Ok, for some reason, I forgot to answer some of the responses from chapter 7, which I will answer along with questions from chapter 8:
asredwer: Now this is a good way to level constructive criticism (unlike the one from the 1st chapter). Ino actually doesn't have the exact same "bloodline" as Sakura; however, I can understand if it came off that way and I apologize to anyone else that thought along this line. Unfortunately, I can't explain why Ino has powers somewhat similar to Sakura's at this point without ruining a big part of the story, but trust me – there is a method to the madness.
As for Ino's inner self having access to certain info, all I can say is that unlike Sakura, Ino's inner self is a result of an incident involving her birth (which will be touched up on later) – the Yamanaka clan, in general, do not have inner selves – only Ino does.
On the subject of Danzo, believe it or not, he is unaware that whatever information is digitalized, the Haruno clan can get access to. However, the Haruno clan is very picky about who can have access. Even most of the CSS aren't allowed to view certain information.
As for team 7 being powerful, yes they are the strongest genin team in the village, but no, they are not better than a jonin head-to-head. They only beat Asuma because he wasn't going full power, got careless, and knew next-to-nothing about them. Even a kage could end up dead if they don't take their opponents seriously. Trust me when I say that had they been fighting a serious Asuma, they would have put up a decent fight, but would have lost big.
One thing I will say is that if you haven't played InFamous yet, you should play it when you get the chance. The game's story will help explain certain things that happened and will happen later on in this fic.
Starfire99: Yes, "tiachou" does mean team captain, but so does "shushou" (not to be confused with Shishou – which does mean "master"). In fact, "shushou" is a common word. (My source is Denshi Jisho)
I will use the term "tiachou" in this fic, but it will be for Kakashi. Naruto will be addressed as "shushou" by Ino and Sakura to avoid confusion.
Karl Skywalker: A lot of the civilians still love and adore the Uchiha clan, but some civilians and nearly all of the shinobi respect the Uchiwa clan, knowing just how arrogant and power-hungry the Uchiha clan is.
Scorpionking12: I believe that Naruto will get the toad summoning – however, I think I will be giving him another summoning (no, it won't be foxes) – what that summoning is, I haven't decided yet. Some other characters will also get summonings while some characters already have some (besides the 3 sannin), but haven't been revealed yet.
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed my story so far and I hope you will continue to do so. Now then, on with the story...
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or InFamous.
Chapter 9 – Deployment to Wave
Sarutobi was in his office...and he was in a fierce battle. This battle, however, didn't involve kunai or shuriken. Hell, it didn't even involve jutsu...although the idea of using a fire style jutsu was awfully temping.
This battle wasn't against enemy shinobi of any kind...although if the ninja responsible kept delivering this enemy to his office, he was going to have a battle with them.
The enemy...was several stacks of paperwork – and it appeared on his desk so fast you'd of thought that Scotty of the starship Enterprise was his assistant.
'This is ridiculous...where in the blue hell does this paperwork come from?' the sandaime mentally groaned. He continued to go through it, reading off requests to himself like...
"New screening for Academy teachers - from Iruka..."
'I agree...after what happened with Naruto-kun...and that Uchiha brat, we can't afford to have our ninja system broken just because some foolish chunin sensei doesn't like someone.'
"Approved." He agreed as he stamped the paper. He pulled another paper from the stack, this one from Akogi, Sakura's abusive stepfather. His eyes narrowed, getting a feeling of what this request was...and he was right.
"Request to remove Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki from the Konoha ninja corps and awarded to him as slave labor to his side of the family? Absolutely NOT!" He growled, stamping "DENIED" on the paper with a bit of force.
As he was doing that, his intercom came on, "Hokaga-sama, team 7 is here to see you. Shall I send them in now?" came a female voice.
"Yes, please." Sarutobi answered, thankful for the break he was about to get. A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal all four members of team 7. Sarutobi raised an eyebrow when he saw a familiar cat being held by Naruto, who had an annoyed look on his face. What made the sight strange was the condition the cat was in. All of the cat's fur was sticking out, making it look like a furry sea urchin.
"Naruto-kun...was shocking Tora, the daimyo's wife's cat, really necessary?" the sandaime sighed.
