Chapter Eight : Wave/War.


A/N : In the previous chapter, Naruto ran out of chakra rather quickly, for some readers. Here's my explanation. He was glowing with pure chakra. And then previously he whittled away half of his chakra with the seal on air. Even if he regenerates half, he only has three quarters. He'll have plenty of chakra, most which are burnt off when he glowed green. I mean, you can see how much chakra Raikiri uses, and that's only for a palm. Naruto was glowing pretty much green, and it's the whole body. As a result his chakra ran out.


The journey to Tazuna's house was quiet. It seemed that Zabuza didn't expect anyone to resist him at all, and he thought he would be able to finish them easily. Too bad for him he underestimated Uzumaki Naruto, and had to suffer from a pair of unresponsive hands. It was a miracle how that man still managed to hold his zanbatou without hands. Naruto chuckled. It would prove helpful for his abilities if he could pick up a gigantic weapon without hands, thus freeing them for MORE weapons, or Jutsu.

There was a woman tending to the few flowers in the front yard, and she looked up, before smiling demurely at the sight of the procession. Tazuna smiled back, before hugging her. "Tsu-chan I'm home!"

"I'm not blind otou-san." The woman grumbled playfully. "But perhaps your shinobi friends need to rest?"

Naruto detached his mind from the boring conversation. As informative as it was (READ : Useless.) it didn't help anything.

The house was on the large side, having a small left wing attached to a central chamber. The placement of the windows and the generally drab and monotonous paint indicated that it was an inn. Or rather, it used to be an inn. By the look of the well trodden pavement, it was fairly successful as well, if the condition of the rock was anything to go by. The fragrant smell of the flowers hit his nose, and he smiled slightly. It was probably mostly buttercups, something the generally grey area needed, providing a slight relief from the monotony.

Shino prodding him shook him out of his thoughts. Glaring slightly at the apparently amused Aburame, Naruto scowled and walked into the house, with Kurenai and Hinata already exploring the former inn.


Naruto rose from his slumber, mind mutely noting that there wasn't the usually totally aweful screech of an alarm clock waking him up. Those were times he cursed his advanced senses. If anything, he needed to find a way to suppress them if necessary, since they were a double edged sword. Sure, they might be totally useful, but if the last time he fainted due to a stink was any indication, it was a weakness. A fatal weakness, if a proper shinobi knew how to take advantage of them. Giving a mental prod to the napping Kyuubi, Naruto sat up on his fuuton.

What do you want? The Kyuubi growled in irritation.

Is there a way to suppress my senses?

Uh... Gimme a few seconds for my brain to get in gear...

So even the great Kyuubi, the Lord of the Thirteen Hells, Empress of the Dark, and more titles have to laze about in the morning for a few seconds like us humans.

Shut up. The Kyuubi growled in irritation. Or I won't tell you anything.

Alright, alright.

As per my memories, you could use the Inuzuka's Flash Suppressor to safeguard your sense of smell, but you'll need to adapt the technique for your other senses. Or you could simply make up a seal that absorbs any information your senses absorb when they're above a certain level. Personally, in my most humble and valuable opinion, you should use a seal, since it uses lesser chakra than a jutsu, no matter how small it is. And you don't have to keep refreshing it once it runs out.

And I think your ego's too big for your own good, Ran-chan.

I'm going back to sleep.

Aww, does the great Kyuubi need her beauty nap?

The Kyuubi growled, before sending a pulse of electrically charged youki into the pipes, which he had learnt that they represented his chakra circulatory system. Naruto had a spasm, due to the slight electrical shock, but the pain was more mental than physical. I'm not called a force of nature for nothing, Naruto-chan.


Yuuhi Kurenai woke up rather sore, as apparently Hinata had decided in the middle of the night that her sensei was a good bolster and had apparently hugged her tight, if their current position/her sore body was any indication. Groaning slightly, the red eyed Jounin rose silently from the floor next to her fuuton, using a Kawarimi with a proper bolster to get out of the tight choker hold the apparently no longer physically weak girl had her in.

Checking her Kunai pouch, she noted in slight amusement that she forgot to restock it with the ridiculous amounts of kunai and shuriken Naruto had sealed into scrolls for them. Kunai was cheap. Kunai in bulk was very cheap. Kunai in ridiculous numbers costed as much as sweets do... ridiculously cheap. Where Naruto had gotten the money was a mystery, but they had paid him back, so it was all right and dandy. The Kunai was of a higher than average quality, too, with the centre of gravity in the perfect place and a very sharp cutting edge.

