A Hero's Resolve by Tsukaria

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN DBZ OR NARUTO. IF I DID THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A SERIES INSTEAD.
WARNINGS: SLIGHTLY ANGTSY GOHAN AND I'LL BE USING THE ENGLISH NAMES FOR JUTSU COS I DON'T KNOW THE JAPPANESE ONES. SORRY...

A/N: Welcome one and all to chapter 9 of A Hero's Resolve! Special thanks to all who reviewed and a big thanks to all who have favourited and put this story on their alert page! Also thanks to everyone who has read the story!

Just to point out, I'm now 17 as of the 28th of October!

Now for the moment a lot of you have been waiting for...

------------------------------ previously --------------------------------------

Again, a quick runthrough, people!

1. Gohan and Naruto are cornered by a mob while heading to the city gates

2. Gohan finds out that his Saiyan instincts are acting up

3. Team 7 fends off an attack from the Demon mist brothers

---------------------------------- Chapter 9: The Demon of the Mist --------------------------------

"Well, Tazuna?" Kakashi pressed

"Alright, I'll tell you..." The elderly man relented and began his story "As you know, the land of waves is an island country and we have no direct connection to the mainland. Our main links were the shipping companies, but then, Gato and his thugs moved in"

"Gato?" Kakashi asked "Of the Gato shipping corporation?"

"That's him" Tazuna confirmed "He may be one of the wealthiest men in the world, but his methods of achieving that wealth are more like the metods of a common gang leader than a buisnessman. He drove all the other companies out of buisness and began squandering the countries wealth for himself"

"Hold on a sec" Naruto interrupted with his squinty face "How did he manage to get his hands on the country's money if he's just in charge of a shipping company?"

"Because, in an island community with no other links to the mainland, he who controls the sea, controls the community" Gohan explained

"Right" Tazuna concurred "Our people have been forced into an unbearable poverty. We have only one hope left now."

"And what's that?" Sakura asked

"A bridge connecting us to the mainland" Tazuna stated "And it's almost complete too, but Gato will do anything he can to prevent it's completion. I'm the main architect so-"

"If you are eliminated, the villiagers won't be able to complete the bridge" Kakashi finished and Tazuna nodded "Well, if this is the kind of protection you need," Kakshi continued, gesturing to the two unconcious chunin "then it exceeds the parameters for a C-rank mission, this mission is at least a B-rank, why did you lie to us?" Kakashi asked

"We couldn't afford the fee for anything higher than a C-rank" Tazuna explained

"Then we should take you back to Konoha" Kakashi replied "However, it is likely that the enemy will have planned for that"

"Then what do we do?" Sasuke pitched in

"We continue with the mission" Gohan answered

"You do know the risks, don't you?" Kakashi inquired "There's a high probability that we won't return alive from this mission"

"We can't just ignore these people's plight," Gohan responded "If we turned tail and went back, we'd be little more than cowards. We accepted this mission, as well as any problems that come with it, and as Shinobi it is our duty to see it through to the end"

"Yeah!" Naruto agreed "So what if the mission's a little harder? We'll just beat anyone who tries to stop us!"

"I agree" Sasuke said

"Well, if Sasuke's going, then so am I!" Sakura vowed

"Well, If that's what you want then we'll continue" Kakashi said before turning to Tazuna again "But you and your country will have to pay the fee for an A-rank mission, when you can afford it, as compensation"

"That's fine" Tazuna agreed

"All right, Let's move out" Kakashi ordered

------------------------------------- Somewhere in The land of waves ---------------------------------------

"FAILED!? WHAT DO YOU MEAN FAILED!? I DIDN'T PAY YOU TO FAIL!"

"Who said anything about failing?" A bandaged man replied "I'll just go meet them myself"

"You'd better take out that Tazuna or else!"

The bandaged man vanished without replying

------------------------------------------- With Team 7 -------------------------------------------

The group were now standing next to the ocean, awaiting the arrival of a boat to take them across

"How much longer do we hafta wait?" Naruto's whine exclaimed "I'm bored"

He was silenced by Sakura's fist

"Naruto! Whining won't make the boat arrive quicker you idiot!"

Suprisingly, Gohan didn't make a move to stop the girl in 'pink banshee mode', but did give her a small glare.