Naruto snorted. "With all due respect oji-san, it was either that or it claws our faces off. Besides..." Naruto smirked.
"...It's kinda cute!" Ino finished.
Sarutobi, Kakashi, and even Sakura sweat-dropped at the two blonds. At that time, the door opened, revealing a rather plump-looking woman.
"Oh there's my little snukums!" the women happily said as she rushed over to grab her pet, but stopped when Naruto held up his hand. Everyone had a confused look on their faces, especially since Naruto looked quite serious.
"Ma'am, before I give you back your cat, there are some things that need to be said. First and foremost, you should know that your cat runs away from you often because you hurt him." Naruto explained.
"I don't understand, shinobi-san. I've made sure that Tora is fed regularly and with food that he likes. I also give him attention by hugging him. How exactly am I hurting him?" the woman asked.
"Feeding him isn't the issue at all. The problem is that you hug him too much and too hard. While animals like dogs don't mind the constant attention – so long as you don't hug too hard, cats are different. They only liked being touched or the like when they want to be. You'll know when they want attention when you see it. Just understand that they aren't built like us. You are bigger than him, so you can hurt him."
"Are you saying that I'm fat?" the woman's eyes narrowed. While everyone in the room paled at the implication, Naruto looked unaffected.
"That's not what I meant, ma'am. I mean that we humans, in general, are larger than Tora. I could hurt him if I hugged hard enough." Naruto calmly answered. The Daimyo's wife nodded her head, understanding what Naruto was talking about.
"I see what you mean. I suppose I do hug quite hard." she admitted. "Can I have him back, please?" Naruto nodded and handed the cat back to her. The cat looked like it was going to run again, but stopped when the woman gently held him.
"I'm sorry, my snukums. Mommy promises to not hug you so hard." she said softly. She then noticed the cat's 'condition'. "Umm...shinobi-san, why does he look like this if I may ask?"
Naruto began to scratch the back of his head with a slightly nervous smile. "Sorry about that, ma'am. He got a bit feisty when we captured him. A bit of my power leaked out when he scratched me and caused his fur to stick out like it is."
"Is he hurt?"
"Not at all. Just give it a few hours and his fur will go back to normal since I only sparked him. He'll be just fine."
The woman nodded, thanking Naruto for catching her cat and for his advice before leaving. The whole room was silent for a few seconds before Kakashi spoke up.
"Naruto, that was a bit risky. The daimyo could have been upset with us if that had gone poorly."
"I understand Kakashi-sensei, but that cat was getting more aggressive each time we captured it. Eventually, it would have gotten so violent that it would have attempted to cause major damage to one of us genin." Naruto answered.
"You may have a point, Naruto-kun." Sarutobi said. "Only recently has that cat began to claw at our shinobi. With your advice to the daimyo's wife, we have perhaps seen the last of that particular D-mission. Now then..." the Sandaime reached over and pushed a button on his intercom system.
"Iruka, I need you to bring me that C-ranked mission that just came in." Sarutobi spoke.
"Right away, Hokage-sama." came Iruka's voice. A few minutes later, Iruka walked through the door, carrying the C-rank mission in his hand. He then noticed team 7 was in the room.
"Hey, Naruto, Sakura, Ino! How's it feel to be a genin?" Iruka asked, happy to see his former students.
"Not bad, Iruka-sensei. Although the D-ranks get a bit annoying." Naruto answered.
"Gotta agree with Foxy. That mission involving Tora was downright ridiculous." Sakura groaned.
"Although I have to admit that it was funny when Whiskers made Tora look like a sea urchin." Ino teased.
'Whiskers? Foxy? Those two were Sasuke fangirls who couldn't stand Naruto during their academy years. Since when did they like him enough to call him those kinds of nicknames...wait...do they know?' Iruka thought. Ino then turned towards him, surprising him. 'Did she actually hear me?'
"Yes, Iruka-sensei. We know about Naruto's secret...and please don't mention Sasuke-teme – that bastard and the rest of his clan care for no one except themselves." Ino told him, shocking the chunin.
