from the ground- his oppoentn had jumped into the air. He began forming seals but his motions faltered as he heard a voice coming from behind him. "You're not so fast."
Haku threw up a desperate block behind himself and felt a jarring bone to bone contact- then ducked as forearm muscles tensed. He felt as much as keard the kunai fly over his head, but his free arm he whipped out to cover his side as a roundhouse kick impacted dead on the blocking elbow. Haku sprang back, trying for distance, trying for time. His hands began forming seals. "Kirigakure no Jutsu!"
Sasuke bit off a snarl of frustration as the mist thickened further. Looking back, it dawned on him that there was nobody covering Tazuna. He dashed to Tazuna's side; teven as he got there, Tazuna was barely visible next to him in the horrible, grey-white haze.
His ears strained to hear, when suddenly Sasuke shivered. Why is the air getting so cold?
Sasuke sensed something flying at him- as he jerked away, he felt something tug at his sleeve. A senbon.
"Kusou!" Sasuke swore at the mist. "Quit hiding like a coward and fight me! Katon: Gokyaku no Jutsu!"
For a few seconds after the fire has subsided, the fog had been burned away, revealing... mirrors?
The masked hunter nin resided in them all.
"Not a bad idea... But do you have enough chakra to do it again? How long can you keep it up?" Asked the hunter, his image in every mirror forming seals and the fog began rolling in again.
A battle of attrition, then- The mirrors were ice, and the chakra which maintained them made them almost impervious to flame. Yet it took a constant flow of chakra to maintain them, and a constant flow of chakra to maintain the kirigakure jutsu.
And it also cost chakra to keep the sharingan up, and to keep burning away the fog.
Now, it was a battle to see whose chakra gave out first.
"Get to Mr. Tazuna. Zabuza and I have matters to discuss."
Shikamaru looked on in awe as Kakashi's tiny kunai held back Zabuza's cleaving blade. After a moment, shikamaru ran up the side of the bridge, leaving Kakashi facing Zabuza alone. They stood on the side of the bridge looking at one another for a few long seconds. "So. Here we are again."
Zabuza smirked. "Indeed. And when it is between the two of us, we already know who the stronger is. And we already know how this is going to end."
Kakashi replied, "Don't be so hard on yourself. You might get lucky and manage another draw."
Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "I notice the kid in the orange suit isn't here to rescue you. Managed to slip your babysitter, eh?"
"I don't need him to rescue me." Kakashi said calmly. "And... just so you know... the same jutsu won't work on me twice.
Your move."
Sasuke's arms were leaden, and sweat laced with grime and blood ran into his eyes. But he knew that the fight was taking its toll on Haku as well. His timing with the fireballs was improving; he'd caught the masked Hunter with the fringes of two of them, and all he needed to finish this was one, clean hit, with kunai, or fireball. Haku was scorched and singed, and then last glimpse he'd caught showed the boy almost stumble.
Tazuna was remaining as calm as he could manage. Haku was using the older man to force Sasuke to deflect attacks against two people at once, but at least Tazuna had the sense not to move from where he was- a stationary object is much easier to protect from all directions than trying to guess if it was going to move into the path of a stray attack. Even so, it was taking all of Sasuke's skill and strength to keep the both of them from being crippled or killed.
He's killing me- killing us- by inches. Sasuke thought to himself.
Another fireball flared out, and Haku was forced midflight to avoid it, almost caught for a third time. The mist burned away, and no longer rolling in again, Sasuke noticed Haku's posture shift, the hunter nin taking a few deeps breaths, and steadying himself.
This is it- all or nothing. Sasuke thought to himself. Last swing of the game.
Something moved in the corner of Sasuke's eye- He deflected senbon aimed at Tazuna, flung his last kunai in the direction of the motion- then felt his arm go dead with a series of piercing pains in his shoulder, and watched almost fascinated as a booted foot approached in his vision at something approaching terminal velocity.
There was a brutal impact against his chin, Sasuke's head snapped back to the sound of a grunt of pain and a kunai impacting flesh, and then the world faded to black.
