Chapter 9:
No Sell
Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.
"Talking"
"Thoughts"
"Demon/deity speech"
Line Break
Peter was antsy when he woke up. His conversation with Inari the other night had worked him up a bit, and now he was more anxious than ever to get the bridge fixed.
After washing up he headed down to the kitchen where he saw Tsunami getting breakfast ready. She heard him, and turned towards him, a smile on her face. She then went to give him a hug. "Thank you," she said to a bewildered Peter, "I don't know what you said to Inari last night, but it seemed to help him out a lot". Peter just smiled and gave her a quick hug in return before going to sit down.
Soon, Tazuna, Inari, Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke came down to eat. Naruto, Peter noticed, was missing, and asked where he was. Kakashi was unaware of what would cause Naruto to miss breakfast as well. "Oh!" he said after a moment, "He probably went out for some extra training and fell asleep before he could return".
Peter hung his head with a sigh, and got up from the table. Sakura asked him, "Where are you going?"
He replied, "To go and find Naruto of course. In case you guys forgot, there is at least one guy out for our heads, and if Naruto really is asleep, he's a sitting duck". He then wave goodbye as he opened the door, "I'll be back after I find him".
Sasuke moved to go search as well, but Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder, "Not so fast mister. You need to eat, regain the energy you spent yesterday". Sasuke grunted, begrudgingly sat down, and began eating breakfast.
Line Break
Peter was swinging through the forest when he felt a ping in his upgraded spider-sense. He focused and could see Naruto, and someone else, a few hundred feet away, sitting down in a clearing, "There are a lot of clearings in this forest". The person, for he was unable to tell definitive genders from long distances with the sense, felt familiar. As he ran closer Peter realized that this was the same person that collected Zabuza's 'corpse'. "Well, now we know for sure that Zabuza is still alive".
"Indeed" the voice of Madame Web hummed in his mind, "Now the question is, what do we do? Inform Naruto and his team? Capture…him ourselves?"
"Well for now-wait, why'd you call her 'him'?" Peter asked.
"Because he is a 'him'".
Peter was nonplussed, "Why would you say that? I mean c'mon, did you hear her voice? And I'm pretty those clothes are kimonos".
"Perhaps," Madame Web conceded, "But, I can assure you, that this person is in fact male".
Peter stopped moving, "…You read his mind didn't you? Dammit Cassandra, we just talked about this!"
Cassandra was aghast at the accusation, "Peter Parker! Would lie to you?" Silence reigned. "…Okay, I'll admit that was dumb of me to ask".
"You think?" was Peter's sarcastic reply.
"Regardless, I swear I did not look into his mind. I could just…tell".
"Pray tell how".
"You meet a lot of people when you offer up your services as a psychic. You learn things, notice features and such you might have ignored before. In fact-"
"That's fine, I don't need any examples" Peter interrupted her, "…Sorry, for just attacking you like that," Peter said.
"It is fine," Cassandra waved off his apology, "But just know, while I am may be…liberal…with my powers, I would never use them for something as insignificant as figuring out a person's gender". Peter just shrugged, accepting her response.
He then made it to the clearing, catching Naruto, and Zabuza's unnamed accomplice's attention, "Hey Naruto! I've been looking all over for you, you gave us a bit of a scare when we woke up and you weren't at Tazuna's place".
Naruto and the unnamed person both had different responses. Naruto gave a sheepish grin and started to scratch the back of his head, "Oh. Sorry about that Peter, I was just training".
The stranger on the other hand, his eyes widened, slightly, at Peter's entrance, and Peter's spider-sense began to buzz louder as the guy had evidently decided he was a threat. Peter just smiled, a forced one (not that Naruto noticed) and asked, "And who are you?"
The effeminate man gave an equally deceptive smile, "My name is Haku. I was out picking some herbs to help heal my friend when I found this one," he pointed to Naruto, "passed out. I was going to see if he was okay when he woke up. We've just been talking for the past few minuets".
Peter eyed the basket Haku was carrying his herbs in. He clicked his tongue, "That's a lot of herbs. Your friend must be in quite a pickle to need all that. What, was he thrown across the forest?"
"Peter, what are you doing?" Cassandra asked, worried where he was trying to take the conversation.