"I'm a Yamanaka, Iruka-sensei. Need I say more?" Ino smirked. Iruka looked to say something, but couldn't find a thing to say and simply nodded instead. "Anyway, I'll take it that this C-rank is for you guys." the three genin nodded. Kakashi inwardly groaned. Iruka was not going to let them take this mission without complaining first.
"In that case, good luck, although I don't think you three will need it." Iruka smiled, slightly surprising Kakashi.
"Hmm, I was quite sure that you would argue about this, Iruka." Kakashi commented.
"Kakashi, you know as well as I do that these three could beat a few of our own chunin one-on-one. As far as I'm concerned, they proved themselves when they pulled that prank on Asuma a few weeks ago. The D-ranks only benefitted them by getting them easy money. They're ready for this kind of mission." Iruka responded.
"I agree with Iruka, Kakashi. In fact, I was quite tempted to give them a C-rank right out of the gate." the Sandaime said.
Just then, the door flew open, revealing Sasuke, Ami, and their jonin-sensei Inabi. Team 7 and Iruka inwardly groaned. These three were the last people they wanted to see.
"We want a C-rank mission, Sarutobi." Inabi demanded. Ino, Sakura, Kakashi, and Iruka paled. Not only would the Sandaime be upset about being addressed that way, but so would...
"That's Hokage-sama to you, Uchiha-san." Naruto stated in a calm, but cold tone.
"Watch your mouth, genin. You have no right to talk to me that way!" Inabi snapped.
"Not when you disrespect Hokage-sama like that, you don't." Naruto said in a frosty tone, giving the jonin Uchiha a frosty glare. "Rule 45 – anyone who openly disrespects a Kage may be reprimanded by a shinobi of any rank without fear of penalty."
Inabi was about to open his mouth when the Sandaime cut him off, "Naruto-kun is right, Inabi-san. Your lack of respect will be noted and a reprimand will be put on your record." Sandaime glared.
"Suck up." Ami whispered, but unfortunately for her, the hokage heard her.
"What was that, genin?" Sarutobi snapped his head towards her. "Your sensei was just reprimanded for disrespecting a village leader. Disrespecting Naruto falls into the same category in your case, seeing as he is head genin. You will also receive a reprimand on your record." Ami was about to growl, but stopped when the hokage gave her a glare that said 'One more sound out of you...'.
"Now then, about this C-rank mission..." Sarutobi continued, holding up the document. "The client has requested two teams of shinobi for this mission. Kakashi, your team will be one of those teams."
"What about us? We want a C-rank as well." Sasuke spoke for the first time. Sarutobi shifted his gaze towards team 11 and kept his gaze on them for a bit before finally answering.
"Be thankful that no other team is available to take this mission besides team 7, or I wouldn't have even considered your team at all." Sarutobi answered. Naruto closed his eyes, keeping a annoyed groan to himself. Team 11 looked at Naruto and smirked, thinking that they got their way. That, however, was short-lived.
"That said, Kakashi is in command of this mission. Who he appoints as his SiC is up to him. You will follow their orders on this mission – no if, ands, or buts. Do I make myself clear?" Sarutobi commanded.
"...yes, Hokage-sama." Inabi said, obviously not happy that he wasn't given command of the mission. The Sandaime nodded, but then noticed that someone was missing.
"Where is your third team member, Kiba Inuzuka?"
"He is being punished. He will not be coming on this mission." Inabi answered.
"Yes, he will. He is apart of your team. Who goes on what mission is my decision to make, not yours. Out of curiosity, why is he being punished?"
Inabi went slightly rigid upon hearing that question, which didn't go unnoticed by Sarutobi or Naruto. When Inabi wouldn't answer, Naruto answered for him, "Hokage-sama, I believe Kiba was punished because he was the reason Kurenai caught his entire team spying on us while we were conducting our genin exam."
Sarutobi again glared at team 11. "Let me make this clear, Inabi-san. If you, Sasuke, or any other Uchiha member are caught copying jutsu via sharingan, you will be suspended for a month without pay and you will have to pay restitution to the person and/or clan you stole from."
The intercom on Sarutobi's desk crackled to life, "Hokage-sama, a client is here to see you."
"Send him in, please."
A moment later, the door opened to reveal a middle-aged man with a bottle of sake in his hand. "This is Tazuna, Wave Country's architect." Sarutobi began. When the Sandaime explained to the man who would be escorting him, he gave a mixed reaction.
