Chapter 7 – Precious People
"Wake up."
Naruto winced at the thunderous noise, head pounding with the worst headache he'd ever experienced. Leaden eyelids creaked open to a thankfully dull room, and for a long while all he could do was lay there, half submerged in an eerily familiar liquid. Had he been here before? The ceiling was lost in darkness far above, and shadows played high along the wall. It wasn't until his half-lidded eyes found the colossal metal bars that he sat bolt upright in sudden realization. He regretted the movement immediately, clutching at his head and stomach as the world spun for a few minutes.
"Slow down," the reverberating bass voice growled, "You nearly died. Again." A touch of amusement touched the grating voice, though the words resounded with anger.
"How?" Naruto asked weakly, one eye moving slowly up to meet the red glow of the Kyūbi's eyes.
"Fool. Surely you were taught that chakra exhaustion can kill you. What did you think would happen if you summoned as many clones as you were capable of creating?" The demon's growl had turned from angry to mocking, eliciting an annoyed shrug from Naruto.
"I've never had to worry about my chakra before; everybody always says I have more than most people."
"You really are as dumb as you look. The only reason you have so much chakra is because I'm here." Naruto blinked at that, raising a quizzical eyebrow. The room shook and a sound like an avalanche reverberated through the chamber. It took him a moment to realize that the Kyūbi was laughing at him. "You're not special, kid, just lucky. In order to contain me you had to develop larger chakra coils, something that happened gradually over your life. The result was a higher chakra capacity, but it's not unlimited like you seem to think, even if my chakra is mingling with yours more freely these days."
Naruto felt like vomiting. Well, more than he had already, at least. "Lucky?" he muttered, scowling at the rippling reflections in the water. "I'm lucky to have you here? Lucky to be an orphan? Lucky to have the whole village hate me because of you?" He spat the words with all the vehemence he could muster. The corners of his eyes stung as tears threatened to fall. The mocking laughter continued.
"You've hardly lived a decade and think you know something of hardship, boy?" The words stung and deepened the blond's glower. "You are the way you are today due to your menial suffering; you are stronger for it. Don't wallow in the past and feel sorry for yourself, mortal." Naruto shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off. "You think I don't understand?" The roar increased in volume, unbridled fury and contempt filling every syllable. "I'm forced to live inside of you, a prisoner for the rest of your damned life, and will ultimately die with you. I've been here since the beginning; I've heard every sound you've heard, seen every scene you've witnessed, felt everything emotion you've experienced. I know more about you than you do. What makes you think I don't understand?"
Naruto blinked again. He'd never considered that. It wasn't nearly enough to feel sorry for the fox, but it was enough to make him think twice before he assumed anything else.
"Sorry," he said finally. It was the Kyūbi's turn to blink this time. The two luminous eyes shifted sideways, one rising over the other in what must have been a massive head cocking to the side. "What? That sounds like it sucks. I know you're a demon, and that you destroyed my village once upon a time, and–"
"And that I killed countless villagers, including your parents?" the voice sneered. A rumbling that could only be a cackle filled the air. "I don't need your sympathy, mortal child."
"My . . ." Naruto choked, staring at the Kyūbi. His bright blue eyes flickered to violet, wavering into the darkest indigo. How could he not have considered it? Mizuki had told him that the Kyūbi had attacked on the day he was born, and he had never known his parents. Looking back it seemed obvious, and achingly painful. Unbeknownst to him, the boy's irises were taking on an increasingly reddish hue, pupils beginning to twitch and writhe.
"Calm down," the fox demon sighed, "You'll have your chance later. I need to give you a warning before you wake up." Naruto could hardly think straight, but noted the words enough to snarl towards the voice. "You seem like a reckless kid. I know you don't care what happens to me, but I have a vested interest in your survival. Next time you use up all of your chakra like that, you'll probably die. I was barely able to pry the seal open enough to siphon a sliver of chakra into you, and it was all that kept you alive." Naruto blinked again at that, but didn't lessen any of the malice he was projecting at the creature. "Next time you feel like doing something stupid, try discussing it with me first and maybe I can stop you from killing yourself. Time passes differently in here; this conversation has taken only a fraction of a second in the real world.
"Who were they?" he asked quietly, voice a forced calm through clenched teeth. "Who were my parents?" His ears were met only with more deep, echoing cackles that faded into the recesses of his mind. The world began spinning, and Naruto started shouting, a furious scream directed at the Kyūbi no Kitsune. He carried on until his thoughts were once again swallowed in darkness, but no matter how loud he yelled the taunting laugh of the fox never left his mind.
/*\
"Naruto! Snap out of it and calm down!" Kakashi's voice rang out clear, followed swiftly by a sharp pain to his cheek.
Color swirled outward from the center of his vision, the world filling in again until it reached the edges. Naruto blinked several times as the room he was in seemed to sway back and forth before a gentle hand pressed against his chest and pushed him back down; he had apparently been sitting upright and thrashing about in his sleep. From what could be seen he was in a small room, laying on a comfortable bedroll. The walls were bare wood and few furnishings beyond a desk and a dresser occupied the area. A bedroom, he thought blearily, fighting against the painful pressure between his eyes.
"Didn't have to hit me," he finally mumbled, licking at his chapped lips. "What happened?"
"You fell unconscious after the skirmish with Zabuza; according to Hinata you had almost no chakra left, and you should have died." Kakashi seemed calm, but there was a hint of concern in his words. "I told you that version of the technique was forbidden for a reason; you didn't have to make so many."
"To be fair," Sasuke said dryly, grinning very slightly despite himself, "We might not have pulled it off otherwise. The chaos he caused was vital to the plan, and we may not have saved you if he had made too few. Call it a . . . Calculated risk?" Kakashi shook his head before taking a firm tone.
"Look, I know that you think what you did was necessary, and I'll admit it worked out this time, but it could just have easily killed you. Not to mention, if your plan had failed you would have all died." He let that sink in for a moment before continuing. "If ever I tell you to run again, do it, and don't argue. Understand?"
"No, sensei," Naruto said tiredly, trying to move again. That same gentle hand pushed him down a second time, though his aching limbs didn't argue. "You taught us yourself that those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum. None of us were going to leave you there, so you can forget about it. Just try not to get caught again." He tried his hand at a laugh but it came out as a rasp. "By the way, how long have I been unconscious?"
"Almost two days." Hinata spoke this time, her voice quiet and tense. He realized then that it had been her hand making sure he hadn't moved around, and it was still resting lightly on his chest. She sat next to him, legs folded beneath her and leaning forward slightly. The veins surrounding her eyes were receding, but even as they vanished he could see dark lines left in their wake, like thick spider webs just under the skin. They – like the dark circles under her eyes – contrasted sharply with her pale features.
"Hinata, Sasuke," Kakashi said quietly, not taking his eye from Naruto. "Will you go get some food and water from downstairs?" Sasuke looked from his friend to Kakashi once before shrugging and standing, walking towards the door on the far side of the room. Hinata chewed on her lower lip for a moment, before nodding quickly and rising to follow after him. As soon as the door closed, Kakashi continued in the same subdued tone. "She hasn't left your side since we arrived last night; she would have carried you the rest of the way had I not insisted on doing it." Naruto said nothing, staring blankly at the ceiling. "Sasuke has tried to pretend he hasn't been worried, but he's been up here to check on you as often as he could when not on duty protecting Tazuna. Your friends truly care about you, Naruto. If for no other reason, that is why you should be more careful." The boy blinked towards him, obviously not yet comprehending. "You're right about what I said, and I think you made the right decision in the end. But when you put your life in danger, when you choose a course of action that could kill you, it's not you that suffers most. It's those close to you." Naruto lowered his head back to the pillow, eyes returning to the wooden ceiling. They were shimmering slightly in the light. "Just remember that, Naruto. I had the same talk with the other two. I want to thank you, as I thanked them, for saving my life, as well as for saving each other's. If you won't run, which I can't blame you for deciding, at least remember to be cautious, and understand your own limits." He got a nod out of the blond, causing him to grin and ruffle the boy's hair.
The door opened and Hinata came through, carefully carrying a plate and two canteens presumably filled with water. It appeared that Sasuke had not returned with her. Kakashi didn't have to hide the knowing look, taking the mask for granted as he stood and stepped away from his student. "You'll be out of commission for another few days while you recover. Try not to move too much until tomorrow; I'll be back to check on you in the morning." With that he winked at Hinata, an action that was almost missed entirely due to him having only one eye to work with. The door closed behind him a moment later, leaving only Naruto and Hinata in the dimly lit room.