"Just trust me okay".
Haku's eyes hardened, "Most would consider it rude to mock another's injuries". Naruto noticed Haku's mood shift, but attributed it to Peter's comment.
"Hey!" he yelled to Peter, "Don't be a jerk to her friend!"
Peter just held his hands in defeat, "Okay! I'll admit, that was a dick move," he gave Haku his full attention, "I am so sorry for mocking your friend. Whoever this person is, I am sure they in no way deserved whatever happened to them". Naruto was unable to detect the sarcasm in Peter's voice, and accepted the apology as sincere. But Haku noticed, and clenched his kimono with his fist.
"Calm down Haku," he told himself, giving Peter, in all his smug glory, a steely eyed stare, "This guy is just trying to rile you up. If you let him get to you, then you'll most likely get captured, and then Zabuza…" Haku gave a long sigh before standing up and dusting off his kimono. He then bowed to Peter, but did not take his eyes off of him; "I thank you for your…kind…words". He then started to walk off, but turned to look at Naruto, his voice softer than when he talked to Peter, "I do hope you find them someday Naruto, a precious person to protect".
Naruto gave a wide smile and waved, "I do too. Thanks Haku!"
Haku gave a warm smile and a nod. He walked a few feet, then stopped, "By the way, Naruto," Naruto, who was (not that he would admit it) staring at Haku's… lower back, cocked a brow, "I'm a boy", with a mischievous grin, Haku continued on his way.
Peter snickered as Naruto's jaw dropped. They heard a thud behind them and saw Sasuke on the floor, some leaves in his hair. He got up with a massive blush on his face, though whether this was because he fell from a tree or because he himself was staring at Haku was beyond Peter and Naruto. Not that Peter cared, since he started to guffaw. After calming down, Peter caught the two embarrassed boys' attention, "All right you two perverts, let's get back to the house". Neither boy could find it in themselves to try and argue against Peter's words, so they settled to follow in awkward silence. Cassandra then spoke in Peter's head, "Shouldn't you inform them that the man is Zabuza's accomplice?"
"No, for a couple reasons. First and foremost, these two will probably try and bum rush the guy, and that would lead to a whole slew of problems. Second," Peter turned to Naruto, who still in shock over Haku's dramatic piece of evidence, "Naruto seemed to really hit it off with him, and I know what it can be like to fight someone you consider a friend," Peter gave an internal sigh at the thought of his own "friends", such as Curt Connors and Harry Osborn, "It'll be better if, for the time being, the kid stays ignorant". Cassandra stayed silent on the matter after that, trusting Peter's judgment.
Line Break
Peter was currently looking out on the lake from the roof. Yesterday, Naruto and Sasuke had worked themselves to the bone perfecting their… tree climbing technique. Right now Naruto was the only one still asleep, as Kakashi opted to let Naruto get some more rest, as between him and Sasuke, Naruto was the worse for wear. Peter then stiffened as his spider-sense went haywire. "Woah! Haven't felt this much danger in awhile. Let's see…one…two…four? Yeah, four people". Peter let his spider-sense guide him to try and figure out exactly where the other threats were. "…Two are heading to the house, and the other two are…hiding in the trees…I need to wake Naruto". Peter then crawled down the roof to Naruto's room, and opened the window to find the snoring rookie genin. Peter shook him awake, and then clamped the boys mouth shut when he began to speak, "Listen, there are some guys headed this way, probably to try and hurt Tsunami and Inari," Naruto's eyes widened, "We need to stop the-SHIT!" Peter ran to the window, sensing that the two thugs heading towards the house got there faster than expected. He ran to the window to see one of them drag Tsunami outside. He turned to Naruto, and saw that the blonde had managed to (very quickly) change out of his pajamas. With a nod Peter led the boy out the window, intent on protecting the two civilians.
Line Break
Zori and Waraji were having a grand time, though Gato paid well, the duo found it boring to stay by the man's side 24/7. As such, when Gato told them to go and harass Tazuna's remaining family, they were ecstatic as the opportunity to cause some terror. Zori had his sword held up to the woman's throat, and her kid was shaking like a leaf. Waraji gave a cruel laugh as he stared at the boy, "Hey Zori, think it will matter to anyone if I kill the brat?"