Naruto approached the mist, engaging the Byakugan as he did. The Byakugan did indeed penetrate the mist, although its range was somewhat reduced by the chakra infusing it. Even so, it was more than accurate enough for Naruto to see clearly- and in all directions. Now, for the second stage- Sharingan with Byakugan. "Kamigan!"
The Eye of God- Seeing all around it, understanding immediately the structure and motion of everything in its sight. Naruto felt the beginnings of the headache but almost immediately it began to fade as Kyuubii pumped out chakra to heal him.
No matter how well he hides, nothing can keep him from me. And there he is, facing off against Kakashi on the side of the bridge.
Zabuza and Kakashi stepped back from one another, breathing heavily. They'd both gotten in some decent hits but nothing decisive- they both had a decent array of nicks, cuts, and bruises. Zabuza gathered himself, ready to end the stalemate, when suddenly a voice from above him on the bridge froze him in his tracks. "Didn't I tell you, that the next time I saw you... I'd kill you?"
Zabuza's hands blurred into action, with a flurry of hand seals. "And I told you, kid, that you'd never even see me." He replied coolly as the mist rolled in again.
Kakashi ran for the top of the bridge, seeing Shikamaru standing inside of an array of icy mirrors, standing over the prone bodies of Tazuna and Sasuke. "Kakashi sensei- Did you get Zabuza?" Shikamaru called out. He dodged to the side, catching a senbon in the fleshy part of his calf instead of his knee.
"He's fighting against Naruto!" Kakashi replied, wincing as his chest throbbed from the bruising impact of a kick he'd received at Zabuza's hands.
"What? Aren't you going to help him?" Said Shikamaru, momentarily distracted. For some reason, Haku didn't follow up on this opening, and Kakashi noticed that there was blood frozen to the surface of some of the mirrors.
"Are you worried about him?" Said Kakashi, getting to Shikamaru's side inside the mirrors.
"Yeah, just a little!" Snapped Shikamaru.
"The one who should be worried," Said Kakashi, "Is Zabuza."
The mist was tight and thick, but Naruto sight could penetrate it with ease. He stood still, examining the place where Zabuza clung to the underside of the bridge, against one of the supports. The chakra based, accoustic enhancing properties of the mist around him, combined with the support and the bottom of the bridge, conspired to turn the location into an almost perfect sounding board. Any shred or whisper of sound louder than a heartbeat would be precisely relayed to him, indicating location, distance, and direction of motion, if any.
Zabuza tensed as Naruto began forming seals, divining the best means by which to deal with the blond genin- but suddenly , He was frozen in indecision as two thousand clones popped into being in all directions.
That moment of indecision proved to be Zabuza's downfall, as the Kage Bunshin crowd turned to face Zabuza's location, cupped their hands to their mouths, and shouted at the top of their lungs.
Kakashi and Shikamaru were still back to back, waiting for the next attack, when from beneath the bridge the roar of two thousand voices shook it to its very foundations. The ice crystal mirrors that Haku had shaped were shattered at the devastating blast of sound, and all of their hearing was plagued by a buzzing noise that lasted long after the original shout had died off.
"What the hell was that?" Yelled Shikamaru through the ringing in his ears.
For Zabuza the attack was beyond devastating. His position and mist had been calculated for maximum accoustic amplification, and he was hit with the full force of the combined roars. He'd had no chance at all; the volume of sound ruptured his eardrums and destroyed his inner ear.
Reeling, half stunned, and dazed, Zabuza fell from his perch, blindly throwing a cluster of shuriken at the opposing support, trying to buy himself time to hit the water.
Naruto released the clones and started running down the pillar to keep pace with Zabuza, but skidded to a stop as a volley of shuriken buried themselves in the post at his feet. This is what it's like to fight a jonin! He marvelled. Almost incapacitated and yet he still almost killed me there.
HE WILL NOT KILL US TODAY. Said Kyuubii in response. AND HE WILL NOT LIVE TO SEE TOMORROW.
Naruto threw himself free and used the Kage Bunshin again. Twenty clones followed him into the river after Zabuza. They looked around, trying to figure out where Zabuza hadgone, but by the time they saw him, he'd already begun his jutsu.
"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!"