She set the plate down carefully, laying one of the canisters of water beside it. The other she brought to his side, sitting down again before unscrewing the cap and settling a straw inside. Naruto groaned and tried to sit up, but the same patient hand kept him down before moving to help lift his head to the straw. Despite his condition he managed to blush a little, more embarrassed than anything that he had to be helped to drink. He sipped slowly at the water, resisting the urge to take too much too fast. He had learned the hard way that that was a good way to get sick, or simply throw it back up.
After about a minute of slow sips he glanced up at Hinata. She hadn't said a word throughout the ordeal, for all the world appearing to be calm and collected. He could see the dark circles under her eyes more clearly now, the lingering veins to either side of her eyes more pronounced. It took him a moment to realize that she must have been far overusing her Byakugan for it to have gotten that bad; he had seen it happen once during a particularly long day of chakra control training, but it wasn't nearly as bad as this.
"Hinata, are . . ." He struggled for the right words for a moment, working through the headache and still fuzzy thoughts. "Are you okay?" Smooth as silk. For what felt like a full minute she looked down at him, at some point taking to biting at her lower lip again. He knew it as one of her several nervous habits, but it was starting to looked chapped for how often she must have chewed at it over the last day and a half. Kakashi had been right.
His head fell back on the pillow suddenly, and before he could think to lift it there was a pressure on his chest quite a bit heavier than the gentle hand that had been there a few minutes earlier. When he did manage to lift his head all he could see was the top of Hinata's head, ebony strands sticking out every which way. She had, more or less, fallen forward onto his chest, burying her face there and clutching tight at the blanket that covered him. His voice caught in his throat and he simply lay there, simultaneously feeling awkward and trying to figure out why he felt like crying all of a sudden. It was another long minute or two before she finally spoke, her voice no louder than a whisper.
"When you woke up," she started, voice trembling, "Y-you were yelling. You sounded so angry, and you were fighting against Kakashi like you . . . Like you were trying to hurt him." Naruto blinked at that. He remembered the dream with the Kyūbi clearly, but he hadn't realized that the line between reality and his mind had been blurred. "A-and your eyes, N-Naruto-kun! Your eyes were red, like they were back then, in the . . . In the forest." She broke off then, and for a time he wasn't sure if she was crying or simply trembling harder against him.
"I'm sorry," he said finally, very quietly, the words coming out thick. "I had . . . I had a bad dream."
"That's not true." Hinata's voice wasn't quite hard, but it was firm in a way he had never heard before. It was a little disconcerting, even. "I saw you just after you collapsed; I saw the orange chakra surge into your system. Just now it was rising in you again. I saw it . . ." Her voice trailed off, as if she was uncertain what she had actually seen. "I don't know what it was, b-but I–" She cut off abruptly as Naruto's hand rested upon her shoulder, hesitating a moment before it moved to press against her upper back in a slightly awkward but fierce one-armed hug. Her friend had moved to prop himself up a little against the wall, a movement she hadn't even noticed in her rush to get her words out. Hinata let her hands fall from his chest and tucked her arms beneath him, returning the embrace with just as much fervor.
Naruto wasn't sure how long they sat there, or when the tears had started; or where they had ended, for that matter. All he knew was that at some point Hinata had fallen asleep, the steady rise and fall of his chest matching her own before long. It was clear that she had been even more exhausted than he, and if what Kakashi had said was true then she needed the rest. He carefully pulled a blanket from beside the bedroll, unfolding it with one hand and using the other to tug it gently over his friend's slumbering form.
The last thing he remembered before drifting off was that it was time to be honest with Hinata and Sasuke. After this mission was over, he'd tell them about the Kyūbi, consequences be damned.
/*\
"So you're telling me that you slept together like that, and nothing happened?" Sasuke asked dubiously, exaggerating the tone just to see if he could get Hinata to turn a deeper shade of red. The normally withdrawn boy got a kick out of teasing her; it was one of the few things that still made him laugh, even if it was only a small chuckle. "Not even a little peck on the cheek?"
"No!" she said frantically, squeezing her eyes shut and clamping her hands over her ears. "I mean – yes, nothing Sasuke!" Hinata wasn't actually speaking very loudly, although she was doing her best to convey her protests through hushed tones. She dropped her hands to her sides and continued intently examining the stone floor, trying not to think about when Sasuke had come to get her that morning. He had already taunted her about it several times over the course of the morning and early afternoon, making sure to describe to her how 'cute it looked'. He'd also never neglected to mention the bit of drool she had been accumulating at the corner of her mouth.
"Whatever you say, Hinata," he sighed, nodding sagely. "You two did look pretty cute and comfy there." As expected, the poor girl went from critical to nuclear in the color department. "Alright alright, I'll stop. Kakashi sent me to relieve you." She nodded without looking at him, which made him roll his eyes. "C'mon Hinata. It's obvious you like him, and have for a while. Just tell him already."
"I c-can't!" she squeaked, finding her voice finally only to cover her mouth a moment later. "I-I mean I don't! We're friends!" Sasuke gave her a flat look, then raised a hand and flicked her lightly between the eyes. The simple action made her flinch, then sigh and deflate, falling to sit on the railing just behind her. "It's not . . . That simple." That was true enough, at least. Sure she had admired Naruto for years, and had some unspoken affection for him for some time, but they had also been friends for nearly six years. Not to mention they were living in the same apartment now and any admission would complicate things. Sasuke shrugged but nodded.
"I know. But he likes you too; I just don't think he's really figured it out yet." Hinata blinked at that, big eyes getting even larger in genuine surprise. Again Sasuke rolled his eyes, moving to lean against the railing a few steps away. She opened her mouth to speak but he held up a hand. There was the shadow of a smirk tugging at his lips. "Honestly you're almost as clueless as he is," he sighed, chuckling again as she gave him her best glare. It might have terrified a butterfly. "Look, maybe it's hard, and maybe it's complicated, but the sooner you confess to him the better." Sasuke's voice took on a serious tone, growing more solemn by the word. "We all saw how fleeting life can be for a ninja out in the field." She bit her lip and nodded. He hadn't needed to finish the thought.
Hinata left the bridge and overseeing Tazuna to Sasuke shortly thereafter, making her way back towards the house and thinking on the advice her friend had given. It all sounded good, and it seemed reasonable, but she was so unsure. Naruto was brave, confident, funny; he was everything she wasn't. She didn't deserve somebody like that, not even as a friend, and let alone as anything closer. How would he react if he knew how she felt? The thought of rejection took a comfortable back seat to the fear of losing one of her only friends.
I can't, she reasoned as she wandered towards the house, in no hurry to get back. I'm not . . . What? Pretty enough; strong enough; funny enough; confident enough; good enough. The list went on in her head, an all too familiar repetition. Before long she had burrowed thoroughly into misery, stopping at a small grassy vale in the midst of another volatile thought. The sun shone down from above, warming her mind and body alike, a distraction from the downward spiral for a moment at least.
She had been standing still, taking in the afternoon sun when she realized that there was another person nearby, almost directly in front of her in fact. Hinata blinked and tensed reflexively before she noted that it was only a girl, dressed in a pale pink kimono with dark swirl patterns throughout. The girl was smiling at her, bowing towards Hinata as soon as she was noticed.
"I didn't mean to startle you," the girl began, blushing lightly. "I was just out gathering herbs and saw you passing by." She tilted her head, concern evident on her features. "Is something wrong, by chance?"
"No it's alright," Hinata responded with a demure smile, dipping her head in a polite bow. "And nothing's . . ." She hesitated. "Well, it's something, but not important . . ." She smiled again, though it was only half-hearted. The stranger frowned slightly and tilted her head the other way.
"Is it about somebody that's important to you?" The question was an innocent one, though the way the girl asked it implied that it carried much more weight than it might seem. Hinata blinked at her for a moment, then nodded slowly, trying her best not to flush when she thought about Naruto. The other girl smiled knowingly – and a little sadly, Hinata thought. "Ah, it's always hard to handle things when somebody we care about it is involved, isn't it?"
"Yes," she replied, returning the ambiguous smile with one of her own. She took a moment then to assess the stranger, realizing that she couldn't have been much older than herself. The girl was petite, and very pretty, with a smile that made Hinata feel warm inside despite the sadness it carried. Her long, dark hair fell straight down, effortlessly framing a heart-shaped face. "Ano . . . Do you live around here? Oh, and what's your name?" Hinata chided herself for the complete lack of civility she had shown, not even exchanging simple pleasantries with a stranger.
"I'm from far away," she replied, a touch of amusement in her tone. "My name is Haku." Hinata blinked. Wasn't Haku more of a boy's name? "What about you? I can tell from your hitai-ite that you're a ninja, at least."
"My name is Hinata," she answered, though hesitated before responding to the unasked question. "I'm also from far away, on a mission for my village." Hinata knew never to reveal where she was from or any details of a mission to an outsider. Missions were even to be kept secret from villagers and only discussed within the team and with authorized parties, such as clients and the Sandaime. She had revealed only common knowledge that anyone might assume.