Inari and Tsunami both stiffened at his words, and Zori gave a bark of laughter in turn, "By all means". Waraji grew a nasty smile on his face and began to stalk towards Inari. He stopped however, as he heard Tsunami behind him.
"If you dare touch my son I will kill myself right here and now!" Tsunami had brought her neck close to Zori's sword, a thin layer of blood forming where the sharp metal met her soft flesh.
Zori and Waraji stared hard at the woman, before Zori shrugged, "Fine. We only need one hostage anyway". He then pulled his sword away, and started to pull Tsunami by the hair, away from the house. Tsunami struggled with all her might, but couldn't break free.
Inari was still frozen in shock, but the sight of his mother being taken away by such evil men stirred something deep inside him. He then remembered the various conversations he had with Kaiza, and the one he had a couple nights ago with Peter, and steeled his nerves. He ran towards the two men, yelling with all his might, "Leave my mother alone!"
Zori and Waraji turned around and saw Inari charge them. Waraji just laughed and knocked him down, "HAHA! What do you think you are kid? Some kind of hero?"
"Maybe he isn't," a young voice answered from the sky. Waraji looked to up, sword drawn, but was sent crashing to the ground by a pair of feet, Peter back flipped off the unconscious man, "Me on the other hand…"
Zori had let go of Tsunami and tried to rush Peter, but was dog piled by Naruto and three of his clones. "Not so fast!" they yelled in unison. One of them slammed the man's face to the ground, knocking him out cold. Naruto then went to tie them both up while Peter checked on Inari and Tsunami.
Tsunami and Inari gave their thanks to Peter, and Naruto, for saving them. "Okay, listen to me," Peter began, "You guys need to head to town, lay low for a bit. Things are going to get a little hectic, and Tazuna, and me for that matter, need you to be safe". They both nodded and gave Peter quick hugs before running towards the village. Peter then turned to Naruto, who had finished tying up the two crooks, "You should head over to the bridge. If Gato sent these two here, then that probably means Zabuza is on the attack".
Naruto's eyes widened and he started to run, but stopped and look back at Peter, "What about you?" he asked.
Peter waved him off, "Don't worry about me, I got some things I need to do first. I'll catch up, I promise". Naruto nodded, and began to leap through the trees towards the bridge. Peter then turned to the forest, and yelled out, "Whoever you two are, you can come out now". No one answered. Peter rolled his eyes before picking up a rock and hurling it to the tree line. Suddenly, a figure, a man, jumped out from the foliage and caught the rock, landing a few yards in front of Peter, a second one, a woman, quickly landed next to him. The dark haired man was wearing a dark blue vest and a pair of green pants. The woman, a brunette whose hair stopped at her breasts, next to him wore a dull gray shirt with some dark purple pants. The woman wore a headband with a crescent moon on it, but it had a large scratch on it. The man had no such adornment. Peter glared at the pair.
The man scoffed, "Betcha think you're scary huh kid? I'll admit, that glare is mildly impressive".
The woman shifted her eyes to the man, "Watch it Maboroshi, this is looks like the kid that handed six of Zabuza's clones their watery asses".
Maboroshi snorted, "Yeah right. If anything Akane, Zabuza is too weak to handle a bunch of brats. Hopefully, he will at least get my blood pumping before we cut him down". Akane gave a cruel grin at that.
Peter grew confused, but then understood who the two people in front of him were, "You are a couple of hitmen Gato hired to off Zabuza once his job is done. Makes sense I guess, the guy can't be cheap. Begs the question, why would you accept, what I can only assume to be, less money?"
Akane gave an ugly grin, "If there's one thing that'll get you anywhere in this world, its reputation".
Maboroshi's eyes shone with a mad glint, "Our names will go down in history when we take the bastard, plus the infamous Kakashi Hatake, down".
All three were silent after that. It was broken when Peter gestured to the pair, "And…What else?" The duo gave Peter quizzical looks, and Peter just sighed disappointedly, "That's it, 'going down in history', that's your big goal? Weak".
The two blinked, but then Akane growled, "What was that?"