A wall of water slammed Naruto and his clones deep under.
Zabuza knew he was deafened forever. The silence and pain in his ear was too complete, and his fury at his maiming focused all his hate on Naruto. Summoning up the majority of his waning chakra reserves, he executed one of the deadliest techniques in the arsenal of Kirigakure. "Suiton: Suikodan no Jutsu!"
Naruto shook off the stunning effects of the impact from that solid wall of water, and started up to the surface. He pulled up short as he saw the pair of streamlined forms swimming at him from above. What the- Sharks? He thought to himself.
Zabuza smiled coldly. The technique was limited in its applications- to make most effective use of it, the foe needed to be completely immersed in water, where the speed and power of the sharks reigned supreme over the slow, clumsy movements of land bound creatures. But that, of course, it what the Giant Waterfall is for: to force the enemy into an arena they can't hope to win in.
Zabuza watched hungrily as his sharks closed in.
Naruto floundered near the bottom as he regrouped- the two sharks had pounded him mercilessly. He tried to focus past the burning in his lungs as he assessed his situation. Fighting them had so far only squandered his chakra and his air, and they regenerated any damage he inflicted on them. He needed a plan.
After a few moments he considered the nature of the Kage Bunshin- they were essentially masses of chakra, after all, divided between his false bodies and his true one. By releasing the jutsu he was able to reclaim some of the chakra he expended, dividing it between himself and the other clones he had in existance. Yet the technique had its danagerous side, too- each of the bodies, as it took injury, wouldlose chakra, meaning even his massive reserves of chakra could be expended quickly.
If, instead of consuming the chakra back... But how would that work?
FILTER THE CHAKRA THROUGH A WOOD PATTERN, THEN INTERNALIZE A FIRE TECHNIQUE. The Kyuubii responded. IT SHOULD DETONATE QUITE NICELY.
Naruto grinned from the riverbed, looking up. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!
Zabuza watched with a smirk as Naruto used the Kage Bunshin again. Well, obviously he didn't learn from the last time. Thought Zabuza.
The two clones swam up from the bottom as Naruto himself remained where he was- but why was he covering his head?
There was a blinding flash of light, and Zabuza found himself hurtling through the air, before impacting with something with bone crushing force.
The water sharks dissipated before Zabuza had fallen the distance from the underside of the bridge back to the water's surface, where his body impacted with a splash as Naruto finally came up for air. Gagging from the water in his mouth and lungs, Naruto coughed and gasped for a few minutes, before looking around for Zabuza.
Zabuza had never come back up- but his sword remained, half embedded in the sand at the bottom of the water. Naruto retrieved it, then made his way back up the pillar.
"Kill me."
Sasuke's eyes opened. His chin felt like tenderized meat and his head was swimming, but he was clearly still alive. The mirrors were shattered; Shikamaru and Kakashi were looking at the hunter nin with surprise while Kakashi held a kunai to his throat. "Why should we kill you?" Kakashi said.
"Zabuza sama has no use for a weak or broken tool. You've taken away my reason for living."
Kakashi frowned thoughtfully. "It's gotten quiet down there."
"Do you think Naruto is alright?" Asked Shikamaru. "The last thing I heard from down there was a huge explosion in the water."
Kakashi frowned, looking over at Tazuna. Tazuna was sitting up- several senbon had struck him but the old man was very much alive. Overall, he was in better shape than any of them except perhaps Shikamaru. He turned his head back to Haku, whose mask had been removed. "Perhaps you still have a reason to live. What is your name, boy?"
"H-Haku." Haku seemed surprised.
Kakashi nodded. "You are now our prisoner. If you truly desire to be a tool, to be used so, then you may someday become our tool. It was not the tool which was insufficient to its task, but the hand that directed in. The finest tool can fail a task if it is not used properly."
A wet slap on the side of the bridge drew all of their eyes- and a collective sigh of relief went up as Naruto clambored over the side, looking drained and battered but bearing Zabuza's sword slung across his back. Naruto sat down on the edge of the bridge and began pouring water out of his toolbag.
Haku burst into tears at the sight of Zabuza's sword; this drew Naruto's attention to him. "YOU?" He blurted.