"I see. Being a ninja is scary, isn't it?" Haku seemed almost painfully sympathetic, though she appeared to gain a bit of levity as she continued. "Going off around the world on dangerous missions, I mean. And," she ventured, raising an eyebrow, "I bet you're also scared for your important person, huh?" The girl smiled at Hinata's reaction – a definite blush now – and shook her head, stepping closer and further into the glade.
"O-of course, Haku-chan" Hinata stuttered at first, catching herself and evening her voice quickly after the hastily-added honorific. "It's only sensible to be scared; it helps you prepare for what's to come." Haku seemed to sense that the other girl was merely reciting something that had been memorized and repeated numerous times. She shook her head, smiling that sad smile again.
"I see. You are braver than I, Hinata-chan. You're very pretty, too, and I think you possess a strength like few I have ever met." Haku quelled the other girl's oncoming protests with another headshake, her hand rising to lightly touch her fingertips on Hinata's cheek. The Hyūga girl could do little but blink and turn red, muttering something about misconceptions or the time. Haku beamed at her for a moment before returning to her sad smile. "Protect your important people, Hinata-chan. I can see you care for them very deeply. Real, pure strength comes from the will to protect those you care for. Don't forget that." With a last knowing, wistful smile, Haku turned and walked back from where she had come, stopping and turning her head to the side at the edge of the clearing. "I hope we see each other again soon, Hinata-chan. Oh," she added almost as an afterthought, the first genuine grin spreading over the fine features, "And I'm actually a boy, but you can still call me Haku-chan if you really want to."
A moment later he was gone, leaving a very confused and very red Hinata in his wake. The encounter had caught her completely off balance, from start to finish. Haku had come and gone in the span of a few short minutes, and in that time she felt like she had come to know the boy in some intimate way. It was like trying to remember a dream the morning after, just a feeling always out of reach. She shook her head, starting at a brisk jog towards Tazuna's house. If anything the brief interaction had instilled her with some amount of hope; somebody's first impression of her had been good. Not only that, but in a way Haku had echoed what Sasuke had told her not twenty minutes earlier. A very small, but very real seed of determination formed inside of her.
I can.
/*\
"Naruto was able to get up and walk for a few minutes," Sasuke reported, sinking onto a chair in Tazuna's small kitchen. It was getting late in the evening, and the rest of the household had retired save for Kakashi. "He's eating on his own again, too; that guy sure recovers fast."
"Mm," Kakashi murmured, eye shifting from his book to the boy. "What did you want to talk about, Sasuke?" The Uchiha gave him a lengthy, even look before continuing calmly.
"I want to know why you have a Sharingan," he asked bluntly, eyes hovering over his teacher's hidden eye. "It's an Uchiha bloodline trait, and I know for a fact that you're not from my clan; only Itachi and I are left." Despite his practiced calm, Sasuke's eyebrow twitched at the mention of his brother's name. Even Kakashi's eye softened and looked back to his book. The boy said nothing else, watching the jōnin until he finally sighed, setting the novel down and turning his full attention to Sasuke.
"Do you want the whole story, or only why I have it?" he asked seriously, making the boy think for a moment before responding.
"The whole story; I can already assume how you might have gotten ahold of a Sharingan. I want to know why, and the story behind how." Kakashi studied him for a moment before nodding. Sasuke didn't seem angry, only curious and a bit confused. It was only natural that the last surviving member of the Uchiha – at least, the only one not a missing-nin – would want to know how an outsider came to be in possession of one of the most powerful doujutsu.
"I'm not of the Uchiha clan, you're right. As a matter of fact my body can't handle the stress involved with the extended use of the Sharingan, although I've become more conditioned to it over the years." He paused for a long moment, his eye glazing over slightly. "Shortly after I became a jōnin, we were in the midst of the Third Ninja War. I was tasked to lead a team to destroy a bridge that was vital to our enemies' mobility and communication."
"Wait, the Third Ninja War?" Sasuke asked dubiously, raising an eyebrow at Kakashi. "I'm not sure how old you are now, but if I had to guess that would make you a jōnin at age . . . Ten? Eleven?"
"Nine," Kakashi responded with a shrug. It was obvious from his posture and expression that he wasn't interested in making a big deal out of it. Sasuke blinked several times, leaning back in his chair with a newfound respect for the man. "Something went wrong on our mission, though, and one of our members was captured. Back then, I . . ." He sighed, rubbing a hand over his eye and suddenly looking older and very tired. "I thought the laws and guidelines of our village were more important than the lives of my comrades. My other teammate, Uchiha Obito, wanted to go rescue Rin, but I chose to complete the mission instead. He disobeyed my commands and left to help our comrade." He was quiet for a long while then, eye still unfocused and bearing a detached expression.
"I thought–" Sasuke began, cut off almost immediately by Kakashi.
"I didn't always believe what I do now. There was a time that I valued a mission objective more than I did the lives of my team and friends." Despite the faraway look, there was a note of regret evident in the man's tone. It was enough to make Sasuke close his mouth and decide not to interrupt further. "But Obito changed my mind in the end. To make a long story short, we fought our way into the cave Rin was being held in, and I lost my eye in the skirmish. One of our enemies brought the cave down on us, and Obito sacrificed his life to save mine." He was quiet for a moment, and after a time his eyes refocused on Sasuke. "In his last moments he imparted his Sharingan to me. Rin transplanted it herself using a special medical ninjutsu, and we were able to escape with the help of our sensei, Namikaze Minato."
"Your teacher was the Yondaime?!" Sasuke blurted out, eyes widening a little.
"Aye, though that was before he became Hokage. At the time, however, he was known as Konoha's Yellow Flash." Kakashi watched his student for a few minutes. Sasuke was mulling the information over, nodding to himself once or twice before readdressing Kakashi.
"Alright. Thanks, Kakashi-sensei." The older ninja nodded, and after a moment's hesitation Sasuke continued. "Do you think . . . Once I awaken my Sharingan that you could help me learn how to use it? I was always told it would come naturally, like an innate ability, but I ah . . ." He trailed off, searching for words that wouldn't entirely give away his intent. "I feel like there's more to the Sharingan than that," he finished a bit lamely, looking away. Kakashi stared at him for a few seconds, wondering what secrets the boy was hiding.
"I can," he ventured tentatively, not wanting to commit fully to the request just yet. "That is, assuming the Sharingan manifests itself in you."
"It will," Sasuke replied firmly, with a fierceness he had not intended. It was one of the few times Kakashi had ever heard that much emotion in the boy's voice. "It has to." Again a considerable time passed as they looked at one another, Sasuke with his determined expression and Kakashi with a calculating look.
"Alright, I'll teach you what I can when the time comes, on one condition." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "If I tell you I won't teach you something, you don't question me. I expect you to trust I have good reason for it. Understand?" The Uchiha nodded slowly, shrugging noncommittally at the same time. He had little choice if he wanted an experienced Sharingan user as a mentor, and he could cross the forbidden bridge when it came to that.
Sasuke slid into his bedroll a few minutes later, turning over the conversation in his mind. He, Kakashi, and Hinata were sharing a room to give Naruto some peace and quiet to recover, though Hinata would be late coming down from attending to Naruto and Kakashi liked to read into the night sometimes.
He knows, Sasuke thought to himself as he forced his mind to clear and be at ease. He knows I want to know more about the Mangekyou Sharingan. There's got to be another way to activate it; there has to be. Naruto's words, spoken after the Uchiha massacre, rang through his head, and he couldn't help but smile faintly. If it's not possible, it's not possible, but I won't give up on getting stronger no matter what. I'm coming for you. One day, Itachi.
/*\
"I still can't leave?" Naruto asked indignantly, looking crestfallen. "It's been four days since we got here! Hinata says my chakra is almost back to normal and all I've done is rest!"
"One more day, just to be safe," Kakashi chided sternly, adding in a cautionary measure a moment later. "Besides, remember what we talked about: Zabuza may still be alive. The way that hunter-nin handled the situation just doesn't sit right with me. We need somebody to stay here and watch Inari and Tsunami. Keep your radio on and call if there's any trouble."
"Yes, sensei," he sighed, slumping back down to sit at the dock's edge. Tazuna's house was on the shoreline, and Naruto had taken to spending the last few days basking in the fresh sea air while working some minor chakra exercises. Against Kakashi's – and Hinata's – wishes, he had also made sure to keep up a physical regimen as well.
"Good. We're going to escort Tazuna to the bridge; Hinata and I will be back soon enough. Let's move out." Kakashi turned then, stepping off of the dock and making his way towards the trees. Tazuna and Sasuke were on his heels, and Hinata followed after a moment lingering and glancing back to Naruto.
