Naruto: Kazama Ascendant

by Justareader80

AU A letter discloses truths that had been hidden and Naruto is actually given the tools necessary to achieve his goals. Armed with a new sense of purpose, Naruto sets out to forge his path and revive his once great clan.

10. Chapter 10

Naruto: Kazama Ascendant

Chapter 10: Sacrifice

Naruto arrived at the bridge to find most of the construction site bathed in a dense fog. Due to months of training and his inherent stamina, the blonde shinobi was able to ignore the strains of his extraordinary pace and focus on the situation before him.

Demonstrating that he had learned a bit of discretion, he slowed his approach and began scanning the area for threats. Despite his initial prudence, the blonde shinobi found himself slowly speeding his approach once again, unconsciously throwing caution into the wind as he passed each of new sight.

First, a large number of the workers that had been helping Tazuna complete the bridge were scattered about the construction site, their motionless bodies dotting the landscape. Next, he quickly sped pass a nervous looking Sakura, who was guarding a pale and shell shocked Tazuna. He skirted the densest patch of fog, avoiding what instinct told him was an evolving battle between Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza. As he made his way along the bridge, the final scene came into view.

He found Sasuke encircled by over a dozen mirrors. The hunter nin he had been expecting to find was no where to be seen, but blood stained much of teme's clothing. Understandably wanting to help his teammate, Naruto rushed to Sasuke's assistance.

'And like a stupid idiot, I jumped right into the middle of the mirrors without a second thought.' It quickly became apparent that the false hunter nin was responsible for the mirrors, which served as both a prison for the Konoha shinobi and an unassailable fortress for the hunter nin.

The mirrors themselves appeared nigh indestructible. Weapons had absolutely no effect and they had withstood the combined strength of fire jutsu the two Konoha shinobi had thrown at them with barely a mark. To add insult to injury, the hunter nin had simply repaired them without visible effort before using them to travel about with incredible speed, attacking the entrapped shinobi from several directions at once.

Any response to these attacks proved to be useless as the ninja simply merged with the accursed mirrors and escaped. Even a defensive response was proving to be impossible as the Iwa Bunshins Naruto summoned to shield Sasuke and himself from the senbon attacks were quickly dispatched by a delicate looking water whip, which made short work of the sturdy constructs.

The sight of his decapitated bunshin collapsing to the ground had nearly shocked the blonde shinobi into inaction. That the bunshin had resembled him in the moments before it reverted to it base element was part of the psychological impact.

The logical impact was a bit more complicated. Iwa Bunshin no jutsu produced a bunshin of chakra enhanced rock. Given the amount of chakra Naruto poured into the constructs, the bunshin should have been very durable. That the hunter nin had dispatched them with barely a gesture seemed to highlight exactly how dire their position was.

As Naruto tried to think of a way out of this mess, the blonde found that his vision was beginning to blur. As he strongly resembled a pincushion from the number of senbon needles embedded in his body, his conclusion was fairly straightforward. 'Great… Either I have lost so much blood that I can't even see straight or the senbon needles are treated with some sort of poison.'

Taking a quick survey of his injuries, the blonde shinobi settled on the poison scenario. 'Whatever it is seems to be a lot stronger than what the Demon Brothers were using.' Naruto grimaced as he noticed that his reactions were also beginning to slow, despite his bloodline attempting to combat the poison.

Distracted by his thoughts, Naruto was caught off guard as he felt his knee buckle shortly after a number of needles impacted his leg. Naruto's perception of time slowed to a crawl as the injury drew him inexorably towards the ground.

Just before his knee made contact with the paving stones of the bridge, Naruto looked up to see all of visible mirrors displaying an image of the hunter nin. Countless needles glittered in the fog filtered light as the masked images prepared to unleash another attack. Naruto found his body unresponsive as he attempted to move in the long moment before the attack.

Time continued to crawl as the masked ninja unleashed the attack, sending countless needles down upon the disabled shinobi. Although Naruto realized that he may not survive this attack, the only thought his hazy mind could generate was, 'This is going to hurt.' Despite the situation, Naruto couldn't help but marvel at his mental understatement.

Frustrated by his inability to move or create a useable defense, Naruto could only await the inevitable. Time continued to crawl for the blonde shinobi before Sasuke appeared in front of him a moment before the needles would have made impact. Naruto absently noticed that the white of the Uchiha fan adorning the back of his shirt was stained with a rivulet of blood from one of the previous attacks the teme had endured.

The attack ended a split second later and the last Uchiha collapsed with a grunt into a boneless heap. Naruto caught him as best he could, stunned by the realization that the teme had taken the attack for him. Studying his teammate's condition, Naruto found that at least forty needles were now imbedded in the Uchiha's arms and upper body.

Sasuke focused on Naruto for a moment and, with an odd smile, he whispered, "You are too slow, Dobe." And with that statement, Sasuke fell silent. A strangled croak attempted to escape Naruto's throat as he attempted to respond to his teammate.

Naruto could only stare in horror as the teme's head lulled back as the muscles supporting it slackened. A moment passed as Naruto realized that Sasuke had not simply slipped into unconsciousness… He had stopped breathing. 'He is… He is gone… He is dead…'

The thought took an unknown amount of time to filter through the blonde shinobi's mind. Throughout his time at the academy and the months since, he had considered death a great deal.

Iruka-sensei had discussed death in great detail during class, attempting to prepare his students for the life and death realities of being a ninja. The Hokage had further impressed upon the blonde shinobi that there would come a time when he would have to confront death, whether it be an enemy's, an ally's, or his own. His memories from earlier in the morning flashed before his eyes, but they were quickly pushed aside in favor of the present.

It was odd, but Naruto had never thought the Uchiha capable of such a selfless act… of sacrificing himself for another. Prior to Iruka, he had never considered that another person would put themselves in harm's way… would possibly die for him. The thought that it had been necessary sickened him. 'To be cut down defending me because I was too weak to defend myself…' Naruto's nails began to tear into the palm of his hand as he struggled to suppress his self-loathing.

A voice shattered his mental revelry and returned him to the present. "Do not mourn him for you will join him shortly. Then I will be free to help my precious person."

Although the tone used to deliver the statement was neutral, the sentiment behind the statement was anything but. The cool indifference of the ninja before him tore away the shock that had descended upon Naruto's mind and replaced it with a burning anger. They were being dismissed. 'Sasuke is dead and my death is a foregone conclusion? It is as if our existence is beneath this jerk's notice. Sasuke didn't deserve this. What about his dreams? What about those precious…'

And just like that Naruto's mental processes ground to a halt as the word 'precious' finally sunk into his mind. 'Precious person?' His eyes widened in shock as he realized exactly where he had heard that sentiment. 'The girl from the forest…' A visual survey of the ninja before him confirmed that is was possible, but something instinctive told him that it was a reality. A number of emotions bubbled through the shock he felt at this revelation.

The wave of self-loathing returned as he realized his stupidity and naivety. He had been duped and played for a fool… A pretty face and a couple of kind words had taken him in. He tried to remember if he had given anything away during the encounter in the forest that may have led to the current situation.

The fact that she had played him for a fool caused all the derogatory comments from his time at the academy to spew forth from the darkest recesses of his mind, adding to the intensity his anger. 'Dobe, Dead Last, Baka…' And despite everything, Naruto couldn't help the feeling of betrayal that rose within him. 'Was this all some sort of sick game to her?'

Naruto's head snapped up as the girl's words finally seemed to register in his mind. The blood was pounding in his ears as his anger began to overtake him. 'You will join him shortly? I am not going to just give up!!! I AM NOT GOING TO DIE HERE!!!'

XXXXX

Haku watched as a plethora of emotions stole across the young ninja's face. The final one, an odd mixture of disbelief, anger, and determination, was easy for Haku to discern. A wave of sadness passed over her as she thought, 'I think he knows who I am.'