Contrary to popular belief, a Kunai, if used properly, was more effective and easier to use than a Shuriken. A shuriken had four small blades, and it spun. Even if thrown perfectly, it only entered about one inches into flesh maximum. Any shuriken larger than two and a half inch in diameter was too impractical and inaccurate for shinobi use. Sure, there were Fuuma Shuriken, but these didn't care much about accuracy, not that having four gigantic blades wouldn't damage much. A kunai, however, could be thrown as large as they got, if the workmanship was decent. She had heard about the Akimichi clan throwing a positively huge Kunai, enlarged by some clan jutsu, as a ballista. It broke through the Iwa defences easily. A kunai could also be used as a dagger, something Shuriken cannot be used for. Also, a kunai just simply had more weight to it, allowing for a higher velocity to be achieved, and thus, even more damage. However, Shuriken was easier to throw for Genins and most Chuunins, simply because it took years of experience to learn how to properly use a kunai. Even the slight difference in the grip caused a change in the effectiveness of a kunai, unlike a Shuriken, where the difference was negligible.

Pretty much, a shuriken had a inherent limit due to it's structure, while a kunai's limit lied in the forger, and the user. If anything, the Yondaime Hokage, the fastest man to grace Konoha, and probably the world, used Hiraishin Kunai. Not Hiraishin Shuriken. It was a major boon in kunai business after the Yondaime started using kunai along with his jutsu in the war, what with him being promoted to the Hokage in a flashy and boring ceremony. The poor man had been positively flustered when the kunai store Union presented him with a rather large check for his advertisement of the tool.

And as a result almost all Konoha Jounin exclusively carried kunai. Kurenai chuckled when the Uchihas protested it, being that they used, or rather, they had to use shuriken for one of their Uchiha Jutsus. They were pretty upset that they were being left out of the loop, as Uchiha Shisui put rather eloquently one day.

Kurenai restocked her supplies, and made herself a mental note to ask Naruto about the seal. Perhaps he could make one that instantly supplied kunai once the pouch emptied, but by the looks of what sealing was, holding an object in stasis, it would probably take a hell load of chakra to keep the seal active and replenish the kunai when necessary.


Shino was rudely awakened by the sun shining into his sensitive eyes. Growling slightly, the stoic Aburame rose, if only to to get out of the accursed sun. There was a reason why they wore sunglasses, after all. Having Kikaichu in their bodies made their eyes more sensitive to light. He growled again, as the curtain was apparently pulled back by a clip that wasn't there yesterday. Naruto had obviously done this to irritate him, and he had succeeded. He would be in a world of pain, if the Aburame had his way, but remembering the last time he ordered a Kikaichu to chomp on Naruto's jewels, he decided against it. Strongly.


Hinata woke up irritated. Someone, by golly, had the sheer audacity to rob her of her most comfortable bolster. Then the situation hit her, and she blushed a bright crimson, which could fight with Kurenai's crimson eyes and possibly win. She was no longer in Konoha, in the Hyuuga Manor, and she had used her sensei for a bolster. She fainted from the revelation, a squeak leaving her frozen mouth.


Kurenai was greeted to a wafting smell of oil, grease, and eggs as she walked down the stairs silently, as all good shinobi did. Quirking an eyebrow, she damn near giggled at the sight of the normally feral Jinchuuriki wearing an apron and slaving over the stove. It took all her excellent hold over her emotions not to laugh as the whisker like birthmarks screwed up in concentration. Those same whisker marks which gave the young shinobi a slight feral look was making him look totally ridiculous in this situation, and Kurenai wished that she had bought a camera.

"The omelettes are done, and if you stand there any longer they'll go cold." Naruto muttered, before growling slightly. "And it's not funny, dang it! Haven't you seen a man cook before?"

"I didn't know thirteen years old counted as a man." Kurenai quipped. "I thought it was supposed to be eighteen."

"Old enough to kill, old enough to be a man." Naruto reasoned.

"Alright." Kurenai conceded the point, before devouring the positively delicious omelette right in front of her.

This was the time Shino and Hinata stumbled down the stairs, still looking rather bleary eyed. Naruto and Kurenai chuckled at the still slightly sleepy duo.