Haku suddenly remembered their encounter yesterday morning- was that really only a day ago?
The scene was disrupted by a harsh voice. "Bah!" snapped Gato. "Must I do everything myself?"
On the far end of the bridge, near the landing, stood Gato, surrounded by a virtual army of thugs and brigands. Below in the water, near the shore, there was a large barge moored to the bridge. They were cut off from the shore.
"But at least he wore you all out!" Gato said with a smirk. "I don't have to pay him for it, either!"
Kakashi took stock of his group and realized with a sinking feeling that Gato was probably right. He himself was still bleeding from a dozen small cuts, Naruto was exhausted from his fight with Zabuza, Sasuke was a mess, and Shikamaru was needed not only to keep tabs on the prisoner but couldn't handle a crowd like this anyways, even at top form.
Kakashi glanced around and realized that Naruto was gone. Either he has an idea, or we're REALLY in trouble.
Then, things went from bad to worse. From the treeline on the shore, emerged two of Gato's henchmen, katana's drawn, each escorting tsunami and Inari at sword point.
"Ah, perfect timing." Said Gato triumphantly. "Bring them to me."
The pair nodded, bringing the hostages roughly forward. Inari sniffled a little, but was trying to put a brave face on it.
Tazuna was frozen, sick with horror.
It's over. Thought Kakashi. We've lost.
They all watched silently as the two henchmen brought their captives forward; the roars of laughter and approval from the mob of thugs rang out as the four walked. As they drew near to Gato, then slowed, the billionaire raised his hand, waving them all quiet. "Tazuna!" He called. "Let's not make this any messier than it has to be. Come away from your discount bodyguards and get this over with!"
A sparkle of light glinted off something in the hands of Tsunami, catching Kakashi's eye. Brilliant. Kakashi thought to himself. As the dejected Tazuna started forward, Kakashi caught his arm. "Follow my lead." he muttered. Louder, he shouted back, "You have no leverage- kill the hostages, and you'll have nothing to protect you!"
Gato stared at him a moment before laughing uproariously. He walked forward and slapped Tsunami. "Protect me? Hahaha-" His laughter choked off suddenly, as one of the bodyguards stepped forward, katana flashing- Then the two henchmen, Inari, and Tsunami changed into a cluster of four Narutos, one of which was holding Zabuza's sword horizontally. Gato's face looked surprised, before it tumbled forward with the rest of Gato's head, to hit the surface of the brodige. A moment later, the twitching body followed it. The three clones around Naruto vanished in puffs of smoke as Naruto stood there panting, facing down the mob in front of him.
The uncertain mob milled about, looking at the blond kid holding level the sword that was longer than he was tall. A brave one among them called out, "Hey, you killed our meal ticket!Who's gonna pay us?"
"Nobody!" Said Naruto, wiping the blood off the sides of Zabuza's blade with two swift swipes against Gato's body.
"Aren't you forgetting?" The man taunted, after looking around at the crowd around him. "There's too many of us for you to stop!" The crowd began to roar with greed as the spokesman continued, "If we can't get our money from Gato, then we'll take it from every building in the village!"
The noise suddenly stopped as an arrow flew over their heads from behind and struck the ground at the spokesman's feet. Everyone's eyes went to the land on the far side of the bridge, where the entire town seemed to be gathering. Weilding bows, spears, swords, and in some cases, pitchforks, they stood, united. And, leading them stood Inari, the real one, wearing a pot over his head and carrying a light crossbow. "Go home or die!" Shouted one of the villagers, a cry taht was taken up by the rest of the village quickly. The mob of brigands assessed the villagers, then shot a look in the direction of the Ninja at the other end of the bridge. Naruto's guts clenched as he realized their fastest escape was down to the end of the bridge- right through all of those he'd sworn to protect.
Kyuubii!
THIS RABBLE? THEY ARE NO MATCH FOR US.
Naruto felt the kyuubii's chakra infuse him. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto shouted.
A hundred clones stood between them and the wounded ninja. "Don't even think it." The bunshin said as a group.