As soon as this thought crossed Haku's mind, a storm of chakra seemed to erupt from the blonde shinobi. Churning and undulating around the boy and his fallen comrade, the explosion of blue chakra quickly shifted to a haze of blood red energy and began tearing into the surface of the bridge. She could only watch in stunned fascination as the wall of chakra grew rapidly, becoming almost opaque spiral.

A spilt second after the chakra exploded from the blonde, a massive wave of killing intent washed over the area. Even though it was unfocused, it felt so powerful… so vile that Haku had to suppress the urge to recoil from it.

Overcoming her surprise at this turn of events, Haku launched a barrage of senbon needles at the shinobi, only to have them deflected by the chakra spiral. The kunoichi quickly followed this action by attempting to disable the boy with the water whip that had been so effective against his Iwa Bunshins. The Suiton jutsu simply dissipated in a hiss of stream against the chakra surrounding the Konoha ninja.

No sooner had the jutsu been deflected than the chakra storm began collapsing upon itself. As the storm abated, the blonde shinobi came back into view, now standing, hunched, over his friend.

Haku stared in awe as the attractive ninja she had met in the forest reappeared, transformed before her eyes. His continence had darkened considerably, an aura of violence seeming to have coalesced around the Konoha shinobi.

The cute whisker marks that adorned his cheeks had darkened and thickened noticeably, giving him a far more feral visage. His mouth was drawn into a vicious snarl, revealing slightly enlarged canines. Even his hands, which had helped her gather the various medicinal herbs she used to heal Zabuza-sama, had shifted into a set of deadly claws.

The air was stifling as the red chakra continued to dance lightly around him, rolling off him in waves. The suffocating aura surrounding him had strengthened to the point where it was beginning to restrict her thoughts. The power… the sheer, indescribable power he was emitting made her own seem like a drop in the ocean.

She continued to watch in stunned fascination as the process continued. The senbon needles that had been embedded in his body were being ejected, tinkling in the silence as they hit the ground. The wounds that they had caused and the other ones he had obtained during the battle vanished before her eyes, evaporating away with a hiss of steam.

You could almost see his exhaustion and pain bleed away as his crouched form shifted into a ready stance, indicating his willingness to continue the battle. The final and most frightening part of his transformation became apparent when a set of horrific blood red eyes snapped towards her. The difference between the kind cerulean she had admired in the forest and the unforgiving crimson staring at her now caused her blood to run cold.

In that moment, as she stared into those hate filled eyes, her hopes of quickly subduing him and helping Zabuza complete the mission vanished like dust in the wind. She knew that she would be lucky to survive this encounter.

XXXXX

Rage. Undeniable, unquenchable rage. This sentiment had erupted from the storm of emotions that had assailed him mere moments before. The emotion brought his thoughts and desires to a single-minded focus that he had previously never experienced.

Naruto felt as if time had stopped. A deep guttural laugh echoed in his head as his anger rose and overrode his senses. At massive surge of power exploded throughout his body. A painful, prickling sensation coursed through his veins, increasing in intensity until it felt as if he was on fire. The power was accompanied by a sickening feeling; a horrendous taint that settled in his stomach like a large stone. This feeling was quickly pushed aside as his mind focused once again.

The power continued to build until it was practically begging to be unleashed on the world. Even this sensation was pushed aside when his eyes snapped towards the stunned kunoichi before him.

His voice clearly communicated this burning anger as it took on an extremely menacing timbre, sounding all the more unnatural as it was brought forth from a human body. "I AM GOING TO RIP YOU APART!!!" With an otherworldly roar, Naruto's arms shot forward, sending a crescent of chakra towards the mirror Haku was residing in.

Although long experience and testing had taught the kunoichi that her ice mirrors were nearly indestructible, Haku's intuition told her to move. She teleported nearly instantaneously to another mirror and observed the effects of the attack. To Haku's astonishment, the mirror simply disintegrated, the wave of red chakra cutting through its reflective surface as if it wasn't even there.

Naruto's attention shifted to her new location and, before she had a chance to react, he was before her mirror. Those horrible crimson eyes burned into her own as his fist shot towards the mirror's surface. Once again the nearly indestructible mirror gave way before the blonde shinobi. Haku remained trapped in a mirror shard as the impact easily shattered the ice construct. After a brief moment of panic, Haku mastered her emotions once again and resumed the battle, teleporting out of the shard and attacking Naruto.

To Naruto, it almost seemed as if she was moving in slow motion as she descended from above. He noticed that she was now armed with a kunai, held steadily in her hand and poised to tear into his flesh. The sight of the implacable mask approaching him from above gave rise to another surge of anger as he observed the attack.

With her position and the suddenness of her attack, Haku was hopeful that she could disable the transformed shinobi before the situation deteriorated any further. But her prey suddenly moved, far more quickly than he ever had before, and easily avoided the strike.

The blonde shinobi turned his head to witness her collision with the surface of the bridge. The masonry underneath her body buckled from the force of the impact, throwing off pieces of shattered stone. Her shock at having missed her target seemed to be telegraphed by her actions as she slowly rotated her masked visage to his current location.

Unfortunately for her, he had not been motionless during this process. After his escape, he had utilized his chakra to arrest his momentum and small flecks of stone were torn from the bridge's surface as he reversed course back towards her location. Before the kunoichi had a chance to recover her bearings, he delivered a devastating punch to her midsection, causing Haku to double over in pain as the wind was knocked out of her.

The pain of the blow had just begun to register when Naruto grabbed the arm holding the kunai, carelessly crushing the appendage. The kunoichi could have sworn that she heard the bones give way with an audible snap an instant before the biting pain registered in her mind. The kunai slipped from her grasp.

Haku was under assault from all sides. Her breathing was shallow and irregular. The horrifying aura was simply suffocating at close quarters, causing her thoughts to appear a jumbled mess. The pain in her arm was immense as Naruto's hold on her arm continued to tighten, carelessly grinding the broken bones together.

The young kunoichi found that she could only watch in muted horror as the feral ninja reared back and delivered a devastating uppercut. She felt the momentum of the punch launching her body towards one of her remaining mirrors.

Unable to focus through the pain, she was sent smashing through its surface, various shards of her own creation slicing through her clothing and cutting into her flesh. Her momentum carried her some distance from the battle.

An instant before she hit the ground, the kunoichi found the presence of mind to roll with the impact, lessening her momentum. She came to rest face down, cradling her injured arm as her face throbbed in time with her racing heart. The intense pain being radiated by her injuries was probably the only thing that allowed her to retain consciousness.

She rolled over and refocused her attention on the collection of mirrors now lying several yards away. The vision she witnessed frightened her more than she could comprehend. The remains of her strongest jutsu simply disappeared in a storm of violent red chakra as a dark figure stalked towards her.

The pain of her injuries and the effects of her extensive use of chakra during the battle caused her to fall back to the ground in exhaustion, unable to rise. Her chest throbbed in time with her breath, indicated that some of her ribs were bruised if not broken. Her arm and the side of the face felt as if they were on fire.

The steady thump of implacable footsteps reached her ears. She shifted her head to observe the blonde ninja marching forward at a steady rate. She noticed absently that his eyes had regained their cerulean hue.

Naruto approached his enemy. The girl simply laid her head down, not even attempting to rise from where she had come to rest. The sight of her face, which was now visible as her mask had been lost during their last exchange, confirmed her identity.

He advanced towards the wounded girl, preparing to finish it. But it was hard as, unlike earlier, he had some connection to this person. An odd hush seemed to have fallen over the area as he approached. His chakra-heightened senses detected every faint sound… The lapping of the water against the piers supporting the bridge… The cry of sea birds in the distance… The shallow, sharp breathes being drawn in by the girl before him.

But in the silence of a moment, something came to Naruto's attention, causing him to slow. The sound had been so faint that he almost convinced himself that he had imagined it before it repeated itself. The sound did not belong. It was a single heartbeat. The sound came from behind him and this caused him to pause. After about fifteen seconds, he heard it again.

Naruto, suspicious enough not to take his eyes off his opponent, seallessly created a number of Kage Bunshin to investigate the sound. They cautiously returned to the sight of the original battle, back towards Sasuke's body. The bunshins found that the body appeared as lifeless as before, so the sound confused them a great deal.