"...Ok, the blond one seems a bit short, but he looks like he can do the job. The two girls next to him don't look too bad, either. Kakashi-san, I've heard of. The two dark-haired guys scare me a bit. The girl with purple hair...looks like a complete weakling." This caused team 11 to grit their teeth in anger. Ami reached for her weapons pouch when...
"If I see that kunai leave your pouch, you will be suspended from active duty." the sandaime threatened her. She gave a slight scowl before moving her hand away from her pouch.
Tazuna then notices that team 11 was missing a ninja. "Don't most shinobi squads come in 4's?"
"Yeah, that do." came a voice from the doorway. It was Kiba.
"Ah, Kiba-san. I'll take it that you're here because you wish to file a complaint." Sarutobi answered. Tsume had sent Sarutobi a letter earlier expressing concern about her son's team and their treatment of him. Kiba nodded, despite the death glare he was getting from his team. "I will address the issue after your mission. This man is from Wave Country and needs to be escorted back. Your team and team 7 will be the ones to carry out this mission."
"Hold it, kid – those people are your teammates?" Tazuna pointed towards team 11. Kiba nodded, managing to keep his opinion of them to himself.
'He might be the only one on their team I'd consider trustworthy...' Tazuna thought to himself.
"Alright.." Kakashi spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "I want everyone to meet me at the gates in 2 hours. If you're low on weapons or supplies of any kind, now is the time to take care of that. Naruto, stay behind. We need to talk. Dismissed!" With that, everyone disappeared to go do what they needed to do – accept Sasuke. Kakashi looked right at him with a neutral expression, although the Sandaime and Naruto knew that the copy nin wasn't happy that the young Uchiha didn't follow orders.
"Something wrong, Sasuke?" Kakashi said in a neutral tone.
"What are you going to talk to the dobe about?" Sasuke asked, although the undertone suggested that it was more of a demand.
"That doesn't concern you, Sasuke. Besides, I gave you an order and I expect you to follow it." Kakashi responded in his lazy tone, but his eyes were anything but.
"I will...after you tell me-" Sasuke began, but was cut off by Naruto, who has had enough of the Uchiha's attitude.
"You were just given a direct order, Uchiha. Either you follow it or you willbe charged with insubordination. Do I make myself clear?" Naruto reprimanded in a cold harsh tone. Before Sasuke could even talk back, Sarutobi himself stood up and aimed some KI at Sasuke, who began to sweat.
"If you even think of talking back, I will carry out that charge."
"...Yes, sirs." Sasuke finally responded and stormed out the door muttering to himself.
"Well, now that he's dealt with..." Kakashi said, then turned his attention towards Naruto. "Since this mission is under my command, I want you to be this mission's second-in-command."
Naruto's eyes widened slightly at that. "I'm honored that you would appoint me as SiC, but what about Inabi-san? He most certainly won't take orders from me. He is a jonin, after all."
"Overall, yes, he outranks you, but during a mission, if the commander of the mission appoints even a genin as SiC, all other shinobi on the team have to follow your orders, regardless of rank. If he doesn't..." Kakashi explained.
"...He is written up for insubordination and is subject to demotion...or imprisonment if his actions cause injury or worse to a teammate." Sarutobi finished for him. "Every ninja must learn to follow orders from the persons in command of the mission, regardless of rank."
"Exactly. Also, I need you to keep an eye on team 11." Kakashi continued. "Besides, disobeying orders, should they attempt to punish Kiba for filing a complaint, you are to tell me and the hokage about it in your report when this mission concludes."
"Gotcha, oji-san. Anything else?"
"No, Naruto. That'll be all from me. Kakashi?" the hokage motioned.
"That's it from me, Naruto. Go ahead and get prepared for the mission. See you in a few hours." Kakashi said, while giving him a eye smile. Naruto nodded before he shushined out of the room, leaving behind static electricity in the spot he was in.
"So...what do you think, Kakashi?" Sarutobi asked in a serious tone. Something about this mission was...off.
"...I think our client is hiding something, but I'm not sure what." Kakashi answered.