"Man, this sucks," the blond muttered after a few minutes of listening to the morning's sounds. Birds chirped overhead and in the trees, planks creaked against the soft breeze, and the surf lapped rhythmically against the sand below. Normally he might find such serenity a welcome escape, but after being put on 'rest duty' for days he was getting restless. Not to mention that Kakashi had informed them of his concerns about Zabuza the day before; could he really be alive? It sounded plausible, the way his teacher had described near-death states and the senbon, but Zabuza had seemed so . . . Well, dead.
Before he could get too wrapped up in thought, Inari – Tazuna's grandson – came out of the house, walking over to take a seat next to Naruto. He kept looking towards the ocean, letting the young boy gather his own thoughts. The previous days had been contentious, to say the least; Tsunami's son had been plagued with doubt, defiance, and petulance, spurning Team Seven from the day they had arrived. He was making some progress, though; it was one of the good things that came from staying at the house.
"Naruto nīchan," he started quietly, looking down at his hands. "Yesterday when you said that stuff about Gatoh and, well . . . Do you really think you can beat him?" Naruto looked down at the small boy, his teeth flashing in a broad grin.
"Hell yeah! Tazuna-san said that they'll be done with the bridge soon, and we've beaten everything that jerk has thrown at us. No problem, Inari!" The child stared up at him for a few seconds, tears welling in his eyes before he hurriedly wiped them away with a sleeve. Naruto smiled again and put a hand on Inari's head, ruffling his hair a little. "You're a good kid. Remember what I said about crying, though; you've gotta be strong for your mom. But it's alright to cry when you're happy."
"How'd you learn to be so brave?" Inari asked through a few sniffles, lowering his sleeve to look up at the older boy that he'd come to respect over the last several days. "What if I can't?"
"I had a really good teacher," Naruto laughed. It was true, by and large, though not the whole truth. Inari didn't need to hear the way he had grown up; the kid had already been through enough of his own pain. "And I know you can, Inari. You've got it inside of you, just like everyone. You just need to believe it as much as I do." Inari looked doubtful and a little confused, but Naruto noticed neither as the little radio in his ear buzzed.
"Naruto!" Kakashi's voice called, sounding urgent. The frequency was ridden with static and getting worse, the white noise growing louder by the second. "—d you at—" The line continued to break up, the last broken words that came through hardly heard over the din of static. "—buza – nd th – unter nin—"There was a loud pop in Naruto's ear and he had to rip the device away before it ruptured his eardrum.
"Inari, I have to go. Take your mom and—"
"I don't think so," drawled a bored-sounding voice. Naruto whirled towards the shore, where two surly-looking thugs stood with their arms folded, each sporting a katana at his hip. "Can't believe we got sent to kill a bitch and some kids," the grey-haired one said, rolling his eyes and casually drawing the blade.
"What's going on out here?" The door to the house opened and Tsunami stepped out, blinking in the sunlight. She gasped and stepped back once, hand raising to her mouth in shock. "Inari, come inside!" The boy looked frightened, his eyes wide, and he stood frozen next to Naruto.
"I'll get her," the other man – sporting an eye-patch – said with a wicked grin, "You kill the ninja kid." He stepped casually towards the doorway, beckoning with one hand as he drew the katana with the other. "Come on pretty girl; we've got plans for you." He licked his lips and advanced on her, the same disturbing smile on his face the whole way.
Before Naruto could stop him Inari had charged forward, shouting in a high-pitched, fearful voice. "Y-you get away from my mom!" He had nothing to defend himself or his mother with, but he ran at the man as fast as he could, fists raised and ready to go down fighting to protect his mother.
Luckily, Naruto didn't quite fit the average description of 'ninja kid'. In a blur of motion he had dashed forward and past Inari, a fist of shuriken flying at the first thug as he rushed the second. They may have talked tough, but they weren't much higher on the ladder than the average mercenary. The grey-haired man cursed, dodging and deflecting the projectiles while Naruto closed on his partner.
"Little shits!" Eye-Patch yelled, bringing his sword down in a strong slash. Naruto deflected it easily with the kunai in his left hand, pivoting and driving a vicious blow into the man's torso. His adversary buckled, and without losing momentum he drove a knee into the thug's nose. The satisfying and sickening crunch of breaking bone and cartilage preceded the thud of the man's limp body striking the wooden porch.
The other man had charged forward after deflecting the shuriken, but faltered as he saw how decisively Naruto had taken out his companion. The blond took advantage of the moment's hesitation and flicked a kunai towards him, forcing the bewildered man to dodge, an action that ultimately harmed more than it helped. Naruto leapt from a sprint, calculating the dodge just before the jump in order to land a spinning round kick into the side of his opponent's head. The second would-be assassin fell heavily to the ground, unconscious before he struck the earth.
"Inari, Tsunami; get these two tied up and then get somewhere safe!" he shouted over his shoulder, already running towards the bridge at a dead sprint. The communication had been broken up, but he had heard enough to put the pieces together. Zabuza was alive, and he was at the bridge with the hunter-nin. Kakashi had been right after all. Naruto ground his teeth and willed himself faster as he bounded into the trees, branches groaning under his feet as he forced more chakra into them.
/*\
"Hinata, take the hunter-nin. Sasuke, protect Tazuna and stay close," Kakashi murmured, pulling his forehead protector up to reveal his Sharingan. "I won't lose to Zabuza this time, I promise." His students nodded sharply, already crouched into combat stances as they moved to obey. "This mist is messing with the radios; I'm not sure if Naruto will be able to make it as backup, so don't take any unnecessary risks."
"Haku," Zabuza muttered, too quiet for the others to hear, "Can you take the girl? It looks like she intends to fight, and I'll need my full attention to handle Kakashi."
"I didn't see her combat skills in your last skirmish, Zabuza-san, but you know as well as I that it'd be hard for any of them to keep up with me. Except Kakashi, of course."
"You're no match for him," Zabuza growled, eyeing the jōnin that stood calmly ready several meters away. "Keep the runts away while I deal with him. Don't get hit by the girl; she can shut down your tenketsu."
"Yes, sir," Haku whispered, and then he sped forward. The motion stirred the air around him until it was a veritable maelstrom, surrounding him like a personal tornado. He shot towards Hinata with unnatural speed, using the momentum of the spin the drive a senbon towards her unguarded side. But she had been ready.
Hinata had tracked Haku's movements, her Byakugan active and studying her attacker as he drew close. At the last possible instant she bent backwards, the needle flying over her abdomen and missing by less than a centimeter. She caught herself on one hand and used the force of her movement to turn it into a one-handed back handspring, using the other hand to send a kunai flying at the whirlwind. It deflected but managed to steal Haku's balance, forcing him to grind to a halt in a fighting stance.
"I don't want to kill you," Haku said softly, bearing a senbon in each hand, "But I will if you choose to continue. It's impossible for you to keep up with my speed."
"I'm sorry, Haku-san," Hinata all but whispered, real sadness in her eyes, "But will protect my friends with my life, just as you will protect yours." Haku blinked. She had recognized him from the beginning.
"As you wish," he returned, voice growing hard. He rushed forward, clashing with Hinata and forming one-handed seals with his free arm with blinding speed. Almost at the same moment that sparks flew from their weapons he muttered under his breath, "Hijutsu: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death". Hinata didn't even have time to be baffled at the fact that he had used only one hand to form seals. As they met Haku stomped his foot down, splashing standing water into the air around them, but it didn't fall as Hinata expected. Instead it twisted and congealed in the air, freezing and turning into hundreds upon hundreds of tiny needles of ice.
"Shugohakke: Thirty-Two Palms!" Hinata gasped as Haku disengaged to allow his jutsu to do its work. Even as the ice flew towards her Hinata's arms were in motion, her palms aglow as chakra gathered within. From her allies' perspective it seemed that her arms simply turned into a blur beneath an odd, hazy dome of pure energy. It took Sasuke a moment to realize that the haze was just chakra, fired at so many points with pinpoint precision that it created the odd illusion around her.
Unlike the more advanced jutsu she had attempted before, this was one Hinata knew. It was not as fast as the more advanced variation, but it was enough for the task at hand. Ice shattered in every direction, throwing up hundreds of clouds of mist around her. For a moment she was lost amid the chakra haze and clouds of ice, and Haku had turned his attention towards Sasuke. He seemed confident enough in his technique, at least until he was struck by a spinning kick that threw him from his feet with a grunt.
Hinata stood where he had just been, breathing slightly labored but otherwise in one piece. She had a few cuts on her arms and legs, but seemed to have blocked or deflected the majority of the needles. Haku skipped across the ground once before rolling into a crouch. If he hadn't been wearing his ANBU mask, they would have all seen his look of shock. Nobody had ever survived at the center of that technique. He would have understood if she somehow escaped it, perhaps leapt straight up or rolled to the side, however unlikely either of those would have been. But she had stood her ground and come out virtually unscathed.