A Kage Bunshin dispersed, allowing Naruto to observe his teammate's body. The answer to the mystery was nearly obscured by the high collared shirts favored by his teammate. A couple of needles appeared to be lodged in Sasuke's neck…, roughly where the needles had pierced Zabuza during their first encounter. Another heartbeat was heard before long, causing Naruto to arrive at a shocking conclusion. 'Sasuke isn't dead…'

This piece of information caused him to redirect his full attention towards Haku as a couple of the remaining bunshins carried off the unconscious Uchiha in hopes that Sakura could wake him up. 'Sasuke isn't dead. The girl spared him… She could have killed Sasuke and even me at any moment, but instead she had slowed us down with her needles until she could safely disable us.'

The blonde shinobi studied the girl for a moment as he debated his options. He noted the odd empty look in her eyes as she stared back at him… she appeared to have given up, to have been beaten into submission.

"Why?" Naruto barely recognized the growl that had escaped from his mouth as his own voice.

Having watched helplessly as the Kage Bunshins carried the Uchiha towards the shore, Haku understood what Naruto was referring to. Still, the simple question seemed to echo across a great distance and slam into her. She adverted her eyes as she confronted and considered her failure.

No matter how she looked at it; in the end she had simply been too weak to help Zabuza achieve his goals. "Because I am weak… I could not bring myself to kill my heart… And for that reason, I have failed Zabuza-sama." The girl swallowed heavily before she concluded with, "Please kill me."

The anger that had been pulsing through him a few minutes ago had begun to ebb as he watched the girl before him. The thought of someone begging for death was so foreign to Naruto's mindset that it took a moment for the kunoichi's words to register. 'Such a request…' "Why?"

Once again the single word slammed into Haku's mind, but she answered simply, admitting defeat. "Because I have failed in my task and Zabuza-sama has no need of broken tools. I do not think that I can live with the shame of having failed him."

Despite the anger that still danced on edges of his consciousness, Naruto could not bring himself to kill the girl before him. Unsure of how to proceed, the blonde shinobi simply stood there until he became aware of the steady approach of a large group of people.

A moment latter another dispersed Kage Bunshin informed him that a large group of bandits and mercenaries was approaching from the distant part of the bridge, being led by a rather short man dressed in a strange suit. Content that he would not have to make a final decision regarding the kunoichi, Naruto quickly knocked her unconscious and moved to find Kakashi-sensei.

XXXXX

Small tendrils of blue chakra danced across the massive gate. At first, this display had confused the ancient demon, but upon closer inspection, it noticed that tiny, almost invisible, fractures in the gate were being repaired.

The beast immediately launched itself at the gate, testing the gate's strength, only to find it to be as unyielding as it had always been. The ancient being eventually settled itself once again, considering this turn of events while glaring hatefully at the flimsy metal gate that prevented its escape. Upon further reflection, the demon surmised that these fractures must have developed while its vessel had drawn upon its power.

The demon had released its chakra, if only to alleviate its boredom. The Kyuubi had once again been able to observe the outside world while this chakra exchange was taking place. It was at least gratified to see that its power was being used to cause pain and chaos, as opposed to the boy simply using it to heal wounds that he was too weak to prevent.

For over fourteen years, the ancient and powerful demon had been trapped in this dim, everlasting twilight. While this was but a flicker of time when compared to the creature's vast life span, it was still galled to be restrained is such a manner. Over those fourteen years, the demon had thrown all its considerable strength at the gate and the rest of its prison, but to no avail.

Its prison had withstood the onslaught without a trace of damage, not even a scratch. This fact should not have surprised to great demon as the Shinigami itself had played a role in its construction. The most recent occurrence was, in fact, the only time that the great creature had noticed any fault whatsoever in the prison that held it. As the last of the blue tendrils disappeared, the dim twilight returned. The creature closed it eyes in contemplation. 'This will require some thought…'

XXXXX

Naruto sat on the roof of the small hospital, gazing blankly into the distance. "Damn fox," he muttered as he shifted his position slightly to alleviate a dull ache in his legs. Naruto was conscious of the painful aches coursing through his body, but he ignored them to the best of his abilities. This pain had hit him like a wave as soon as the adrenaline from the battle had worn off. If the pain was lessening in intensity, it was at such a slow rate that the blonde shinobi could not detect it.

As the pain was spread throughout his body and did not seem to be related to any muscles or bones, the blonde shinobi surmised that the damage and the associated aches were related to his chakra system. He felt confused by what had occurred on the bridge, but thoughts of the demon were pushed aside as he considered the events that had come to pass earlier in the day.

Naruto's attention shifted as he resumed staring at his hands, the means by which he had killed a number of people throughout the morning. It was odd that actions that had seemed so simple at the time would come back to haunt him in such a way. No matter how hard he wished or thought, he couldn't avoid the reality of the situation. 'I killed those men... men that were someone's son… perhaps someone's brother, husband, or father… men that will never again see their homes.'

The morning had begun simply enough. After escorting Tazuna back to the house the previous night, Naruto gone out into the forest and had thrown himself into his training once again. Somehow he found himself waking up inside the room the shinobi shared in Tazuna's house. He quickly discovered that Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura had escorted Tazuna to the bridge for the day and had left instructions for him to join them when he woke up.

Naruto had quickly eaten breakfast and had dashed out of the house, cutting through the forest to avoid the winding road that led to the village. It was more happenstance than anything else that led him to find the path of destruction leading back towards the house where he rejoined the road. The blonde had only taken a moment to consider the scene before he moved to return to the house.

Having decided to trace the path of destruction, he soon found two mercenaries dragging Tsunami, gagged with her hands bound behind her, back along the road. Naruto's stomach clinched uncomfortably as he realized that he didn't see Inari, who had been in the house as well.

Oblivious to the thoughts coursing through the young shinobi's mind, the larger of the two mercenaries yanked on the length of rope binding Tsunami as he addressed the young woman. "Your whole family is turning out to be a real pain in the ass. The boss thought that making an example of your husband would be enough." Shaking his head, his voice took on a mocking tone as he continued, "But you didn't learn your lesson and you continued to cause problems…"

The smaller mercenary choose this moment to reach towards the bound woman and fondle her roughly, causing the woman to scream through her gag. "Now it is time for another example. But we'll make sure that your example is much more enjoyable for you." Laughing at her distress, the man continued to molest his captive as he added, "Who knows? Some of the villagers may even enjoy the show."

Naruto struck like lightening. He was sure that his first blow had shattered the man's jaw, but Naruto found that he could not care less. The other mercenary managed to draw his sword halfway from its scabbard before he was treated to much of the same. Four Iwa Bunshins rose from the ground to secure the mercenaries while a group of Kage Bunshins moved to set up a perimeter.

Naruto himself went to untie Tsunami and to find out what happened to Inari. This inquiry was cut short as a bruised Inari came pelting up the road and threw himself at his mother. Naruto watched with a hint of longing as Tsunami, just freed from a horrible fate herself, did her best to comfort the distraught boy.

The cold anger that he had felt moments before returned anew. These bastards would have taken… would have destroyed what was left of this family. Not satisfied with having robbed Inari of his father figure, they would have robbed him of his mother in the most disgusting way possible, not only robbing him of her presence but attempting to shatter his memories of her as well. This thought began to fester in the blonde shinobi's mind as he told the mother and son to find someplace safe while he went to help his team protect Tazuna.

After Inari and his mother were sent off with a set of Kage Bunshins, Naruto directed his attention towards the unconscious pair of mercenaries. 'They would have done unspeakable things to the kind woman. They would have done these horrible things to her before her son and fellow villagers. They would have done these things to teach the villagers a 'lesson'. And they would have enjoyed it… This scum doesn't deserve to live. They should not have the opportunity to hurt someone else.'

The remaining Kage and Iwa bunshins seemed to share his thoughts as they wordlessly gathered their charges and took them into the woods. Naruto turned and sped towards the bridge as quickly as he could. While he was not present for their end, the memory was burned into his mind.