The brigands scattered, diving off the sides of the bridge, swimming for their lives. Behind them, at the landing, the villagers cheered and jeered at the retreating bandits, while Inari walked forward with trepidation.
"Naruto... did I do... ok?" He asked.
Naruto looked down at him with an unreadable expression, before he said, "Yeah- just remember as an archer, you shoulda been in the back. Let the guys in the front hold em off while you poke hioles in them."
Inari stood uncertain at this statement, until Naruto added, "But yeah, good to see you're a fast learner."
Inari broke into a grin.
The bank of the river was grimy and slick. Zabuza barely had the strength to pull himself out of the water. Retching and coughing, he lay there on the bank, exhausted. His sword was gone; so were much of the bandages that covered his face.
He was completely deaf, he knew. Shaking the water out of his ears made him horribly dizzy, and the red splatters that resulted meant that not all the moisture was from the river.
He needed medical attention. Yet as a nuke-nin, going to a hospital was tantamount to suicide. And he didn't want to die, not just yet.
A memory sparked itself in his mind- rumors of the underground said that the new hidden village- Otogakure- was headed by a powerful missing nin, one who was gathering talent to himself. One who was supposedly a collector of all jutsu. If anyone knew a way to heal Zabuza's hearing, it would be him.
The Sound border wasn't far from here- a day or two at the most.
So be it. Zabuza thought to himself. I will seek out Orochimaru.
Ten Days Later
The repair of the bridge stretched out the construction of the bridge by about five days- Zabuza's ears hadn't been the only thing damaged by Naruto's shout. But Naruto lent his clones and his hands to the repairs, and then to the subsequent completion of the bridge. He wasn't one for pouring concrete or setting rebar, but those he left to the more experienced while he performed the labor of transporting the materials to the site.
And today, they left the Land of waves, payment rendered for services provided. Inari had been in tears, but Naruto was stoic.
And Naruto walked along a little behind them the whole way home- as though he wanted to see with his own eyes that everyone would be alright.
Behind them, the newly constructed Great Naruto Bridge stood, a symbol of a new beginning for Nami no Kuni.
End Chapter Six
-AN: OK. That was really long. But it wouldn't let go until I finished it.
Before ANYTHING ELSE, let me say that, yes, Zabuza's sword is too big for Naruto to use- for now, at any rate. But he didn't fight with it, he just used it to decapitate a fat, old man with a gimp leg who was standing stock still.
For those of you who are still messaging me about "the Bloodline Jutsu's for Dummies" scroll, allow me to AGAIN point out that knowledge of what it is used for is restricted to the Hokage. It is generally known of as a forbidden scroll to others, supposedly being full of Jutsu that in one way or another cripple or hamper the user if used improperly. And to be fair, a lot of things on the scroll are just that- The Kage Bunshin is listed as exceptionally dangerous to the unwary who use it, and I imagine the Lotus would be on there, as well as a couple other things mentioned in the Manga but I am too tired to recount right now. The whole Idea I am promoting here is that it continues a means by which to preserve bloodlines that have been lost to the village so that it isn't crippled a generation down the line by the deaths of a relatively few people. Sort of like a back up disk for your computer, but better protected. And before I hear anything about, "An academy student who snuck in, real great protections, ha ha" let's face it. Naruto has always been a fairly sneaky one. ANBU has trouble tracking him down in Canon after his pranks, as well as after he stole the scroll. If ANBU is amongst the best the village has to offer, then that says something about Naruto's native talent in breaking and entering.
Jutsus used that most may not know:
Hidenjutsu no suidon: Suisenbon Bakuhatsu (Secret art of Water: Water Needle Explosion): Forming needles from water and surrounding oneself with them, before sending them out in a wave in all directions.
Suiton: Suikodan no Jutsu (Art of Water: Water Shark Missiles): Same technique as Kisame uses, although as Zabuza doesn't have nearly as much Chakra as Kisame does, it doesn't create as many nor as fast of water sharks as Kisame's.
Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu(Mass Shadow Clone): Shadow clones, produced in economy packs.
That's about all I can think of for the moment; I've been typing all morning and much of the afternoon, and I have a headache. Thanks for reading so far, and I'll see you all soon, I hope.
-AXENOME