XXXXX
-Konoha main gate, 1 hour and 50 minutes later-
Sakura and Ino had arrived at the main gate after packing all the necessary equipment for their mission and were now waiting for everyone else. Despite being stuck with team 11 for this mission, they were excited to finally go on a mission not ranked as a 'D'.
"Feels good to finally get a higher ranked mission," Sakura said.
"Got that right, forehead. I honestly thought those D-ranked missions were going to drive me insane," Ino said happily, but then began to frown a bit. "But still..."
Sakura instantly knew what Ino left unsaid – said mission was going to be shared with team 11. While they were happy to have Kiba along, they were far from thrilled having the other 3 members tag along for this mission.
"I know what you mean, piggy. Sasuke's bad enough – but Ami and Inabi may also cause trouble for us."
She was about to say more when she saw a group of people approaching the gate out of the corner of her eye...
"Speak of the devils..." the pinkette groaned. Sasuke, Ami, and Inabi approached the two genin kunoichi. Ami seemed to grin like a predator upon seeing Sakura. The pinkette put on a brave face, but inside she was shaking like a leaf. Ami terrorized her for nearly their entire time at the academy. Sasuke didn't say anything, but it was obvious that he was brooding like he normally does. Inabi had a neutral expression on his face, but Ino and Sakura knew that he wasn't thrilled having them along.
"Well, fathead, you gonna actually pull your weight mission, or are you going to be the damsal in distress?" Ami jeered. Sakura tightened her fists, but felt Ino put a hand on her shoulder, which told her to calm down.
"Look at the blond bimbo attempting to calm fathead down." Ami continued. "Is big-head Sakura scared of a C-rank?"
Sasuke smirked at the comment while the corner of Inabi's mouth twitched upwards. It was obvious that Ami was attempting to get a reaction out of the two girls. Ami was about to say more when...
"Ami, do you EVER shut up?" came a voice from behind team 11. Everyone turned towards the voice and saw Kiba standing there with an annoyed look on his face.
"What's it to you, dog breath?" Sasuke spoke up.
"They're my friends, Uchiha – and I stick up for mine. I'm an Inuzuka, after all." Kiba shot back. Akamaru barked in agreement with his human partner.
"Stand down, Inuzuka. You are out of line." Inabi barked. Kiba was about to argue, but stopped when Inabi flashed his sharingan at him. "You are in enough trouble from me, Inuzuka. Your punishment will be far worse if you talk again."
Kiba was inwardly furious. It was clear as day that Inabi allowed Sasuke and even Ami to say what they want to him without penalty. Inabi was about to continue scolding Kiba when Sakura spoke up.
"Why do you treat him like that? He's only looking out for people he cares about!"
Inabi snapped his head towards her and glared a hole straight into her. "Keep your mouth shut, Haruno – or I will shut it for you. You will learn to respect your betters."
"I would highly suggest you not talk to her like that, Inabi-san," Ino stepped in. Her tone may have sound respectful, but inwards, she was fighting not to get into a shouting match with the jonin. "Making threats towards a clan heiress could land you in hot water with her clan. Hell, you might already be in hot water if Tsume-san's reaction is anything to go by."
"Why you little..." Inabi looked like he was going to attack the two girls when a voice from behind stopped him.
"Back down, Inabi-san. Now." came Naruto's voice. The blond stared right at the jonin Uchiha with a cold glare.
"How dare you talk to me like that! You are nothing more than a genin and therefor have no command whatsoever over me!" Inabi glared back.
I'm afraid he does, Inabi." came Kakashi's voice. Everyone looked towards the copy ninja, with Tazuna standing right next to him. "As commander of this mission, I've designated Naruto as the mission's second-in-command. That means that his orders are just as good as mine for this mission. When we give you an order, you are expected to follow. That goes for the rest of you as well. Insubordination will not be tolerated. Are we clear?"
Sakura, Ino, and Kiba instantly gave him a 'Hai, Kakashi-sensei'. Sasuke and Ami almost growled it out, but nevertheless gave him a 'Hai, Kakashi-taichou'. Inabi simply grunted. He was ever so angry at this development. 'You will pay for this, demon...I will personally see to that! You too, copy ninja. As far as I'm concerned, you having that sharingan is an insult to our clan!'