A shiver passed through him as he recalled the blood draining from their unconscious bodies. 'I killed those mercenaries in cold blood. They were helpless and I didn't even care… I'm a sick bastard!'

Naruto's mind skipped ahead to the next person to die at his hands. A look of absolute shock crossed the shipping magnate's face as he dropped his weapon. His hands flew towards his neck in a hopeless attempt to staunch the large amount of blood flowing from around the kunai embedded in his throat. Gatou only managed a strange gurgle before he collapsed, laying motionless a short distance away from Haku and Zabuza.

The man had already attempted to attack the unconscious girl, one that Naruto had left defenseless. He had just watched the supposedly heartless missing nin from Kiri, a man who was rumored to have slaughtered countless academy students to become a ninja, selflessly throw himself in harm's way to shield the girl.

Zabuza had been exhausted and critically wounded by his battle with Kakashi-sensei, but he had still found the strength to protect the helpless girl. The shipping magnate had simply kicked the severely wounded man out of the way and lifted his weapon once again to kill the girl. Doing nothing was not a decision that Naruto could have accepted. And so, he had acted. His kunai had flown from his hand and pierced his target's throat with nary a sound.

After a moment of general silence as all those present watched the short man collapse, one of the mercenaries that had been following Gatou erupted, "That punk just killed our meal ticket!!! What are we going to do now?"

A single voice was eventually heard above the group's general muttering, "There is a village just beyond the bridge. I say we take our pay out of their hides!!!"

A wave of general muttering greeted this statement before small weasel-like man near the side of the group added, "I know a guy in Kiri that will give us a good price for some of the more attractive girls." The man smiled in a sickly fashion as he rubbed his hands together and continued, "Of course, nobody said that we couldn't sample the wares before we hand them over. You know… to ensure their quality."

A round of lecherous laughter that was scattered throughout the assembly greeted this suggestion. A massive brute armed with a battle-axe simply wondered aloud, "Do you think that the girl's pink hair is natural."

The general flow of the conversation was lost on Naruto. Almost as if he had been trapped in a fog, Naruto listlessly glanced back towards his teammate. Now visible as the thick fog bank had dissipated, she seemed wholly unaware of their predicament as she hovered above Sasuke's still body. Tazuna's pale visage stared forward with a resigned expression. Whether he had heard some of the bandits' comments or had simply guessed their intentions, Naruto couldn't tell.

Naruto turned back towards the group and moved forward. Nothing impeded his progress as Kakashi's grip on his shoulder had fallen away with Gatou's demise. The blonde shinobi was vaguely aware of the jounin shuffling through one of his pouches, obviously looking for something.

Naruto pushed these thoughts out of his mind as he came to a halt several yards away from the main group, just short of where Haku and Zabuza lay motionless. He observed the group in a detached manner.

Calling them a group of mercenaries may have been a bit generous as that would normally denote some level of discipline or military order. The mass that stood before him was little more than a gathering of bandits… of criminals that preyed on the weak and defenseless.

They were, however, armed and had a distinct numerical advantage. While no clear leader had emerged from their ranks, the disorganized mob appeared to be coming to a consensus.

"Leave or Die." Naruto was surprised at the timbre of the words that had escaped his mouth. They did not betray the emotions that dominated his thoughts. They did not betray the doubts that danced through his mind. They simply communicated his intentions without any embellishment or artistry.

While the statement had not been yelled, the blonde shinobi's voice seemed to carry easily across the distance that separated him from the bandits. The gathered bandits quieted for a moment, took one look at the teenager, and exploded into laughter and catcalls.

Naruto's anger returned and his resolve hardened as they ignored his warning. 'So be it…'

With barely a gesture from the blonde shinobi, a line of Iwa Bunshins arose from the very bridge itself. These grim faced sentinels were quickly joined by an equal number of Kage Bunshins. The mercenaries quickly fell silent. Naruto noticed that some of the more intelligent ones readied their weapons.

The Iwa Bunshins advanced slowly at first to provide cover for some of the Kage Bunshins to retrieve the bleeding Zabuza and the unconscious Haku much as they had carried away Sasuke earlier. After this task was accomplished, the remaining Kage Bunshins leapt into the air and unleashed a barrage of fireballs and kunai into the bandits' midst. The kunai armed Iwa Bunshins sprinted forward a moment later, weighing into the bandits ranks amid screams of surprise, pain, and death.

Naruto shook his head to clear the horrid images from his mind. The battle had been brutal and short. The deaths did not lose any of their impact simply because the Iwa and Kage Bunshins had done most of the actual killing. He had been responsible for the jutsus. He was responsible for their deaths. That did not even begin to address the disgust he had felt later when he assisted Kakashi-sensei in disposing of the bodies. The blonde shinobi continued to stare at his hands as he thought, 'So much blood…' And this is how his jounin instructor found him.

Kakashi was veteran of countless missions. Assassination, protection, escort, espionage… He had experienced breath taking victories and crushing defeats. Given this experience, he was well aware of the thoughts that were coursing through the young shinobi's mind. He had seen it often enough. Even blooded ninja could be caught off guard by an exceptionally brutal fight.

Usually he would leave fellow ninja to combat their own demons, as they would for him. But Naruto was his student… He sighed as he thought, 'Why did I ever leave the ANBU?'

The jounin's calm voice easily carried over the small distance that separated student and sensei. "Ninja are the practitioners of a martial arts discipline devoted to death. Whether the mission is protection, observation, or infiltration, there is always the possibility of death."

"Some of those who live by the way of the ninja care nothing about honor or the lives of others. They can move in and kill off a target without making a sound or having a hint of remorse. They only care about getting the job done. Period."

"Others operate under a different set of values. They fight to protect what is important to them. You said it yourself… 'Sometimes a person has to fight for something that is greater than they are.' This something could be their village, their friends or family, an ideal, or even memories."

Kakashi, having shifted his gaze to the distant horizon, became lost in his own memories for a couple of seconds before he continued. "A person can also fight so that others don't have to… so that others can live out their lives in peace. It would be nice if everyone could live together without conflict, but that is a fantasy."

"The Land of Waves is a perfect example of this. The citizens of this land were not hurting anyone. They were simply living in peace, going about their lives without a care in the world. That was before Gatou decided to enslave them through murder and intimidation for his own selfish gains. One of the reasons we stayed was to ensure that Wave would have a chance to prosper once again. And I believe that we have succeeded."

Kakashi paused for a second before continuing in a slightly more solemn tone. "Doubts will assail you. You will question yourself about what you did today. I want you to remember something. It will be difficult, but remember… you did what you had to do."

The jounin shoved his hands into his pockets as he waited for his words to sink in, glancing over the village surrounding them. After a couple of minutes, he began again, "It would have been far worse if you had not acted. Sasuke was unconscious and Sakura was near hysterical. I was wounded and in no shape to eliminate all the bandits. They would have descended on the village without pity or remorse. The men and children would have been slaughtered. The women would have been raped and sold into slavery."

"It is a hard lesson to learn, but the world is not a kind place. Your actions saved the village from a horrible fate. Those who have never had to make such choices may question your actions, but you should know in your heart that you did the right thing."

The jounin instructor fell silent once again as he allowed the young genin to absorb what had been said. 'The cold hard reality of being a ninja… While attempting to rationalize the killing of others in never pleasant, I guess it helps that this situation was fairly clear cut.' Scratching his chin in thought, Kakashi concluded, 'Perhaps I should give some thought to addressing the less palatable missions that he can expect later in his career.'

Naruto's eyes eventually left his hands to gaze in the direction of the bridge. The blonde shinobi had listened to the speech with such intensity that all other thoughts had been pushed from his mind. After a moment, Naruto closed his eyes and thought, 'But is it really my place to decide who lives and dies?'

Kakashi, seeing that the most difficult part had passed, continued, "There is something that you need to be aware of… As ninja we are paid to kill as often as we are paid to protect. We could just as easily be the dark figures raining down death and destruction against a stalwart figure protecting the innocent. It is a harsh reality, but it is the life you have accepted."