Peter put a hand to his face, "It's just, I don't know, you guys seem so…lackluster. I mean come on, your reasons for villainy are archaic and cliché". He gave a long, suffering sigh, "Never thought I'd say this, but I actually miss the crazies back home. At least they had some variety".
Maboroshi was steaming, "Don't mock us you little shit!" he then hurled the stone he caught with all his might, straight at Peter. Unfortunately for him, Peter caught it with little effort.
Peter tilted his head to the side and clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Such a dirty mouth you have," he then crushed the stone in his hand, "I'm afraid you're going to have to be put on a time out". He crouched low, as Maboroshi. Akane then put her hands together, and began to weave through multiple signs. Peter cut her short however. With a quick, "nope" Peter shot out a glob of webbing at her hands. Before she knew what hit her, both her hands were stuck together with webbing.
She grunted as she tried to move her hands, "What the-the hell is this?" She then looked up at Peter, then cursed when she saw he had left his previous position.
A voice rang through the treetops, "What you are currently sporting on is a wonderful mixture of various compounds that, quite frankly, would go right over that stringy little head of yours".
Akane was indignant, "STRINGY!"
Maboroshi quickly rebuked her, "Calm down! Brat's just trying to rile you up," as he said that, he launched six shuriken where he thought Peter's voice originated. Peter then leapt out of the tree behind them. Maboroshi smirked and began weaving through his own hand signs while Peter was in the air. Peter shot out another glob of webbing before landing, but Maboroshi managed to dodge it.
Looking him dead in the eyes, Maboroshi smirked, "Try this on for size!" He yelled, completing his signs.
Peter just gave the guy a quizzical look before feeling a tingle all along his body. He looked down to see he was covered in kunai and shuriken, blood seeping out of his body. He stood frozen in place at the shock of it all. Maboroshi smiled triumphantly as he pulled out a kunai and stalked over to Peter. "Figures, no one ever thinks the subtle art of genjutsu amounts to-" he then fell flat on his face, his feet having been stuck to the ground via webbing. He looked up in shock to see Peter, broken out of the illusion, "How?"
Peter scoffed, "Please," he squatted down to Maboroshi, and looked him in the eye, "I've seen much better tricks from a wacko in a green suit, purple cape, and a fishbowl on his head". Before Maboroshi could question what the hell just came out of Peter's mouth, he felt a sharp pressure on his neck, and everything went dark.
Peter stood up and wiped dirt off of his pants, "Peter…" Cassandra intoned.
"I know, I know"
Line Break
Akane was booking it through the forest. She gave up getting her hands free, now focused on trying to escape the kid. After seeing how effortlessly he broke through Maboroshi's illusion, his speed, and strength (he had caught and crushed a decent sized rock with little effort), she decided that a tactical retreat was in order. "Now, be honest," a voice drawled to her left. Akane almost fell to the ground when she looked over to see the kid seamlessly bound through the trees, effortlessly keeping pace with her, "how far along did you think this through?" Before she could scream in a mix of frustration and fear, Akane lost her footing and began to plummet to the forest floor. She then felts several…pokes almost, along her body, stopping her fall. She craned her head to see several silk like strands attached to her body, all leading up to the boy, who was crouching over a branch. Akane stared wide-eyed at him, and when the kid noticed her, he simply smiled and pulled on the strands, lifting her body up smoothly. Once she reached eye level with the kid, he waved his hand and sent a quick strike to her neck, knocking her out cold.
Line Break
Peter had dropped to two hitmen off on a boat floating in the river. The boat was anchored of course, and tied to a couple trees for good measure. Not to mention the fact that the two were sleeping like babies, tied up in both his webbing and some rope. "And yet, I still feel like I could do more".
"As fun as that would be," Cassandra spoke up, "You really should head over to the bridge, from what I could see, they could use your help".
"You got it". Peter shot some web lines in the trees, and began to swing through the forest. He then stiffened, and was forced to stop as he felt an immense pressure pounding in his skull. He clutched his head and bit his lip, trying to mitigate the sensation. "Agh! Cassandra, ooh, what is that?"
Cassandra gasped in horror, "Hurry Peter, there is no time to lose. It's Naruto. That…thing his thread is entwined with, I think it is sealed in his body. I think it is trying to escape!"