Ino managed to mentally hear Inabi's inward threat, but decided not to call him out on it. It wasn't a good idea to let team 11 know that she could read unprotected minds just yet...but she would make sure that he didn't get a chance to hurt her male teammates.
"Alright then, shall we get going?" Kakashi eye-smiled.
XXXXX
As the group made their trek towards Wave Country, Tazuna seemed to slightly fidget more than he did back in Konoha. At first, Naruto chalked it up to there being more than one bandit, but that didn't explain why he asked for two squads of shinobi. Bandits maybe dangerous to a defenseless person or a group of people, but even a decently-trained civilian could make bandits think twice about attacking them.
As they continued to walk, Naruto narrowed his eyes when he saw something that shouldn't be present during the current weather pattern: a puddle. Naruto took a quick glance at everyone. Kakashi and Inabi narrowed their eyes at the puddle in the same manner he did. Most of the other genin were somewhat confused about a puddle showing up on a warm day, but didn't let their guard down. Even Tazuna seemed to raise an eyebrow at the puddle. Ami was the only one in the group who was completely oblivious to the puddle, too busy hurling insults at Sakura.
Naruto saw this and mentally groaned. 'Does she even realize that puddles aren't suppose to be present during a sunny day...which has been the condition for weeks now? How in Kami's name did she become a kunoichi in the first place?'
Naruto walked next to Kakashi before whispering in a casual tone, "How do you want to handle this, taichou?"
Kakashi thought for a moment. There was no way in hell that this was random. It was bad enough that this puddle was an obvious genjutsu. It's pretty clear now that someone stronger than average bandits were involved in this mission. There was only one thing left to do.
"Let them make the first move, Naruto. Let's see who they go after."
XXXXX
-15 minutes later-
"Gozu and Meizu..." Kakashi smirked, making both Kiri rogue ninja sweat. They knew who was addressing them...and the stories they heard were none to pleasant for missing nin. "...AKA, the Demon Brothers of the Mist."
"Some demons they are," Naruto deadpanned.
"Hmph. Demons my ass." Kyubi scoffed. "Granted, they're talented, but demons...no."
"No kidding," Naruto agreed. "By the way, did you notice that Ami-teme didn't even move when these guys attacked?"
"Which begs the question – how the hell did she even pass the genin test?"
"Yeah, I asked myself that earlier...which I promptly stopped under the threat of a massive headache." Naruto answered, causing Kyubi to giggle.
"Talking to Kyubi?" Kakashi whispered, which Naruto gave a nod to. "What did she say?"
"She says these guys are just regular chunin, not demons of any kind. 'Demons my ass' I believe was what she said word-for-word. She also questions why Ami was even allowed to wear a headband since she didn't even move during the ambush." Naruto smirked as Kakashi chuckled at the demoness' barb towards the team 11's wannabe bully. Their conversation, however, was interrupted by the two detained missing nin.
"You're not gettin' shit out of us!" Meizu glared as did Gozu, looking as defiant as they could. Their glare didn't last long once they saw kakashi smirk.
"Who says I was trying to get information out of you two? You already answered my question." Kakashi said lazily.
"I said you're not getti – wait, what?" Meizu stopped in mid sentence, confused.
"We didn't say anything to you, copy ninja." Gozu spoke for the first time.
"It's not what you said – it's what you did." Naruto chimed in. The two brothers still looked lost until Naruto jerked his head towards Tazuna, who was standing some distance away with the rest of the shinobi team.
"...Shit. It's no use, brother. They knew we were after the bridge builder when we went after him first." Gozu sighed.
"But Gozu..."
"No buts, brother. We had a job to do – and so do they. They were better than us." Gozu admitted. Meizu looked at his brother for a moment...before finally giving a sigh, indicating that he was also ready to cooperate.
"We will give you any information that you require, but before we do so, we must ask that you hear us out. This assassination job isn't what it seems." Meizu said.
"What do you mean?" Kakashi questioned, confused as was Naruto. Seeing that he had the two konoha shinobi's attention, Meizu continued.
"First off, understand that we, along with our boss and our little sister, didn't even want to take this job in the first place."
"Then why did you take it?" Naruto inquired.