Having fulfilled his sensei obligations for the day, Kakashi continued, "I want you to watch over the girl for the next couple of days. Sakura is busy 'assisting' Sasuke in his recovery and is pretty much useless for anything else. While I am not quite back to a full strength, I am going to watch over Tazuna as he oversees construction on the final parts of the bridge and repairs the damage from our battle. I doubt that any of the bandits that escaped will return, but we have come too far to become careless. It shouldn't take too long to complete the bridge as the village appears to have been revitalized by Gatou's defeat and will devote all its resources towards its construction."

Glancing at the boy once again, Kakashi concluded, "She is still drugged, so you shouldn't have much trouble with her. I have come up with a decent cover story, but you may need to discourage others from harming her if the truth comes out while she is recovering. She should wake up later today and I will leave a Kage Bunshin nearby to notify me when she wakes up." Kakashi waited for Naruto to acknowledge his instructions before disappearing to check on his two other charges.

XXXXX

The room was silent except for distant murmur of activity from outside. Naruto sat motionless in a chair, staring at the slightly discolored walls while lost in his own thoughts. He seemed to be thinking a great deal recently, but that was understandable with everything that had happened since Team Seven had left Konoha.

A restless movement drew his attention away from his ponderings. Shifting his focus, his eyes quickly fell on the room's only other occupant. Haku had begun moving about an hour ago, a pretty obvious sign that she would wake soon.

The bed's occupant looked so much more fragile than she had earlier in the day. The poor lighting of the room and the drab surroundings seemed to give her a sickly pallor. Her dark hair, which stood in sharp contrast to her skin and the white sheets, was in disarray from her troubled sleep. The colorful bruise that had blossomed on her face served to remind him of the role he had played in her injuries.

After studying the girl for a moment, Naruto returned to the same argument that had monopolized his thoughts since he had assumed his guard position. 'She didn't kill us…, but she could have easily. She proved that when she decapitated the Iwa Bunshins without effort. That jutsu could have easily have been directed at either Sasuke or myself. But she didn't kill us. She said that she could not bring herself to kill her heart…'

His anger at the perceived betrayal of his trust had abated slightly, but had not dissipated. And yet there was also a feeling of gratitude that she had not killed any of the village workers or Sasuke despite having the means and the opportunity. After giving the matter some thought, Naruto concluded that it was probably her influence that had resulted in Zabuza disabling the workers instead of killing them outright. Given these thoughts, it would be a massive understatement to say that the girl lying in the hospital bed confused him a great deal.

His contemplation was brought to an abrupt halt as Haku's eyes snapped open and she frantically looked around the room. Her face froze, all emotions draining from its continence when her eyes came to rest on Naruto. The boy, who was situated in a chair against the opposite wall, returned her gaze with a wary alertness that warned her against sudden movements.

As she shifted her position slightly to assess her injuries, she concluded that she wasn't in any shape to offer much resistance should he decide to attack. As she examined the room around her, the blonde shinobi spoke, pitching his voice in such a way as to carry through the closed door. "She's awake." A slight 'pop' outside the room followed, but Haku was unable to discern its origins. The room fell into a heavy silence.

Haku eventually refocused her attention on Naruto and asked, "Zabuza-sama is dead, isn't he?" The girl's voice seemed to be void of emotion. Naruto, wary of the girl and what she was capable of, nodded his head solemnly and responded, "He was killed by Gatou."

At the disbelieving look Haku, Naruto reaffirmed his statement. "He died from the injuries he received from Gatou. The reason that I knocked you out was that Gatou was approaching us with a large group of mercenaries. After I sensed their approach, I knocked you unconscious and went to tell Kakashi-sensei about the mercenaries. I thought that Gatou was bringing reinforcements to help you." Naruto looked down at his hands as he admitted, "I just left you where you were."

After a moment, the blonde shinobi continued, "Gatou arrived and said that he was planning to finish you guys off after you had defeated us. He walked towards you, pulled out some sort of weapon that I didn't recognize, and pointed it at you.

"Zabuza appeared to recognize the weapon and he was in motion before it had even been leveled against you. Zabuza was in pretty bad shape from his fight with Kakashi-sensei, so the only way he could protect you was to throw himself between you and Gatou."

Naruto glanced up from his hands, only to find the girl to be observing him with the same vacant expression. A small shiver passed through him at the stark difference between the dull eyes staring back at him now and the warm brown orbs he had admired in the forest.

Crushing such an irrational thought, he continued, "Whatever weapon Gatou used caused Zabuza to bleed a lot. After he began gloating and aimed whatever it was at you again… I kind of snapped… I ended up killing Gatou and most of the mercenaries that he brought." Naruto's voice kind of trailed off, but Haku didn't really notice as she was still trying to process what he had said.

To Haku, Naruto's voice seemed to trail off into a distant murmur as the realization rolled over her. Zabuza-sama was dead. Her mentor and her savior… The man that had given her purpose… Her most precious person. The man who had served as the focal point in her life for the past seven years… was dead.

A band of steel seemed to tighten around her chest as her thoughts came to a heart-rending conclusion… She had failed to protect the sole reason for her existence. She had promised to serve him as his weapon, to keep him safe and to assist him in the accomplishment of his dreams. 'But I failed…'

Naruto continued to speak; unaware that Haku's attention had drifted towards her internal monologue. "Zabuza was still alive after Gatou died, but his wounds were more serious than we knew how to treat. He died a couple of minutes after the fighting ended."

Naruto paused as he recalled the minutes following the battle. Kakashi-sensei and himself had held an odd vigil during Zabuza's last moments. The man was bleeding profusely from his wounds and his labored breathing betrayed the man's obvious pain. He requested that he be allowed to look at Haku one last time and asked about her health. He had been silent for a long moment before he made his final request, 'Hey kid, come here…'

Clearing his throat, Naruto began one of the most difficult and solemn tasks that had ever been asked of him. "He asked me to tell you something before he died…" Haku's head whipped towards him at an astonishing speed. The previously dull eyes now shined with a fevered intensity that startled Naruto. He was held speechless momentarily as her gaze bore into him before he cleared his throat and continued.

"He said that he was sorry. He wanted you to know that he should have treated you better." Naruto cleared his throat again, trying to alleviate the choking sensation that had appeared as her gaze had somehow increased in intensity. He suddenly realized that, despite everything, he had underestimated the weight of the words he was communicating to the brown-eyed kunoichi. "He said that his final wish was that for you to be happy…, to live a life where you could be more than someone's tool."

The now shining eyes pinned him to his seat for what seemed like an eternity before Haku turned painfully on her side and gazed blankly out the window. The silence that descended on the two ninja was broken several minutes later when Kakashi entered the room.

XXXXX

The young kunoichi lay motionless in her bed as she glanced out the window at the overcast sky. She had spent several hours staring into space since waking from a troubled sleep filled with half-remembered dreams. The maudlin weather reflected the young kunoichi's mood as she continued mentally preparing herself for what she was about to face. 'I am going to visit Zabuza-sama's grave…'

It had been a relatively uneventful, if emotionally exhausting, two days since she had woken up. Her recovery had been relatively swift, primarily due to the numerous self-administered medical jutsus. While the nicks, cuts, and bruises had been healed with little effort, her ribs and left arm had proven to be a bit more time consuming. Her hand slid from under the rough cotton sheets and she systematically manipulated the appendage, absently noting that it seemed to be as good as new.

Throughout her recovery, her mind had been a constant whirlwind of activity. She had suffered through bouts of sadness and anger… of acceptance and denial… and of all the emotions that lie between. She would cry herself to sleep only to wake with a start, the memory of Zabuza's face staring at her accusingly fresh in her mind.

She was surprised that she had been treated remarkably well by the staff of the small hospital. It appeared that the Konoha shinobi had inferred that she had been the victim of a kidnapping; rescued soon after Gatou's death. 'They go out of their way to be kind to a fellow victim… I imagine they would offer a much warmer reception to a tool of their oppression.' Haku frowned at the uncharacteristically dark thought.