Peter clenched his fist and grit his teeth, determined to work through the pain. He shot out two web lines and started to step back, then let go and soared through the air like a bullet, determined to get to the bridge and stop Naruto (or rather, the thing currently inhabiting his body).
Line Break
The pounding was getting worse and worse. To further complicate matters, his body would automatically steer as far away from the bridge as possible, so Peter had to divert his full attention and effectively work against his body to get to the bridge. Another minute passed, and he could see the bridge clearly, as well as feel the immense rage permeating from its center. Then, all of a sudden, it vanished. The great pressure dissipated from Peter's skull, leaving him very confused. He shot a line to a nearby crane to get a better vantage point. Once there, he saw four things of note: Sasuke, lying on the ground, still as a corpse, Naruto and an unmasked Haku just…staring at each other, Sakura and Tazuna, well away from the battle, and the bloody figures of Kakashi and-"Is he in a literal dog pile?"- Zabuza, the latter of whom was indeed surrounded and bitten by dogs of all sizes.
Just then, Kakashi bent down and clasped his right arm with his left. He tensed, and his right hand lit up in a brilliant light. Zabuza was visibly shocked at the sight, but still readied his own sword in response (albeit with difficulty, given that his shoulders had dog jaws clamped on them). Kakashi charged, Peter could only guess that whatever attack Kakashi was using was physical, and fatal, while Zabuza raised his sword high. Peter himself didn't like it when people died, even when it was those that had verbally expressed their desire to kill him, but he had lived long enough to understand that sometimes, death is an unavoidable consequence of battle. He then saw something move in the corner of his eye, and the next thing he knew, Haku was standing in between of Kakashi and Zabuza, arms spread, intending to sacrifice himself to save Zabuza.
Both men's eyes widened when Haku practically materialized in front of them. Kakashi's line of thought entailed, "Dammit! I'm too close to stop!"
Zabuza on the other hand, "Haku? What the hell are you-" he then calmed his thoughts, "No, I can use this," he gave a small frown "Don't worry Haku, it'll be over quickly. You won't suffer long".
Before both men could strike however, they felt something hit their bodies, and before they could react, were pulled, harshly enough too knock loose the dogs clamped on Zabuza, and landed some feet away, with large thuds. Both men groaned as they could feel their ribs crack from the impact. Kakashi's hand lost its glow, and Zabuza's sword sailed past them. Everyone stared wide-eyed at what had just happened, Naruto actually rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining anything. "Phew," everyone craned their heads to the voice, and looked on in surprise to see Peter on a crane, holding on to two thin white ropes attached to the aforementioned men, "That could have been messy" Peter said, as he jumped down, landing next to Sakura and Tazuna, who jumped at his sudden appearance.
Haku sighed in relief and slumped down in exhaustion. Kakashi and Zabuza both tried to get up, but their injuries got the better of them, and neither could go higher then their hands and knees. Naruto was still in shock before he caught sight of Sasuke, and ran towards the boy. Sakura had run up as well, tears in her eyes at the sight of the battered body of her crush. Naruto was shaking his body, yelling at Sasuke to wake up. Sakura put a hand on his shoulder, and shook her head. Naruto cried out in frustration and punched the ground next to him. Sakura then began the slow work of pulling all the needles out of his body, and fell back in shock when Sasuke took a large breath after she removed one from his neck.
Sasuke was and in some pain. He turned his head to see Naruto and Sakura standing over him, tears in their eyes. His eyes widened considerably when Sakura crashed into him, nearly crushing him in a hug. He tried to move, but found that his body wasn't responding, so opted to voice his complaint to Sakura. Said girl grew crimson and released Sasuke, sending him crashing to the ground. He then heard Naruto, to his annoyance, start laughing at his plight; Sasuke gave a long, suffering sigh.
Kakashi smiled at his students exchange, and turned to look at Zabuza when he heard a scoff, "Figures, Haku never could actually bring himself to hurt a brat". To Kakashi's surprise, there was a hint of fondness in the man's tone. Zabuza took note of Kakashi, and leveled a glare at him, but before he could tell the copy-nin off, a harsh laugh interrupted him.