"...because...we were forced to after something went wrong."
Flashback – 3 weeks ago
"No." said a tall man with the bottom part of his face wrapped in bandages. He wore a mist headband with a slash going through it. He didn't seem to have eyebrows. He also had a very large Zanbato on his back.
"What? I'm offering you $500,000 to kill that bastard and you say 'no?" shouted a short man dressed in a business suit and a round pair of shades.
"Watch your tone, fool. We may need money, but not the kind of money you're offering. We don't kill innocent civilians. You want him dead, Gatou? Do it yourself. Haku, Meizu, Gozu, let's go." said the tall man.
"Yes, Zabuza-sama." Haku responded as she and the two demon brothers followed him out, leaving a fuming Gatou in his office.
Just as the group of ex-mist ninja were leaving, Haku spoke up, "Zabuza-sama..."
"What's on your mind, Haku?" Zabuza responded. The former seven swordsman could tell that the girl was on edge about something.
"I don't trust that man not to come after us. I did some research on Gatou and I found out that this man is aggressive to the point that he has never been officially turned down on anything."
"Did anyone turn this guy down?" Meizu spoke up, his eyebrow raised.
"I heard of a few people who did."
"And?"
"...they disappeared shortly after."
Zabuza spoke, "What do you suggest, Haku?"
"I think I should go back and keep an eye on that man. I just get the feeling that he's going to attempt to get rid of us simply because we said the word 'no' to him."
Again, there was brief period of silence. After thinking it over, Zabuza finally came to a decision.
"Haku...go ahead and monitor Gatou for tonight. If you even think that bastard is going to make a run at us, report back immediately. Whatever you do, do NOT attempt to take anyone on at that base. If you are spotted, get out of there."
"Yes Zabuza-sama." Haku said as she took off back in the direction they came.
After several minutes, Zabuza turned to the demon brothers. "Meizu, Gozu...go keep an eye on her and make sure she's safe. I agree with her – Gatou may try to either kill us or contact Kiri hunter nin and tell them where we are. If something happens, report back to me ASAP."
"Yes, sir!" both brothers saluted before disappearing in a cloud of mist.
Later that night...
Zabuza sat in his hotel room, awaiting word on his subordinates. It was now pass midnight...and he was beginning to worry. 'I don't like this. They should have been back by now...'
Just then, the door flew open. Zabuza grabbed his sword and was about to make a move towards whoever came through the door when noticed that the 'intruders' were the demon brothers. Zabuza's eyes widened when he saw that both were in terrible shape with a small trail of blood behind them.
"What happened to you two?" Zabuza asked in a slightly concerned tone. That's when he noticed something else...or lack thereof.
"Where's Haku? Why isn't she with you?" he asked, this time in a tone that neither of the brothers were used to hearing: worry.
"Please...forgive us...boss. They...got her..." Gozu responded in a weak tone.
"Who got her?" Zabuza demanded. He wasn't necessarily angry at the demon brothers, but he had a good idea of who was involved and his blood boiled just from thinking about it.
"Gatou and his men, sir." Meizu answered, who was also weak, but was in better shape than his brother. "But it wasn't any of his ronin that ambushed us. Imouto was taken by shinobi."
Zabuza paled at that. Technically, she wasn't a missing nin since she never actually took part in the Kiri shinobi program, but it was likely that the Mist hunter nin didn't see it that way...depending on who sent them.
"...How many hunters were involved?" the swordsman asked.
"...it wasn't Mist hunters that got her, boss." Meizu answered. Zabuza was about to breath a small sigh of relief when he saw the look on Meizu's face. He looked highly tense. "The ones who took her were 3 times worse. Gatou hired Iwa ninjas...and not the normal kind, either."
"...which kind?" Zabuza asked, a bit of nervousness evident in his voice.
"...the BOULDER black-ops kind."
End Flashback
"The next day, a note came. It stated that we are to work for Gatou anyway...or else." Meizu said in a low voice, obviously ashamed that they had failed to protect their surrogate sister.
Kakashi and Naruto were silent for a moment. They constantly monitored the two brothers during the entire story to detect deception of any kind. However, what disturbed them was that they were telling the truth and that their emotions were real. They never had a choice in the matter. Kyubi had to calm Naruto down at the mention of what Gatou did – and the fact that Iwa was seemingly involved.