The thought, however, led her to think about her current circumstances. She was not a true prisoner, as she was not physically restrained or even confined; yet she was not totally free as she was under near constant surveillance. Copycat Kakashi had informed her that she would be staying in the village until his team departed and then they would be escort her to the border to go her own way.

It was a curious way of dealing with a former enemy, but she supposed that he didn't see her as a threat now that Zabuza had been removed from the picture.

Haku's mind began to once again turn over the story she had been told regarding Zabuza's death. The explanation seemed plausible, but that didn't stop her from analyzing it for inconsistencies. She wanted to be sure that she didn't simply meekly accept being held by those that had killed her savior.

While it was possible that they may have simply killed Zabuza themselves and were simply lying to her, she did not believe this to be the case. While taking everything with a grain of salt, an accumulation of small facts from Naruto's story and passing comments by the hospital staff led her to believe them.

'Or perhaps I simply want to believe them because as it is the path of least resistance…' At this point, she was just so tired that she felt drained of all emotion. With an inaudible sigh, Haku rose from her bed and began to dress automatically for the day.

About a half hour later, a soft tapping on the door caused her to set aside her self-analysis. She opened it to find Naruto standing there. She exited her room without a word of greeting, the blonde shinobi catching up with her within two strides.

The two exited the hospital building and walked silently through the streets, which were remarkably empty given the time of day. Haku turned her head slightly to regard the blond ninja as he began to lead her to their destination. While not a true guard, his presence still rankled a bit as Naruto was supposed to keep an eye on her until the bridge was completed. She felt a spike of irritation at his presence, but she quickly tamped that down.

He had spent most the past two days watching over her. He had been respectful of her desire for solitude for the most part and had left her to her thoughts. If she had been a bit more gullible, she could almost think that he was morning Zabuza as well given his solemn expression and long silences.

She felt a crushing wave of guilt wash over her for having such fickle thoughts. Naruto had faithfully communicated Zabuza's last words to her, giving her a perspective on his last moments that would have otherwise been lost. In addition, she was extraordinarily grateful that she had not detected a glimmer of triumph at his team's victory or even any malice towards her for her actions during all the time he had been watching her. This fact made her captivity more bearable.

She had thought quite a bit about what Naruto had said and how he acted and she could not deny that his words rang true to her. He held no malice towards Zabuza or herself. His speech even indicated that he admired Zabuza's sacrifice. As much as it pained her, she could not fault Naruto for defeating her or for the role he may have played in Zabuza's death.

Just as the two were about to exit the vacant commercial area, a stray conversation caught her attention. "That's him… That's the one who killed Gatou." Haku shifted her attention and found that two middle-aged women gossiping outside of a storefront had shared the comment. She found the expression worn by the one that had spoken to be an odd mixture of reverence and fear.

Having spent the first part of her life as a civilian, it was an expression she could understand: admiration for the tasks a ninja performs and fear of the methods they use. It is common to idealize a person when they perform a valuable service, especially when that service appeared to be super human. Haku could not think of more perfect example than eliminating a horrible tyrant that had ground a country under his boot for the past couple of years.

Her train of thought was broken by another overheard comment. "I heard he killed Gatou and his thugs all by himself… Those ninja are into to some serious shit."

Scanning the area, she found two men watching Naruto and herself impassively their place against a building, taking a break from whatever labor occupied their days. The first man was watching them with wary eyes, as his companion spat on the ground before grumbling, "Couldn't have happened to a better bunch of bastards."

And there was the other side of the coin. The general population was deathly afraid of what ninja were capable of. The fear was deeply ingrained in the minds of common villagers as shinobi are often portrayed as cold-blooded killers in children's fairy tales. They preyed on the weak and helpless and obtained horrible powers by making inhuman pacts with demons of the underworld. It was an interesting political commentary that various Daimyos and their armies of stalwart samurai retainers are often portrayed as protecting the populous from the shinobi threat.

Turning her attention back towards Naruto, she found that, if the blonde shinobi had heard the either of the comments, he did not give any indication. And this caused the reason for this excursion to come crashing back into her thoughts.

The pair continued to walk at a steady pace as they exited the town and began to ascend a small, wooded hill. Haku absently noted that the path was slightly overgrown, indicating infrequent use.

They came to a halt in a clearing that was remarkable in its normality. The slightly overgrown grass covering the ground had been trampled underfoot around a slightly raised mound of overturned soil that she assumed marked Zabuza's resting place. The kunoichi's attention was drawn to where Kubikiri Hocho stood sentinel over a simple marker.

Haku simply observed the scene from a distance before she turned her attention towards her escort. She attempted to speak softly so that her voice would betray none of the emotions tearing through her mindscape. "Naruto, can you…?" Despite her best efforts her voice failed her for a moment before she continued, "I would like some time to myself…"

He blinked in response to her words before a frown crossed his face. Given his expression, his answer surprised her. "Sure… I'll just check on you later." Naruto turned and left; the grass muffling the sounds of his withdrawal. The raven-haired girl stared after him blankly until he had disappeared down the path. A few moments passed before the girl managed to return her attention towards the purpose of her visit.

With a shuddering breath she approached the marker. Her steps were slow but resolute in their purpose. Her eyes were fixed on the sword for a long moment before they slowly shifted toward the marker. The inscription was simple. 'Momochi Zabuza - Redemption is found in protecting others.'

An overwhelming sense of hopelessness invaded her consciousness as she read those words. There was no other way to describe the realization that she was now truly alone in the world. Alone and without a purpose… Zabuza-sama had been the guiding hand that had directed her actions for half of her life. It seemed to be unbelievably cruel that fate had allowed the servant to live while master had passed.

She was the one who had sworn to protect him, not that other way around. But he had sacrificed himself and his dreams for her… and had apologized for how he had treated her. How could he apologize for saving her and giving her life a purpose? She began to weep in silence. She had sworn to be his weapon… To be a shield against his enemies and… she had failed.

A light rain began to fall, but its arrival was not acknowledged by the kunoichi. The light rain shifting into a moderate rainstorm also failed to register beyond the girl having to brush her sodden hair away from her face as she continued to stare at the simple wooden marker.

The rainfall was abruptly cut off just as a shadow passed over the ground before her. She glanced up through rain and tear fogged eyes to find a Naruto moving to kneel in front of her while another held an umbrella to block the rain.

"Haku… We should return to the hospital before…"

She refocused her attention on the Naruto kneeling before her as he had stopped speaking rather abruptly. His reddened face and adverted eyes were enough to register that something was embarrassing him. Glancing down at herself, she found that the light yukata she wore was soaked through, revealing quite a bit of what the garment would usually keep hidden.

The situation was even worse than it would normally be as she had forgone the wrappings she normally wore. This observation was cut short when a jacket was set on her shoulders and a pair of strong hands guided her to a standing position before leading her back towards town.

She looked over at the boy guiding her and found him watching her. Despite what had just happened, he wasn't leering at her or anything of that nature. His face was set in a rather solemn expression. She found an undeniable quality in his cerulean eyes. They seemed to hold a true understanding of sadness and heartache, of what it was to be alone in the world. They offered comfort without pity… 'He understands…'

Haku looked away after a moment, wrapping the jacket around herself a bit tighter, taking comfort from its warmth and the strange feelings stirred by its owner.

XXXXX

Kakashi looked up from his literature and glanced towards the shore where he observed the two individuals that had become something of a fixture over the past couple of days. The two ninja sat a small distance apart from each other, apparently lost in their own thoughts. Conversation between them seemed sporadic at best over the past couple of days. The girl had been unnaturally quiet since the Zabuza's death, rarely conversing with anyone with the exception of Naruto. Whether this was a sign of depression or simply part of her nature was anyone's guess.

His blonde haired student had also been a bit more thoughtful than was his custom since the battle. He also wasn't training as heavily, but I guess that was to be expected as he was responsible for escorting the girl. The blonde was turning out to be a bit of an enigma as he was vastly different person than what his file would indicate.