The Hyūga girl didn't give him a chance to think it over. She flew towards him in a black and beige blur, and it was all he could do to track her and keep up. The next thirty seconds were maddeningly fast, and before long Hinata had him on the defensive. It was all he could do to dodge and deflect, let alone land a strike. Her strange fighting style was unfamiliar to him, and he was loath to admit it but she was faster than him.
A lightning fast reverse kick finally found Haku's jaw, sending him spinning to land hard on the ground. Hinata set her stance again, and was breathing hard with the strain of keeping up such an assault. But he was in no better shape, especially after that hit.
"Haku, you're going to lose at this rate," Zabuza said calmly, loud enough for everybody to hear. He hadn't moved throughout the encounter, keeping the two in his peripheral vision while keeping a hard eye on Kakashi. It wasn't necessary to make his move yet. "Get serious."
"Yes, Zabuza-san; I will." As Haku straightened, inclining his head in what could only have been a measure of respect towards Hinata. "I apologize," he started quietly, the air around him beginning to visibly shift. "I didn't want to have to use this technique, but I have no choice." The air surrounding him turned so cold that Hinata could see the millions of water molecules surrounding him turn to ice, flowing outward as he lifted his hands and pressed them together in a modified tiger seal. "Hijutsu: Demonic Ice Mirrors."
The air surrounding Hinata suddenly dropped at least twenty degrees from its already frigid temperature. Before she could take a step towards Haku, a piece of ice thrust upward in front of her, coalescing into a giant crystalline panel. She pivoted and tried to move around it, but more identical mirrors had already half-formed all around her. Even before she had time to blink again they had surrounded her, cutting her off behind a blockade of twelve perfectly symmetrical ice mirrors. More floated above those, leaning inward to form a sort of roof, one final piece closing the very top to escape.
Haku moved forward quickly, taking advantage of the moment's confusion. Hinata saw him rush towards one of the mirrors, and then simply melt into it. What should have been solid ice allowed him to flow smoothly in, and then a score of Hakus appeared around her, a perfect image of him reflected on every panel. She couldn't even tell them apart with her Byakugan.
"Hinata!" Kakashi shouted, dashing forward towards the structure. His path was blocked almost immediately by Zabuza, who appeared to be grinning behind the bandages on his face.
"Your fight's with me, Kakashi. That girl's as good as dead anyway, and you can't afford to have me running around unchecked can you?" Kakashi growled and crouched, drawing out his kunai. He'd have to make this quick.
"Sasuke, support Hinata," he called back sharply. Sasuke blinked several times, about to ask why when three of Naruto's clones landed beside him. He barely hesitated before he rushed around the two jōnin. Zabuza twitched sideways but Kakashi just appeared in front of him, forcing the missing-nin to block a kunai thrust with his giant blade. "Your fight's with me, Zabuza," Kakashi echoed tightly.
Sasuke made it to the crystals in seconds, skidding to a halt just on the outside. From what he could tell the images were only on the inside, meaning it might be possible to disrupt them from outside. He kicked at one as hard as he could but it barely shook. Several fists of shuriken and a few kunai told him that weapons wouldn't work against it either.
"Katon: Great Fireball!" Fire roared from his mouth and hit the nearest ice mirror. Nothing happened. The flames splashed against the frozen water and dissipated; Sasuke might as well have blown air on them for all the jutsu had accomplished.
"Sasuke, he's too fast," cried Hinata from within the mirrors. She was performing the repelling technique again, but now against what appeared to be hundreds of senbon flying at her from every direction. One or two stuck out from each limb, slowing her movements noticeably and putting her in danger of taking more hits. More still protruded from her torso and back.
Sasuke didn't even realize he was moving until he was halfway to her, sprinting through the gaps in the ice to aid his friend however he could. Fist after fist of shuriken flew out around Hinata, deflecting incoming senbon almost at random. Almost. As his heartbeat quickened time felt like it was slowing down, and he could just make out the weapons as they were coming in. And there was something else, too.
"He's jumping between mirrors," Sasuke growled as he reached Hinata, covering her back and allowing her to focus her defense forward. Of course, 'covering' meant that he was just taking the needles that she might otherwise have to while trying to deflect as many as possible, but at least she was no longer at risk of being hit with her full focus forward. "Whatever this ability does it lets him move faster than we can see between the ice." Sasuke's eyes were wide now, trying desperately to pick up on the movement he knew he could see. It was like a dark spot in his eye that, when focused upon, disappeared from view. No matter how hard he tried to follow the movements he couldn't keep up.
Hinata cried out behind him as a senbon passed through her defenses, burying itself near the collarbone. She faltered and fell to one knee as more deadly projectiles thrashed at her from every side. It was all she could do to simply shield her head with her arms. Even if the accuracy was low, there were enough of them flying around to do serious damage if it went on much longer.
I have to do something. Sasuke ground his teeth and stepped nearer to Hinata, covering her as much as he could with his own body. Pain lanced up every limb, across his back and chest, and he could feel blood trickling steadily from gashes and punctures around his neck and face. Have to do something. There has to be a way to beat this. If only I could see . . .
Sasuke blinked. His head had stopped spinning, and the world around him was moving so slow that he could see each individual senbon coming, like a fast punch rather than a speeding projectile. He still had to work quickly, but even with burning muscles he deflected every one with a kunai in each hand. But that wasn't the interesting part. It was still little more than a blur, but he saw Haku now. The boy was leaping from mirror to mirror, needles flying from an ice panel every time he reached it before resurfacing and bounding to the next. The movement was so fluid, so rapid that even with the slowed reality he could barely keep track. But he could keep track.
"Katon: Great Fireball!" he roared, timing it and aiming where he thought Haku would be. The senbon stopped abruptly and Haku was rolling over the ground, flames licking at his left leg. His eyes were wide beneath the mask. It had to have been luck, he reasoned, flinging himself at the nearest mirror and sinking back into it. There was no way the boy caught up to him.
Calmly, Sasuke reminded himself, raising his kunai again as the onslaught commenced. Once again he battled the senbon, eyes darting back and forth, tracking the barely traceable movement. He let three more blasts of flame go before another hit caught Haku, though this time it had caught his left shoulder.
"Impossible," he said shakily, limping back into a mirror and breathing hard. His voice echoed around them as he continued, forgoing his needles for a moment. "You shouldn't be able to see me, yet you're tracking my movement close enough to strike me. How—" The image directly in front of Sasuke took a step back. "Those eyes – you really are an Uchiha." Sasuke stared back defiantly, too exhausted to puzzle out the boy's words. If this went on much longer, he'd go down.
"Hinata," he grunted, "We need to get out of here. We need to . . ." He trailed off, going very still as his eyes cast over his friend. She was laying on the ground now, body limp. It didn't look like she was breathing. Sasuke froze for the briefest moment, real terror filling him completely.
"Sasuke, Hinata!" Naruto yelled, sprinting towards the icy prison. He could see Sasuke there, and Hinata was next to him, but she was down. He grit his teeth and cried out again. "I'm coming!" But the moment of fear and hesitation spelled the end for Sasuke. A flood of senbon poured from behind him, and before he had turned halfway to deflect them it was too late. Sasuke staggered back, blinking down at himself. Needles protruded from everywhere, impaling him in several dozen places, some of which looked vital. He turned slowly towards Naruto, their eyes meeting for a moment. Naruto caught a glimpse of crimson irises inlaid with black tomoe. And then Sasuke was falling. Naruto broke through the circle just as his friend hit the ground. "Sasu—"
Naruto stopped in his tracks. Sasuke had fallen, bleeding and riddled with senbon, right next to Hinata. They both lay very still, their faces pale as death itself.
"Sasuke . . ." Naruto rasped, falling to his knees. "Hinata . . . chan . . ." Tears were streaming down his face before he had time to register their coming. His two friends were in front of him, and they were dead. His best friends, the first two to ever recognize him. He would never get the chance to help Sasuke fulfill his dream. He would never be able to confess to Hinata how he felt, even if he didn't know how to put it into words yet. Pain unlike any he had ever experienced coursed through him, agony so deep it made his bones ache. This can't be happening. It isn't.
"This is the world you live in, ninja." Haku's voice echoed eerily through the otherwise silent chamber. He was taking the moment to breathe and recover some; with only one left, there was no chance he would lose. "We try to protect those we care about, but my desire was stronger this time. I'm sorry." Though his voice was hollow, he did sound sincere. No amount of sincerity mattered to Naruto, however.