Everyone turned to see Gato, along with what looked like all the men he hired to take over the village, some 20 feet away from them. All the men were wielding some type of weapon, and looked eager to shed some blood. Gato stopped laughing, "Well, well, well," he spread his arms out wide, "Look how the tables have turned Zabuza," he sneered at the prone man, "Ever since I hired you I couldn't wait until I was able to send out the order to gut you, and your little boy-toy," Zabuza bristled, "like a couple of fish". He looked down at Haku, who tried to move, but was overcome with exhaustion, "Whoever brings me somebodies head gets an extra twenty-thirty-aw hell, make it a fifty percent cut". Gato snapped his fingers, and the men all surge forward. Haku braced for the worst, but a glint in the sky caught his attention. Just then, Zabuza's sword sank into the ground, and Peter landed in a crouch on the hilt, head facing the ground. The mob stopped in its track, looking on in trepidation at the figure in front of them.
Peter then lifted his head, a smile on his face, and a hard glint in his eyes, "Boys, fellas, amigos, scum of the earth" he spread his arms wide, "You can certainly try and harm to these fine, and less than fine individuals all for the sake of some petty cash. Or, you can leave, now, and not get beaten up by yours truly".
The men all eyed one another, unsure what to do. They broke out of their stupor when Gato yelled at them, "What are you idiots doing?" Its just one kid!"
Having received the reminder that, yes, the person in front of them was a child, one brave soul rushed towards Peter, his club held high. He got close and swung down on Peter's head, a savage grin on his face. It then morphed into a look of fear when Peter not only caught the blow with one hand, but also proceeded to lift the man clear off the ground. He gazed in panic at Peter's smiling face, "You chose…poorly," with a quick jab, Peter knocked then man out cold, falling to the floor in a heap. With a cry, "Tally-ho!" he leapt forward towards the rest of the mooks.
All in attendance could only star in awe at the speed, grace, and power Peter wielded as he wove in between the mob. To Tazuna, he was a blur of movement. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and even Haku (arguably the most experienced of the four) they could only briefly see Peter when he stopped to dodge a particularly nasty hit, or send a man flying. Kakashi and Zabuza, the veterans, were able to fully follow Peter's movements, and both of them (though Zabuza was loath to admit it) were in awe. The way he moved, they both observed, put most any ninja to shame in terms of agility and flexibility (and though they would not find it out until later, the fact that none of the men were killed, or even injured beyond a couple broken bones or slight concussion, was even more impressive).
The last of Gato's men was sent flying behind said employer, who was quaking in fear. He almost pissed his pants when he noticed that Peter's full attention was now on him. Gato began to back away in fear as Peter walked towards him, "Now hold on a minute," Gato's voice quivered, "I'm s-s-sure we can we can w-work something out. Tell you what, I'll give you 50% of all I own," Peter kept walking, "65," Gato's voice raised in pitch, "80," Gato tripped and fell on hi back, covering his face in fear, "100! I'll give you all of it! Just don't hurt me!" Tears streamed down the man's face, as his terror reached levels he didn't know existed.
Peter looked down at the blubbering mess before him with mild disgust, "Yeesh, at least when I one-upped the guys back home they had the grace to take it all in stride". He then heard something off to his side, and smiled when he saw what it was, "Well buddy, good news and bad news," Gato stopped shaking, "Good news," Peter crouched low and looked Gato square in the eyes, "I'm not going to hurt you," Gato almost laughed in relief. "Bad news," Peter grabbed Gato's head and turned it, "They probably will". Gato's trembling returned with a vengeance at the sight before him. It looked as if every single man, woman, and child in the village had shown up, and they were all staring Gato down. At the front of the mass of people was Inari, armed with a crossbow and wearing a helmet. He smiled and waved when he saw Peter, who smiled and waved in return. Peter felt Gato turn limp in his hands, and saw that the man fainted, foamed in his mouth, and wet his pants. Peter then dropped the ex-crime lord and fervently wiped his hands on his shirt, "Aw come on man! That's just gross".
A/N: Good god this was a bitch. Between semester finals and general holiday shenanigans, I haven't had any time to sit down and write. On the plus side, break is entering its stride, so I can put some more focus on my more recreational pursuits (I.E. this). Anyway, next chapter will officially close the Wave Arc, and then we can really dig into the meat of the story. Remember to leave a review. Later.