Kakashi exhaled heavily as he considered the topic of conversation Naruto had brought up the night before. To be perfectly honest, Naruto approaching him about Haku returning with them to Konoha had surprised him. The line of reasoning the blonde shinobi had used to convince him had surprised him even more.

"I don't think there will be any problems. In this case, the Hokage's responsibility to Konoha and his desire to help others coincide. A Hokage needs to be open to finding potential allies and inviting them to join the village. The old man will be helping Haku find a place to call home and strengthening the village at the same time. I'm well aware of the potential consequences and that the final decision is up to the old man. All I am asking is that she be allowed to return with us so that she isn't attacked on sight if she decides to go to Konoha."

That this conversation had taken place only a day after he had allowed the odd pair to go to Zabuza's camp to recover some of Haku's belongings was interesting. He wondered what had triggered these thoughts in the blonde shinobi, but he had decided against interrogating his subordinate about his motives.

Kakashi had granted Naruto permission to go, but allowing them to go and allowing them to go unsupervised were two totally different things. The girl had been remarkably passive since she had woken up, but there was little to gain in tempting fate. So the jounin had decided to covertly observe the pair during their excursion.

Oddly enough, their trip had begun with an argument a short way along the shoreline after they had set out. Given Naruto's hand gestures, he had defended himself rather adamantly before he gestured towards the water. The object of their apparent debate became clear when they turned as one and set off across the water towards the mainland. The fact that roughly four miles of water separated their current location from the mainland didn't seem to faze them.

The pace of the two ninja set was also a bit of a surprise. Kakashi waited for a couple of minutes before he set off to follow them. That Naruto had mastered the water walking exercise enough for this was another piece of a confusing puzzle. A four-mile trek across rolling water was a bit of an exercise even for him.

The pair made landfall on the distant shore and quickly moved farther inland. During this leg of the journey, Naruto's familiarity with tree jumping became apparent, indicating that he had quite a bit of practice with that charka exercise as well. The blonde's overall endurance was also impressive.

About an hour after the trip began, they apparently reached their destination, as a circular structure situated among the trees came into view. After a couple of words to Naruto, Haku slipped inside to accomplish her task. A short while later, the kunoichi emerged with was a small pack, hardly larger than the packs carried by the genin for their weeklong mission. Before they had set out to return to Wave, the girl had looked purposefully in his direction and had given him a two fingered salute.

The jounin responded by snorting in amusement as he thought, 'She is good. For her to both detect my presence and isolate my general location at this distance…'

Kakashi shook himself from his thoughts and decided that there was little harm in allowing her to return to Konoha with his team. While she had been working counter to the mission that they had been assigned, she had not permanently harmed any member of his team and had demonstrated a remarkable level of restraint by simply disabling the bridge workers before the battle.

The final decision regarding her fate would be left up to the Hokage in any case. Glancing back at the pair, he thought, 'And perhaps the Hokage will be willing to answer some questions as well.'

The jounin returned his attention towards the worksite where at least three hundred Kage Bunshins worked tirelessly alongside the workers under Tazuna's direction. Kakashi could only marvel at the feat. 'The boy's chakra reserves are truly amazing.'

XXXXX

Naruto sat on the pier looking towards the village. His posture, relaxed and reclining against one of the pilings, would lead most observers to assume that he had fallen asleep. But his alert gaze was fixed on the small village that was situated across the placid harbor.

The sound of laughter and music carried over the water with amazing clarity in the stillness of the cool evening. Colorful lanterns and the occasional burst of fireworks gave the village a cheerful quality that the young shinobi guessed had been absent from its streets for quite sometime.

People from across the island and other parts of Wave Country had gathered to celebrate Gatou's defeat and the completion of the bridge. Tazuna, during his opening remarks for the celebration, had said that the bridge represented a turning point for Wave: the closing of a dark chapter in their history and the chance for a brighter future.

While he had assisted in the final days of construction, he still felt that they should be allowed to celebrate in peace. This feat of engineering had been accomplished at great personal cost to many of the villagers and they deserved to celebrate. But he really didn't feel like celebrating some of the events that had brought about this milestone.

He was shaken from his thoughts when he sensed a now familiar chakra signature approaching his position a slow, steady pace. It was odd that he could identify her in such a way after only a week, but he had spent an inordinate amount of time with the girl during that time.

Naruto's attention shifted as he observed the raven-haired girl silently appear out of the shadows cast by one of the larger boats tied along the dock. She traversed the distance fluidly and settled herself beside him a short distance away. She was far enough away to give him space, but close enough that he would occasionally catch a whiff of whatever perfume or shampoo the girl used. The two sat in a comfortable silence for length of time, neither feeling the need to disturb the moment.

"What are you thinking about right now?" The Konoha genin started in surprise at the question, having grown accustomed to the silence and having almost forgotten that he had company.

Naruto glanced at the girl sitting beside him. He found himself noticing her beauty once again, as a burst of light from the fireworks lit her features. While he could refuse to answer or make up some inane comment, he felt somewhat obligated to answer her question truthfully.

As he tried to understand this feeling, the blonde shinobi realized that the answer was fairly simple… he trusted her. For some inexplicable reason he felt comfortable enough around her to trust her. He could only marvel at the fact that he felt more at ease with a near stranger than he did with either of his two teammates.

Mentally discarding the thought, Naruto returned his gaze to the village and focused on the question she had asked. After a moment he answered, "I am just reflecting on how I am very familiar with watching others celebrate from afar." There was a long pause before he continued, "This is how I have spent most of my birthdays back in Konoha."

He felt her gaze on him, but she did not ask the question he imagined was on her mind. Over the past week, they had come to an unspoken understanding: neither would pry too aggressively into the thoughts of the other. Naruto, still focused on the village, eventually offered, "My birthday falls on an important celebration in Konoha. Not everyone is welcome to celebrate… My presence at this celebration upsets others."

The latter part had been spoken with obvious resentment and bitterness and more than ever Haku began to suspect that there were deep shadows in Naruto's past that he kept hidden from all but a precious few. Despite his open personality, she had found Naruto to be a remarkably private person. She felt honored that he would share this with her, but she didn't understand his reasons. She was wondering about that as she asked, "Why did you tell me about this? It sounds like a rather personal secret."

Naruto shrugged. "I guess I just wanted to ensure that I gave you all available information before you make your choice. Konoha is a wonderful place to live, but it is not without its faults. I would hate for you to make your decision, only to become disillusioned by the reality you find in the village."

The two returned to their observation of the celebration. After another comfortable pause in the conversation, Haku broke the silence once again. "Is Konoha someplace where one can find happiness?"

Smiling slightly at the girl's choice of words, Naruto answered, "Many would describe Konoha as idyllic. It is a beautiful village with a pleasant climate. The village itself is prosperous, clean, and safe. The people that live there are generally friendly and helpful. In short, it is a nice place to live."

"But there is a darker side to Konoha. Some of its citizens are fearful of what they do not understand. Many simply follow along with the crowd instead of thinking for themselves. While this is probably true of most places, this does not make it any more pleasant for those who are affected by their narrow mindset."

Once again Haku noticed a bitter undercurrent to the blonde's words. "Naruto… Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" When Naruto responded with a casual shrug, Haku continued her inquiry, "You have described your own life as being difficult. Your previous statement and other comments you have made have led me to believe that others in your village have treated you cruelly. Given this, why do you stay in your village? You could run away and start over somewhere else. Why do you remain loyal to a village that does not appreciate you?"

Naruto had stiffened at her question. It was a valid question, but it was not a subject that he liked to dwell on too much. It was frightening how insightful it had been given what little he had said. He shifted his gaze once again to the girl sitting beside him. She appeared to be studying the water, but he could tell that she was interested in his answer.