The sun was shining rather high in the sky, and Tazuna didn't go to the bridge, being that the last of the materials were still being delivered. As such, Tazuna had been knocked out for the count, as evident by the copious amounts of liquor in front of the man. Kurenai led her team to a more quiet area in the house, yet still near enough to protect Tazuna.

"Alright." Kurenai paused, as though unsure of what to start with. "As we know, the A-Ranked nukenin Momochi Zabuza is injured, but he'll definitely be back soon. Naruto, how long does that Jutsu last?"

"About five days." Naruto chuckled. "I ended up throwing too much chakra into the jutsu and overloaded it, upgrading it from a D rank jutsu to a C rank jutsu, by the sheer amount of chakra used. But if the fact that he has another scent on him is not just by coincidence, then he has a partner, and it'll only take three days with another person's care."

"So I've three days to train you F-ranked Genin to fight a A-ranked Ex-ANBU Captain." Kurenai chuckled/groaned. "With any luck, we'll win."

A chirp, along with a persistent tapping on the window broke them out of their reverie. Kurenai slid the sliding glass window open, and the falcon swooped in.

They tensed. It was instinctual, being that the bird was a Konoha carrier falcon, used for urgent messages of utmost secrecy. The comical mini Hitai-ate the bird wore on the neck would have looked utterly ridiculous on a normal pigeon, only served to make the falcon even more imposing... Well, more imposing than a bird is, but still, it commanded respect... slight respect.

Kurenai, with practised ease, applied chakra to the little scroll the bird carried in a irregular manner, and she quirked an eyebrow in amazement when she noticed the Uzumaki detecting the change in chakra. Perhaps she could teach him some Genjutsu, with him being so sensitive to chakra. The scroll gave a slight hiss, as the 'key' fit the 'lock' and it opened up. Picking the now enlarged scroll, she had a grim visage. These scrolls were not cheap. These scrolls were definitely not used for trival matters. Whatever it was, it was big, and it was nearly certain that she wouldn't like it.

There was a war about to occur. The feeling of dread descended upon her. She still hadn't forgotten what had gone on during the war. Not that she was old enough, but the sheer damaged Konoha had suffered had been ingrained deeply into a conscious as she grew up in a slightly war-torn Konoha. Konoha had gotten back on it's feet stronger than before, but she couldn't forget the sheer horrors she saw. It was depressing, and she certainly didn't want to wish it on anybody, especially two of the more innocent Genins right in front of her. Naruto... Naruto probably knew more about pain and suffering than her.

The scroll had been brief, but the severity of the situation hadn't been lost. If anything, the short and consise message only furthur enhanced the feeling. The scroll was simple.

-Wave is about to be engulfed in a civil war by Gatou of Gatou Shipping Corporations. Mission has been raised to S-rank via Daimyo-sama's order, with prevention of war as supreme objective. Primary objectives include the elimination of Gatou, which has threatened a Konoha nin, and the elimination of the bandit camps. (Kurenai noted mutely that there was Team Gai and Kakashi written originally, but were crossed out.) ANBU Team 3 is en route, and will reach in one day after this message reaches your hands, if there are no interruptions. May the Will of Fire guide you.

Sarutobi Juzou,

Sandaime Hokage.-


-Flashback-

Sarutobi turned when he heard the knocks on his door. He closed his eyes, making himself calm down from all his emotional turmoil, before booming 'Enter!' loudly. The door opened, and Hatake Kakashi, along with Maito Gai entered. Maito Gai was still his obnoxious self, and was doing something stupid with Kakashi repeatedly ignoring the eccentric man. Sarutobi twitched in irritation, his face darkening slightly.

"Silence."

The effect was instantaneous, as the normally jovial Taijutsu centred Jounin schooled himself into a stoic expression. Sarutobi gave himself a small pat in the back. He hadn't lost the intimidation he possessed years ago.

"As you know, Team Kurenai has been dispatched to the Wave on a C-Ranked mission." Sarutobi paused, before adding, "And for Team Kakashi, the mission you might had gotten, if you were earlier."

Kakashi sweat dropped as he imagined what might had occured had his team been here with him. Without a doubt, the Vengeful Duo, as Kakashi named them, Sasuke and Kiba would send Kakashi a glare.