"I understand if you must execute us. We are considered 'nuke-nin' after all. All we ask is that our sister be rescued if possible and that you find a way to deal with that scum that calls itself a 'business man'." Gozu said, his voice indicating that he excepted whatever fate was in store for them. Kakashi and Naruto looked at each other for a moment, before nodding in silent agreement of what to do. The brothers mentally prepared themselves for death, but surprised by Kakashi's next words.
"Your execution will not be necessary. In fact, because of the circumstances surrounding this job, your defection of Kiri, and the fact that you cooperated with us, our village may offer you amnesty."
If both demon brothers didn't have their breathing masks on, you would have seen their jaws drop to the floor. The whole thing surprised them, but the comment on their defection definitely got their attention.
"Our defection?" Gozu asked. "What do you know about it?"
"The fine details are considered an S-class secret, but I will say this: Konoha does not trust certain 'higher-ups' inside the Kiri government." the brothers nodded at this. In other words, the leaf were aware that certain people in Kiri were made scapegoats by some of Kiri's power players. Even a few of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist were reported to have been 'hung out to dry'.
"That said, you won't be able to take any further part in this mission. Doing so could put this 'Haku' girl in danger." Kakashi warned. The brothers wanted to argue about continuing the mission, but saw the wisdom in Kakashi's words. The note they received did also say that telling anyone else would result in the death of Haku, which the BOULDER nin could find out rather easily through torture.
Seeing that they understood, Kakashi continued, "We'll need to contact our village and notify them of the current situation. Once that happens and they understand what has transpired, they will send a blood clone expert, who will create copies of the two of you. The copies will then be executed and left here to fool the BOULDER black-ops into believing that you are deceased while you two are taken into protective custody. Any questions?"
"Won't they be able to eventually tell the difference between a blood clone and a real body?" Meizu asked.
"Eventually, yes...but a blood test would take at least 2 weeks to even determine if the bodies were possibly fake and a additional week to confirm it." Naruto answered. Seeing the looks on their faces, Naruto explained, "When you have the world's best medic in your clan, you pick up some things."
XXXXX
Back in Konoha, a certain blond, big breasted beauty sneezed while enjoying some of her favorite sake with her two teammates, causing her to spill said drink in her lap. Both Jiraiya and Orochimaru were tempted to laugh, but thought better of it when they saw Tsunade's death glare. You don't laugh when Tsunade looks at you like that.
'Whoever is talking about me is going to pay for that...' Tsunade thought darkly. Both of her male teammates gulped, thinking the exact same thing. 'May Kami have mercy on the soul that caused Tsunade to spill her sake.'
XXXXX
"Naruto? Something wrong?" Kakashi asked, seeing Naruto getting a slight look of dread on his face. Even the demon brothers looked slightly concerned. 'I know that look. Zabuza-taichou gets that look when he senses that Mei-sama is pissed at him for some reason.' Both thought.
"Why do I get the feeling that I pissed somebody off?" Naruto responded, slightly on edge.
'Yup. This gaki's as good as dead. I wonder what female he pissed off...' both brothers mentally deadpanned.
"Anyway, you two have anymore questions?" Kakashi asked.
The two demon brothers shook their heads.
"Good. Oh and one more thing: when you are released and officially put on Konoha's active roster, be wary of the Uchiha clan. They...aren't very friendly to others. Naruto, tell Sakura to contact the village and inform them of the situation." Kakashi ordered.
"Right away, Kakashi-taichou." Naruto saluted before turning around and heading back to the group to give Sakura her orders. Kakashi then turned his attention towards Tazuna, who saw the look in the copy-cat's eye and began to sweat.
"Tazuna-san..." Kakashi called out to the bridge builder in a serious tone. "We need to talk."
END CHAPTER
That wraps up chapter 9. Let me apologize now for going so long without giving you guys a new chapter. I won't go into detail seeing that it would take far too long to do so (and for the fact that some of it is private), but I will say that when you get the chance, please donate to any organization that is involved with helping the people of Japan get back on their feet.
Read n' review please, and thank you.