Naruto was left nursing a rather large lump on his head, grunbling all the while

The rest of the group looked at them with sweatdrops rapidly forming, but turned their attention to the waters where a silhouete of a small boat was forming through the dense fog

"Ah! It's here!" Tazuna exclaimed as the boat came in to focus

"Hey! Tazuna, good to see you!" The man on the boat greeted as he pulled up alongside them

"As it is you, my friend, how are things in the villiage?" Tazuna asked

The man now took on a forlorn look and shook his head

"I see..." Tazuna replied "Well, we'd best get moving then. The quicker I return, the faster the bridge will be completed"

The group clambered into the small boat and set off for the other side

------------------------------------- Land of Waves shoreline: 30 minutes later ------------------------------------

Team 7 and Tazuna were now walking through a small forest on the way to Tazuna's home viliage when Gohan began to have a feeling that something was amiss.

Extending his senses, he noticed something in the shrubs to the right of them. Reaching into his weapons pouch on his right leg, he swiftly drew a Kunai and launched it at the disturbance.

Which turned out to be a, now dead, white rabbit.

"Gohan! What was that for?!" Sakura shrieked

Kakashi noticed something about the animal

'That's a snowshoe hare, but at this time of year, they should havde brown coats so this one's been raised in captivity...'

"A DISTRACTION! GET DOWN!" Kakashi yelled and the group ducked just as a massive, spinning sword passed overhead and lodged into a nearby tree.

The group looked up and saw a man with bandages which covered the lower half of his face and, though you couldn't see it through the bandages, a bloodthirsty sneer, standing on the hilt of his massive blade.

Kakashi regognised him instantly.

"Zabuza Momochi, The demon of the mist, an S-rank rouge ninja from the hidden mist villiage and wanted for the attempted assassination of the Mizukage" The lazy jounin stated

"Kakashi Hatake, The infamous copycat ninja of the leaf. Your listed in the mist bingo book as a wanted criminal. Back before I became a rouge, one of my orders was to kill you on sight" The Bandaged man replied

Gohan couldn't help but wonder if this was how high ranking shinobi on opposing sides greeted each other.

"You know why I'm here, Kakashi. Hand over the old man and I'll let you go" Zabuza said

"Then I'm afraid we have a conflict of interest, Zabuza." Kakashi calmly replied "My mission is to protect Tazuna."

"Then it seems we have no choice." Zabuza eagerly stated

Kakashi reached up for his headband and tilted it into it's proper position, revealing his other eye

"Let's finish this quickly, Zabuza" Kakashi said while opening his left eye to reveal an iris as red as blood, circled by three comma like shapes

"The Sharingan?, so soon? You flatter me" Zabuza sneered

Sasuke visibly tensed at this

Zabuza quickly went through some hand seals

"Water style: Hidden mist Jutsu"

An increadibly dense fog rolled in from nowhere and blanketed the group.

"What the?" Naruto exclaimed "Where'd this come from? I can't see anything!"

"The silent killing technique" Gohan supplied, recognising it from the scrolls he'd read in the Konoha library

"And Zabuza's a master in it" Kakashi finished

"Heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen, corroted, and jugular. Seven points to attack, each of them fatal. Which should I choose?" Zabuza's disembodied voice drifted through the thick fog like the clouds through the sky

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Tazuna started to tremble slightly at this.

Sasuke started to move towards Tazuna, almost hypnotised, about to hand him over to the rouge.

As if sensing this Kakashi rounded to look at the petrified Uchiha.

"SASUKE!" He barked "I will not allow my comrades to die. I swear it on my life!"

Sasuke seemed to calm down, assured by his Sensei's words.

"Too bad you'll have to break that promise, Kakashi."

Zabuza charged out of the mist, his blade raised and sliced Kakashi clean in half. He then turned towards the remaining targets, bloodthristy grin causing his bandaged to strech a little.

Gohan moved to stand in front of the others, while pushing Naruto behind him, and took a defensive stance.

"So your the leader of this little gang of kids, huh?" Zazbuza deduced "So, I'm guessing your next then?"

Without waiting for an answer, the demon of the mist charged once again, blade poised to cleave the half saiyan in two.

"Water style: Water armor Jutsu!"

Zabuza's blade passed into the watery sheild and stopped dead in it's tracks

"What?!" The rouge exclaimed before he felt the cold metal blade of a Kunai against his throat

"It's over, Zabuza" Kakashi stated.

--------------------------------------------- end Chapter -------------------------------------

A/N: Well, there's chapter 9! Sorry it took so long...

I'm not sure when i'll get 10 up, but it will be as soon as I can!

Don't forget to read an review!