"You . . ." Naruto snarled, the words coming out grated and distorted somehow. The ground had begun to shake, and the air within the ring of mirrors started heating up and thickening. "You killed them," he ground out through a clenched jaw, gums starting to bleed as human teeth elongated and sharpened into fangs. "I'll kill you." Clawed fingers dug into the stone, gouging out rifts in the bridge beneath him. Naruto lifted his head slowly, his face shadowed until it was fully raised to the nearest mirror, blood red eyes seeming to look into every one of Haku's reflections at the same time, murderous intent dancing in both snake-like slits. "I'LL KILL YOU." The otherworldly roar shook the entire bridge, interrupting the fight between Zabuza and Kakashi and forcing all heads to turn towards the circle of ice mirrors.
A column of red-orange chakra erupted from where Naruto had been standing, consuming him in the malevolent haze. The energy burned a hole straight through the topmost mirror, shattering it to pieces moments later. Rivulets of chaotic chakra circled around him, cutting protective swaths around the bodies of his fallen friends. The blast of power forced Zabuza to stumble back, and Kakashi had to brace himself to only slide back a few inches.
This chakra – the Kyūbi! Naruto! Zabuza tsked and rushed in while Kakashi was distracted, forcing him back with a muttered curse.
Inside of Haku's technique, the swirl of energy diminished slowly, settling to form a writhing ring of red around the now crouched Naruto. He looked much as he had years before in the forest with Mizuki, feral and mad with bloodlust. This time, however, the cloak of evil chakra stayed, coating him completely. A tail-like protrusion stuck out from near his tailbone, whipping back and forth restlessly as if it had a mind of its own. But it was the eyes that made Haku take a step back into his mirror. Those scarlet orbs of malice, wrought with the purest hate. They stared into Haku, and they could see him.
I have to finish this now, Haku nearly panicked, trying to shake the paralyzing fear away. But Naruto had already charged, and it was faster than anything he had ever witnessed. The mirror exploded into a thousand shards as a clawed fist crashed through it with enough force to level a mountain. The three adjacent mirrors all cracked and fell to pieces moments after, the shockwaves from the blow enough to do them in. Haku had retreated instantly to another mirror, and Naruto's eyes followed him. Almost as he entered the next panel Naruto was there, another fist raised to do the same damage as before. Haku was forced to jump again, but that was exactly what the crazed genin had wanted.
Bones cracked as Naruto's hand closed on Haku's ankle, catching him before he was able to get a meter past the mirror. Impossible, he thought blankly, That's not possib— Despite his disbelief, the next moment Haku slammed into the ground with another crunch of bone. The ANBU mask cracked down the middle as his head hit the stone, halves falling away to reveal his still untouched face. His leg jerked again and he found himself speeding through the so fast that the air was forced from his lungs. An explosion of agony ripped through him as he was made into a living projectile, smashing through another of his mirrors like it had been made of brittle glass.
Haku's limp, battered body hit the ground and tumbled over and over, rolling to a halt a few meters away from Kakashi. The broken boy struggled to get up using what must have been a broken arm, making small groaning noises with each movement. Kakashi noted that the lower portion of one leg had been crushed, and the rest of the boy looked almost as badly beaten. Only then did he see his student walking towards them, still wreathed in a torrent of the Kyūbi's chakra, projecting a killing intent so pure, so instinctual that it sent a shiver down his spine. The hate was literally palpable; it thickened the air around Naruto, choking those nearby like too much heat in a closed sauna. The boy's eyes were fixed on Haku, his face contorted into a snarl, lips peeled back to bare his fanged teeth at his helpless adversary.
Zabuza moved in front of Haku, stone faced with his sword drawn. A half dozen water clones appeared around Naruto a breath later, all charging and attacking at the same time. They might as well have been gnats. A wave of raw force screamed outward, colliding with the clones and dispersing them into clouds of steam. He kept advancing slowly, ignoring Zabuza as if he wasn't standing between Naruto and his quarry.
"Back off," the jōnin growled, readying his sword to defend Haku. Naruto's gaze snapped up to his for a fraction of a second, and for that moment he knew true fear.
Zabuza blinked down at his chest and bloodied hand, his vision abruptly very blurry. It took a few long seconds to notice that a forearm was protruding from where his sternum should have been. He followed it back to a shoulder swathed in heavy black cloth and red light, and finally landed on a familiar face. Naruto stood in front of him, his arm raised through Zabuza's chest. The boy growled, the noise guttural and sounding like it had come from a large and terrifying animal. With a jerk of his arm he flung Zabuza to the side like a ragdoll, the still confused man falling onto his back a few meters away.
Naruto reached down with deliberate slowness, grasping Haku's collar and lifting him effortlessly into the air to dangle helplessly. Despite being ravaged and hardly alive, Haku met his opponent's gaze without flinching and managed a tired smile. A growl escaped Naruto's throat again and he raised a fist, preparing to finish what he had started. He didn't hesitate, but a foreign pressure kept his arm from moving.
"Naruto," Kakashi said quietly from beside him, hand braced against his student's bicep in a vain attempt to hold back the blow. It was like trying to stop an avalanche, but he held on and ground out his words. "Naruto, come to your senses. You don't want to kill him; it isn't you!" He grunted, sliding back a few centimeters from the pressure. His hand was beginning to burn inside of the foreign chakra; there were tendrils of smoke rising from his fingernails and the metal guard on the back of his hand had begun to blacken.
"N-Naruto . . ." The choking gasp caused Naruto to freeze suddenly, the tension against Kakashi halting. He turned his head slowly, eyes traveling back to where the shattered remains of Haku's jutsu lay. Sasuke was kneeling there, supporting Hinata on his shoulder and breathing heavily . . . But he was alive. Hinata's chest rose and fell sharply in shallow breaths, but she too lived, if barely.
As immediately as it had come, the raging power vanished. Haku tumbled to the ground again as Naruto released his hold and sprinted towards his friends, eyes already returning to their normal blue. Kakashi was left to stare after him, forgetting himself for a time before he straightened and went quickly to check on Zabuza.
"That kid . . ." the fallen ninja rasped, voice already weak. "He ah . . . Surprised me I . . . I guess." He grunted, more blood spattering the bandages over his mouth. "Hatake Kakashi," he started again, tone heavy with weariness and growing quieter. "Haku . . . He's not like – He's not like me." Zabuza's voice grew urgent, as if he knew that only seconds remained to get out his last words. "He's . . . Kind – Doesn't deserve this." He coughed again, sending his body into violent convulsions for several seconds. When he recovered his eyes had glazed over and his voice had become thready. "P-please . . . Let him . . . Let him . . . Live." A faint noise escaped the man's lips as he exhaled his last breath, a sound that might have been a satisfied sigh.
Kakashi knelt next to the fallen ninja, running his hand over the man's eyes and closing them permanently. "I'll honor your last request, Demon of the Hidden Mist." He rose then, glancing towards Tazuna to make sure he was alright before rushing to his team.
Naruto had them both laying on their backs now, the numerous senbon that would have hindered such a position discarded to the side. He had Hinata's head in his lap and was speaking softly to Sasuke, who seemed conscious despite the obvious pain he was in.
"I'm telling you he missed on purpose," Sasuke said hoarsely, grunting in discomfort. "He could have easily killed us both, but I think he put us in a near-death state, like he did for Zabuza."
"He was trying to complete his mission without killing us . . ." Naruto breathed, fresh tears welling up at the corners of his eyes. As Kakashi approached he couldn't help but notice that the boy looked . . . Normal. As if he hadn't just unleashed an incredible torrent of energy and punched a hole through a man's chest. "Where is he now?" Both Sasuke and Kakashi blinked. Naruto looked from one to the other, then asked defensively, "What?"
"Naruto," Kakashi said quietly, looking down at his student with hard eyes. "Look at your right hand." Still holding on to a quizzical expression Naruto looked down. It was his turn to blink. From mid bicep to his fingertips, his arm had a solid coat of fresh blood. He began trembling uncontrollably and had to set Hinata's head down, standing too quickly and stepping back.
"No way," he breathed, face turning white. "That wasn't real; it didn't really happen. I didn't . . . I didn't kill anybody." Naruto looked towards Kakashi, then to Sasuke, then back again, breathing quickening. "I didn't – I couldn't. I . . . I . . ." His stomach heaved and he lurched to the side. Kakashi was next to him in a heartbeat, steadying him and speaking as gently as he could.
"Naruto, calm down. Take deep breaths." It seemed like a struggle, but after a time his breathing slowed and came back towards control again. "You are a ninja of Konohagakure. Sometimes you must kill to save your comrades lives and complete missions. This is not the time to dwell on it; we need to get Sasuke and Hinata somewhere safe." And Haku, it seems.
"Right, somewhere safe." Naruto seemed dazed but compliant, following Kakashi back to the others to begin to help transport them elsewhere. His thoughts dulled and he moved mechanically. He was aware of Tazuna and Kakashi around him, of the makeshift stretchers they made. But everything seemed distant, and it remained as such for a long, long time.