"It has just been a day ago when they set off to the Wave ostensibly, to protect a bridge builder from bandits and their ilk. However, we have received information that they encountered two Chuunin Level nukenins just a few hours into their mission, which have been promptly defeated, and handed over to Ibiki-kun. By the fact that no reinforcements were requested, and Team Kurenai is not back in the village, we can conclude that despite knowing the risks, they decided to carry on with the now B-ranked mission. Futhur reports from our Hyuuga Border Patrol squad that they had encountered an A-ranked nukenin, Momochi Zabuza, and won, if only barely." Sarutobi exhaled some of the smoke, his pipe filled with his most potent tobacco.

"Say no more, Hokage-sama." Kakashi interrupted. "This is urgent. I volunteer my team."

"You have to understand the rest, Kakashi-kun." Sarutobi sighed. "The worst thing is, intelligence reports from Jiraiya-kun indicate that there's a heightened level of activity in Gatou's ranks, and he has been actively hiring more nukenin and bandits. There's also new evidence that he plans on laying waste to the remnants of the Wave, levelling the area and rebuilding a city under his rule from scratch. Also, those under his employment has attempted to capture one of Konoha's shinobi, which were just patrolling the area. As the shinobi of Konoha, you should know what that entails."

"They have threatened us, Hokage-sama." Gai spoke, his normally cherubic voice emotionless, cold, with a hint of anger behind it. "For this, Gatou will perish."

"Indeed." Sarutobi sighed again. "While I may have full confidence in Team Kurenai, especially with Naruto-kun on it, it's still rather dangerous. As such, I've decided to send Team Kakashi and Team Gai..."

"Saru-sensei!" A frog perched on the windowsill croaked in Jiraiya's voice, which greatly upset the unaware Maito Gai. "New intelligence from my spies indicate that there are a couple of, at highest, B-Ranked nukenin, in Gatou's employment!"

Sarutobi's eyes hardened. "Cancel that. ANBU Team 3 is now excused from normal duty and will be sent in Team Gai and Team Kakashi's stead. Send the message via falcon, immediately! Now Gai and Kakashi, keep this to yourselves and perform your duties as per norm. This is an order."

-Flashback End-


Kurenai sighed, and turned to face her team. There was grim news to be relayed, and she hated being the messenger.

She sighed again, and composed herself, getting her struggling emotions back under her iron grip.

"What was the message, sensei?" Naruto asked, his voice cold and serious.

"Summarizing it, this mission has been upgraded to S-rank by the Fire Daimyo, and Wave is about to be engulfed in civil war by Gatou. Prevention, and suppression of the war will take utmost priority, and sub objectives include elimination of Gatou, and the destruction of the bandit camps. ANBU Team 3 will be our back up, and they'll arrive in a day." Kurenai replied.

"Oh." Naruto muttered eloquently, taking in the news. Hinata promptly keeled over from the fact that they were on a S-Ranked mission, while the Kikaichu Shino controlled were buzzing in nervousness.

When they had recovered, Kurenai led them out of the house. "It's safe to assume that we'll have a three day timeframe which we can train as much as possible. As for Hinata, you already have excellent chakra control, so we will be focusing on your physical power. Follow the instructions on this scroll and don't overexert yourself. Shino, I don't really know how exactly to train you, but I think you could do with some Hand to Hand combat training when someone breaches your Kikaichu, so take this scroll and go practise. Naruto... I don't really know what to train you in. Your aptitude in Hand to Hand combat is far superior to mine, and you probably know much more ninjutsu than me having Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama and Kakashi-san as one of your friends, so the only thing I can do is to train you in Genjutsu."

"Hai, sensei." Naruto grunted. "So where do we start?"

"Well, firstly, what Genjutsu do you know?"

"Kokohi no Jutsu (False Place Technique), Magen : Narakumi no Jutsu (Demonic Illusion : Hell Viewing. The basic Genjutsu Kakashi used on Sakura in the manga, and possibly this story too.) and the Henge." Naruto replied. "Although my Henge isn't an illusion, per se."

"Tell me, have you heard of Jubaku Satsu?" (Tree Binding Death. The Genjutsu Manga Kurenai always uses.)

Naruto grinned.

End of Chapter Eight.


A/N : Kukukuku... Something big's going on, and I ain't telling ya!

About the Shuriken VS Kunai thing, that's my take on the issue, so don't bother flaming me about it.

Mini rant : I've no idea why so many people stick to canon ages and use that as a reason not to include people in stuff. This is Fanon, not Canon, so why the hell should we give a damn as to what Bakamoto does? Of course, highly logical ages shouldn't be ignored, like Tsunade's.