/*\
The sound of waves striking the shore was a familiar one. It was late – very late – and the others were asleep inside. It had taken most of the day to get the three wounded stable. After multiple donations of blood – supplied mostly by himself, Kakashi, and Tazuna – his friends had finally gotten through the life-threatening blood loss. Haku had undergone multiple surgeries and now lay encased in casts and bandages, all from two blows, or so he had been told.
"Bits and pieces," Naruto said again dully, staring off into the darkness instead of at Kakashi. They had been over what happened countless times and he still couldn't remember most of it. "I saw Sasuke fall down – I remember his Sharingan, for sure – and then I saw them both. They were . . ." His voice broke, and for the umpteenth time since the encounter he had to hold back tears. "They were dead. From there it's choppy. I remember going for Haku; I think I remember throwing him. Next thing I knew I was holding him up ready to – no, wanting to kill him. I wanted it more than anything in the world." He clutched at his stomach, doubling over and trying not to vomit into the water.
"The Kyūbi's chakra," Kakashi sighed, leaning back against the side of the house. "The seal is loosening, it seems, and you can tap into its energy when your emotions run wild. That's what happened last time, isn't it?" Naruto nodded, expressionless. "Naruto I'll say it again, and as many times as I need to until you understand: it wasn't you. It may have looked like you, felt like you, used your voice to talk, but the Naruto I know doesn't enjoy inflicting pain or killing. I know you wouldn't have if you'd been in control."
"But I should be in control," Naruto snapped, snarling at nothing. "It's my body. I should be in control, not the damn fox."
"Then work to control it, I guess," Kakashi shrugged. That finally earned him a look and a few blinks from Naruto. He was about to ask how when Kakashi held up his hands. "I don't know how, Naruto. But if there's a way, I know you'll find it." The boy looked away again, saying nothing. "I'm going to get some sleep; we still have a mission to complete, and we'll need to guard Tazuna again tomorrow." He stood then, moving towards the door where he stopped, glancing back at Naruto. "They're probably waiting for you upstairs; I think they're worried about you, despite their own conditions." With that he was gone, slipping silently into the house.
The evening stretched on as Naruto sat in silence on the dock, thinking on everything over and over as he had done all day. He had killed somebody today. Not from afar with a kunai or even with a jutsu. He had slain them intimately, mercilessly, like it had been part of his daily routine. The thought made him sick. Maybe Kakashi was right, that it had been necessary and the right course of action. Maybe that was true. It didn't make it any easier to bear. And the Kyūbi had taken control of him yet again. He choked back another sob, this one bitter and fueled by anger.
Kakashi's right. I need to control it. Somehow . . .
All at once exhaustion hit him. Every muscle felt tight and sore, every bone ached to the core. He rose slowly, swaying on his feet due to a mixture of nausea, dizziness, and fatigue. It felt like a terribly long journey to get through the door and up the stairs. Slipping into the room Sasuke and Hinata were sharing for recovery proved no less difficult, but in a moment he was standing quietly nearby, looking down at them both.
In that moment he realized what Kakashi had been trying to tell him days earlier. More than anything else that had happened that day, more than killing Zabuza or even the Kyūbi, what hurt most was to see his friends' lives threatened. The memory of their still forms rose unbidden and he couldn't help it; he cried. Silent tears shook him for a long while. He finally found his way to his bedroll, placed between the two so that he could be close at hand if either needed him.
Silent tears continued to fall as sleep finally took him. Through his weeping he didn't even notice the small, gentle hand placed upon his arm just before he drifted off. A firmer, yet just as comforting hand rested on his shoulder, helping to guide him towards the peace of sleep.
/*\
Morning sunlight warmed the makeshift bedroom gradually, the soft glow finally reaching Naruto's face and making him blink his eyes open slowly. He didn't move for a while, trying to figure out what the pressures on his limbs were. He lifted his head to look, blinking away unbidden tears as he spotted Hinata's hand resting lightly on his left arm, Sasuke's on his opposite shoulder. They were breathing deeply, likely still fast asleep after their trials the day before. Naruto carefully moved each of their hands, placing them gently back to rest on their stomachs. Only, Hinata didn't let go once he took her hand. He smiled faintly, propping himself up against the wall with a few pillows and closing his eyes, Hinata's hand held in his lap between his own.
He stayed like that for over an hour, thinking and meditating. It took him a long time to work up to it, but he finally opened his eyes again. Instead of the room he was sitting in, however, he was staring up at the Kyūbi's seal. The giant gate was there, still locked with the paper seal at its center. No cracks or noticeable weaknesses had appeared. Naruto frowned, looking hard into the darkness beyond the massive metal bars.
"Kyūbi," he said finally, voice hard and loud. A low rumbling filled the air, accompanied by the sound of gargantuan claws scraping on a stone surface.
"Ah, mortal. To what do I owe the pleasure?"the fox sneered, luminous eyes opening slowly. "I enjoyed that little display of yours last night, though it's too bad you didn't get to finish the boy off."
"Shut up," Naruto said flatly. He had spent over an hour mentally preparing for this, and he wouldn't allow the demon to get the better of him. "I came to talk. Come closer." He steeled himself then, waiting, as the eyes narrowed. Ripples played out from under the gate as the sounds of shifting weight filled the room, the scale of which was lost in the blackness beyond. A face slowly came into view, though rather than it moving towards Naruto the dull light of the room simply seemed to extend into the cage.
The Kyūbi was truly massive. Naruto could only see its face now, but even that was enough to send a spike of fear unbidden down his spine. Its head was roughly the size of the Hokage's tower, with orange fur coating it in every place there wasn't something menacing. For all intents and purposes it was a fox's face, but elongated and set in a permanent snarl, with pointed ears that he could have mistaken for horns disappearing into the darkness behind. Fangs lined the Kyūbi's mouth, each longer than a grown man and pearly white, gleaming dangerously in the dimness. Even when illuminated, its malevolent red eyes gave off a light of their own, flashing in the light.
"Satisfied?" the demon asked mildly, voice still loud enough to rattle Naruto's ribcage.
"Good enough." Naruto had taken the sight in stride, trying his best to not show any of the fear that threatened to shake his will. "I want to know how I can control your chakra," he asked bluntly, staring defiantly at the beast. "I don't want to lose control again." The Kyūbi stared at him, expressionless for a long moment, then barked out a harsh laugh that reverberated several times through the chamber. The action looked strange coming from such a creature, though no more so than it speaking.
"Control? You think you can control my power?" Its tone was openly mocking, and the snarl suddenly looked like a sneer.
"No," he responded patiently, folding his arms. "But I think you can help me control when and how it comes on instead of just letting it flow out like crazy when I get worked up." He waited for a moment, possibly for a sign from the demon, but none came. "Look, you're the one who has the 'vested interest' or whatever in keeping me alive. If you showed me how to do that much I'm sure I'd be better off."
"Kid, you're a fool," the Kyūbi growled, "My chakra is already keeping you alive. Whenever you're in dire straits it comes out against my will; you can't tell me you'd have been better off against Mizuki without it, or against Haku."
"You're not wrong," Naruto agreed, sighing in the same breath and scratching at the back of his neck. "But that's not how I want to use your chakra. Look couldn't we work together or something? You show me how to just use your chakra to help me, and you get a little more freedom out of it." If a giant fox demon could look suspicious, the Kyūbi's expression was as close to it as possible.
"Freedom, right," the demon laughed, a hulking something thrashing into view for the briefest moment. "You and I both know that I'm not getting out of here, so don't even think—"
"Do you think I'm stupid enough to let you out?" Naruto interrupted, a fairly impressive feat considering his voice was about a sixty decibels lower. "No, but I can see if I can figure out how to change or even loosen the seal. I bet it gets real boring down here by yourself; maybe I'd let you hang out in my head or something. Well, outside, sort of; I mean consciously. You know what I mean," he finished, glowering at nothing. It was about a minute before the Kyūbi responded, rumbling through a low chuckle first.
"You've got guts, kid, I'll give you that." Bright eyes flashed, in recognition, and then the Kyūbi nodded. "I'll think about it. Figure the seal issue out first; your offer means little to me if you can't even follow through with it."
"Alright, fair enough," Naruto agreed, turning to leave the chamber. Not that there was a door to leave by, but it was the principal of the action. "By the way, it wouldn't kill you to be a little nicer." He smirked slightly, a bit of immature glee showing through at having the last word, before he dismissed the scene by concentrating hard. The last thing he heard was a low growl before he again opened his eyes, revealing the room as it had been before. Nothing had changed, and judging by the light coming through the window it seemed like his conversation with the Kyūbi had only lasted a few seconds at most.
"Mmm, Naruto-kun . . ." He blinked and looked down, his eyes falling on Hinata's still slumbering form. She was muttering softly to herself, likely a result of a dream. "We're not supposed to go outside yet . . ." She trailed off, making cute sleepy noises for a time before resettling, pulling Naruto's hand to her and snuggling with it. Even though he knew she couldn't see him, and that she had no idea what she was doing, Naruto still blushed furiously. He let her keep his hand, though, waiting patiently for her to rouse and give it back.
A few minutes later Hinata blinked her eyes open slowly, wincing slightly as she shifted under the bedroll. Something warm was pressed against her cheek, and for a second she thought it was her own hand until she identified its source. The poor girl froze, eyes widening as they focused on Naruto's profile above her, color flooded to her cheeks.
"Morning, Hinata-chan," Naruto said gently with a sheepish grin, "I hope you slept well." Judging by the intense amount of heat now radiating from her cheek, he suspected she had mostly recovered overnight.
"N-Naruto-kun," she stuttered, sitting up quickly and releasing his hand in a moment of panic. A wash of dizziness hit her and she wavered, teetering away before Naruto caught her. A moment later her head was down again, propped up a little with an extra pillow. His hand was in hers again, though she didn't remember how it got there.
"Hey, don't try to sit up yet; you lost a lot of blood, remember?" She nodded carefully, wincing and closing her eyes for a moment as the flush began to fade away.
"What happened after I . . . After I went unconscious yesterday?" she asked hesitantly, eyes still closed. Naruto tensed next to her and squeezed her hand tightly, causing her to blink her eyelids open and glance up at him. He was looking off towards the wall, his expression unreadable. "Naruto-kun, what . . ." Hinata trailed as he grimaced.
"I'll tell you soon," he said gruffly, glancing down at their still sleeping companion. "I want Sasuke to be awake first; I owe you both an explanation."
"Kinda hard to sleep with you two yapping like that," Sasuke mumbled, keeping his eyes closed. "You're supposed to let injured people sleep, jerk." Naruto couldn't help but grin as his friend carefully sat up, slow enough to not cause the spell of dizziness Hinata had experienced. Naruto helped him set a few pillows against the wall and get comfortable before he leaned back again, his features becoming a bit strained.
"Sorry, but . . . I have something I need to tell you both." Hinata bit her lip but nodded, squeezing his hand gently. Sasuke nodded, choosing to stare at the far wall.
And so Naruto told them everything, from the very beginning. It was hard, and his voice started out tight and a bit husky. But soon his tone turned tired, calmer, as if the act of sharing the story somehow offered relief. He told them about Mizuki, how he had learned from the man what lived inside of him, the reason the village despised him. He told his friends about the times he had been possessed by the malevolent chakra, how it felt, and the bits he could remember from it. He told them about his three encounters with the Kyūbi thus far, in the recesses of his own mind.
And then he told them what happened at the bridge after they had both fallen into a near-death state. Most of it was put together in bits and pieces, from what Kakashi had told him about Haku's wounds and the flashes he could remember. He told them about how he had killed Zabuza without batting an eyelash, and about how he had intended to murder Haku, and would have if Sasuke hadn't called to him. By the time he had finished he was looking down at his lap, his words getting thick and a little choked near the end.
"Back then . . . I didn't tell you because I thought you might look at me differently, that maybe you'd treat me different too. I didn't choose to be like this, and I didn't mean to let that power loose or kill anybody." Tears welled up as he came to his conclusion but he held them back, swallowing once or twice. "But you two are my best friends; you deserved to know about me, about how dangerous I can be. It wasn't fair to keep it a secret." He sat there then, silent, staring at the one hand still in his lap before he realized that his other was being virtually crushed between both of Hinata's. His friends had been silent through the whole explanation, hanging on every word in their own way. Sasuke still stared blankly at the far wall.
"Ano, Naruto-kun?" Hinata began finally, looking up at him intently. "Mizuki said – and you've said, too – that the Kyūbi is sealed inside of you, right? That the Yondaime did it?" Naruto nodded, averting his gaze from her. "Then you should know that what Mizuki told you – what the villagers think of you – is wrong!" The fervor with which she spoke caused both of the boys to blink at her, surprised at the passion that she had expressed in her statement. Hinata let out a small squeak and looked down again, flushing and speaking quieter again. "I-I mean, you're not a demon. You're his keeper, in a way, right?"
"Man you can be thick sometimes," Sasuke sighed, stretching with only a slight wince. "You think just because you've got a demon fox prisoner inside you that it makes you a bad person or something?" He smirked and shook his head, punching Naruto's arm weakly. "You're the most optimistic, annoyingly cheery person I know. You've got a better chance of making the Kyūbi into a pet kitten than he has of making you into a demon puppet."
"We both know you wouldn't kill unless you absolutely had to," Hinata began again with another hand squeeze. "You're you, and no one else. We're not going anywhere, so we'll be here to remind you." She smiled then, a rare display of confidence, devotion, and warmth from the otherwise timid girl. Naruto found himself infected by it, warmed and soothed by her words. He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. They sat like that for a time, taking in the comfort of one another's company.
Kakashi popped in a while later to check on them, ignoring their protests and insisting they all rest for the day; he would escort Tazuna himself. They spent the remainder of the day relaxing, talking, laughing, and living.
/*\
The next few days passed by quickly. Hinata and Sasuke were back on their feet on their first morning awake, but Kakashi – and Naruto, for that matter – wouldn't let them leave the house for another full day. They sulked a bit, but complied after Naruto reminded them how they had both insisted he recover fully a few days before.
They left Wave Country after the bridge's completion a few days later, sent off by quite the crowd. It seemed Inari and Tsunami had gone around the town and rallied the villagers against Gatoh, together ousting his gangs and thugs. Rumor had it that they had even cornered Gatoh himself and run him off a bridge, but nobody would confirm the truth in it. Somebody – Inari and Tazuna, Naruto expected – had led the citizens to believe that Team Seven had been heroes, and they had decided to name the new causeway 'Bridge Seven' in their honor.
It was afternoon of their second day traveling, and the walls of Konoha loomed in the distance. Kakashi led the way, his three genin following behind. They had kept a purposefully slow pace, partly to continue recovery and partly due to not having a scheduled return date. Leave it to Kakashi to take the lazy route.
Naruto walked between his friends, silent for a time. Conversation had kept up through most of the trip, though they had all fallen silent as their village came into view. Silently he reached down and took Hinata's hand, still looking towards the high walls. He smirked and extended his other hand towards Sasuke, who glanced at it, rolled his eyes, and slapped his palm into contact with Naruto's. They walked like that, hand-in-hand, all with their own unique expression of relief and joy.
Kakashi glanced back at them furtively, smiling to himself beneath his mask before turning his attention forward once again. They had grown in the last two weeks, more than he could have hoped. The mission had brought them closer as friends, honed their skills even further, built confidence and trust, and many other things. It had also caused heartbreak, tragedy, and pain, but they had taken those and worked through them together, as a team.
If this keeps up, people might start thinking I'm not lazy and might be a good mentor after all. Can't have that, he joked to himself, glancing to his left and raising an eyebrow. "You sure you want to come back with us? I told you I wouldn't put you in my report to the Hokage. You'll be subjected to interrogation and possible imprisonment."
"I'm sure," Haku said softly, limping along every other step with the assistance of his crutches. "Zabuza-san is dead, and I owe Naruto-kun my life. If I offer your village my services as a ninja, perhaps I can be useful again." He was quiet then, glancing to the trio behind with a sad smile. In that instant he looked young, like the boy he was, not the tool for assassination he had been trained as.
"I'll do what I can to help you; I promised Zabuza I would." That wasn't entirely true, but Zabuza had been right about Haku. The boy was kind to a fault, deeply empathetic and innocent. It was a shame he had been mistreated for most of his life, even if he hadn't seen it that way. Haku nodded and said nothing more, continuing slowly towards Konoha and an unknown fate.
Author's Note:
Well then. I thought this chapter might be 9-12k words by the time I was finished. Boy was I wrong.
Thank you Rhi, for reading through this entire thing and correcting my mistakes and helping me with content etc. Not many people have the fortitude or will to read through so much – multiple times, mind you – and not want to throw a fork at my head, let alone fix all of my little mistakes.
I appreciate the follows and favorites as always, as well as the reviews I've received since the last chapter. As always, I invite constructive criticism of any kind, either in review form or as a private message. It may be a little longer before my next update; this chapter took a lot out of me and I'll need some mental rest time.
Oh, I also started cross-posting this to Ao3 (Archive of Our Own) at my beta's suggestion. Just wanted to put a note here so nobody on either end thinks somebody's stealing work. :O
Thanks again, and I'll see you next time!