"The answer is simple and complicated at the same time," he began quietly. "The simple answer is that I can't. It is not I am physically restrained or anything like that… it is more that I can't bring myself to consider the possibility. While I am constantly disparaged by narrow minded idiots, having been the subject of countless taunts and death threats, I have also experienced instances of unbelievable kindness." Naruto's expression took on a distant quality as he continued with his explanation.

"There is a ramen shop in Konoha that I frequent quite often. The owner of this shop has welcomed me with open arms since I was a small child. Now that I am older, I have come to realize that allowing me to eat there has caused him a number of problems and cost him a great deal of business. When I asked him about this, he said that he doesn't care about the loss of business. He allows me to eat there simply because it is the right thing to do."

Naruto shook his head slightly as he continued quietly, "The man is a single father that sometimes struggles to support himself and his daughter, but he chose the more difficult path because of his beliefs."

"Another example would be my last sensei at the academy. He experienced a great personal loss in his past… one that was closely tied to my own past. Instead of blaming me for his misfortune or ignoring me like countless others, he was able to see me as a person and has treated me as such. While he is strict and protective at times, it is because he didn't want me to make the same mistakes that he made when he was younger."

Naruto smiled sadly for a moment before he shook himself from his memories. "There are some of other examples, but there is not much point in going into them. For better or for worse, Konoha is my home. It is where those precious to me live… and it is where my heart and soul reside. I don't think I could ever betray or abandon Konoha."

Naruto glanced back over at the girl and found her studying him with a thoughtful expression. As the moment drew out, the blonde shinobi began to fidget slightly under her gaze. The level of scrutiny he found in her deep brown eyes made him nervous for some inexplicable reason. To relieve the tension of the situation, at least for him, he tried to restart the conversation. "So… we'll be leaving in the morning so…"

She blinked, apparently unaware that she had been staring at him, and responded, "Yeah… I guess I don't have much time to decide." She really didn't know what else to say. While she had talked to him several times over the past week, she still didn't quite understand the energetic shinobi.

This lack of understanding sometimes left her feeling a little anxious around him. He seemed to be a nice enough person… He had been kind enough to help a perfect stranger gather medicinal herbs to help an unknown person. He had even been considerate of her during her recovery.

But she had seen another side of him and could recall every detail of that occurrence. She knew that he could be violent… that he could be dangerous. A cold feeling passed over her as she remembered staring into those red, hate-filled eyes and knowing that her end was near. It was hard for her to reconcile that danger with the kind boy sitting beside her.

It wasn't until later that night that Haku realized exactly why that trail of thought seemed so familiar. The complicated and faceted nature of his past… The odd dichotomy between violence and kindness… 'He is like Zabuza-sama…'

XXXXX

Haku shuffled her feet slightly before she quickly masked her nervousness. She waited several paces away from where Naruto and his team were saying goodbye to the people of Wave. Time seemed to crawl as she waited for them to be finish. Having made her decision, she was actually impatient to be underway.

Finally, they were prepared to depart and Haku shouldered her pack easily before she silently fell in beside Naruto. They walked in silence across the bridge that had so recently been completed. She was well aware of the scrutinizing gazes of Naruto's teammates. She ignored them. While they had been civil to her, there was an undercurrent of tension that was almost stifling in its intensity.

They did not trust her and she did not trust them. While Kakashi cloaked his opinion behind a mask and years of experience, there were subtle tells that indicated that he was always aware of her location.

The pink haired girl ignored her for the most part, choosing to alternate between staring at her and spending her time in one-sided conversation with the Uchiha. The Uchiha himself was prone to glaring at her intently when he thought Kakashi was not paying attention. All and all, less than the ideal traveling companions.

The pace turned out to be a light jog compared to when she had traveled with Zabuza. This was primarily due to Sakura's need for constant rest stops. Although Haku wanted to berate the pink haired kunoichi as an embarrassment to kunoichi everywhere, she managed to hold her tongue. As it was, the other girl appeared to be oblivious to the glares she was receiving from her two teammates.

Due to the pace set by Sakura, what should have been a light two-day journey stretched into three. The nights passed quietly and the groups made early starts in the mornings. Naruto, much as he had during the last week, alternated between topics of casual conversation and extended periods of silence.

The dark haired kunoichi found herself becoming more and more agitated as they progressed towards the village. Although she realized that she had made the best possible decision, she was nervous about what would happen once they reached Konoha. Her future was so uncertain, but she had made her decision and she could only hope that Naruto's predictions turned out to be accurate. Despite everything, she couldn't help but feel a sliver of optimism.

XXXXX

Sakura felt a scowl settle over her features as Team Seven plus one passed through the last farming village before they would reach the walls of Konoha.

The scowl reflected her opinion of the mission, as it had been nothing like she had expected. It was supposed to be a simple escort mission where she would be able to spend some time with Sasuke. This expectation had not been overly ambitious as the extended nature of the mission meant that they would be spending a great deal more time together than normal. There should have been plenty of chances for casual interaction as they traveled during the days and relaxed during the nights.

The situation was supposed to give her some opportunities… of various sorts, and she had been planning to use them to her advantage. Her expectations had been modest. Perhaps they would be able to share a meal while Kakashi-sensei and Naruto were distracted. Perhaps she would be able to impress him by demonstrating one of the new genjutsu she had spent quite a bit of time studying. A sigh escaped Sakura as she thought, 'So many possibilities… but these opportunities never presented themselves.'

There were a number of reasons that they never materialized. First, the various attacks by Zabuza had thrown everything into disarray. Second, a number of small disasters arose in the wake of Zabuza's actions.

The first disaster had come in the form of the tree climbing exercise. While she had been able to climb up further than Sasuke originally, she was soon left in the dust as he was able to practice far longer than she could. This shortcoming may have been compounded by the fact that she had often stopped practicing at the first sign of fatigue. After all, she didn't want to fall down and embarrass herself in front of Sasuke. Plus, she didn't want to risk sweating too heavily around the raven-haired boy.

The second disaster had come soon after Naruto's confrontation with Inari. Sasuke's normally cool demeanor had become absolutely frigid after that night. He had barely acknowledged her for two days and had ignored all her attempts to follow Kakashi-sensei's advice by learning more about him.

The final disaster occurred during the incident on the bridge. Her heart had stopped when she saw the two Narutos carry a bleeding and motionless Sasuke out of the mist. She really could describe to amount of relief she felt when he opened his eyes and began complain about her proximity. His injuries had turned out to be relatively minor, but the weakness he had suffered during his recovery had been… difficult to deal with. While she tried to push aside the hurtful things he had said aside, they still rang in her mind.

It didn't help that everyone had been very tense after the attack on the bridge. While she had not been able to get a straight answer about what had happened between Naruto and Sasuke-kun while they were hidden by the mist, she was able to deduce that Sasuke-kun had saved Naruto, who then went on to defeat Haku. She was slightly disgruntled that the only reason she knew that much was due to eavesdropping on Naruto's abortive thank-you-turned-argument during Sasuke-kun's recovery.

Things should have improved after Sasuke had recovered sufficiently for them to return to Konoha. But even that bit of good news was overshadowed by a storm cloud. This storm cloud manifested itself by taking on the appearance of a dark haired kunoichi.

Haku irritated the Konoha kunoichi. There was really no other way to describe her feelings for the girl. The most depressing thing was that the feeling wasn't personal… aside from the fact that she was responsible for injuring Sasuke. Of course, this had provided her with the opportunity to assist in the shinobi's recovery, so the injury had turned out to be more of a blessing… even if Sasuke had not appreciated her efforts.

The reason for this irritation was that many of the feelings of inferiority that she thought she had left behind at the academy came welling to the surface in the presence of the dark haired kunoichi. She was far more poised than the pink haired kunoichi was, moving with almost unnatural grace while performing even the most mundane tasks.

The girl was obviously far stronger than her if she was able to hold off both Sasuke and Naruto for any length of time. And, as much as she hated to admit it, the missing nin was far prettier than her. Despite any snide comments she could make to the contrary, Sakura was forced to admit that Haku was taller, more developed, and had a complexion that most girls would kill for.

As if it was not humbling enough that Haku seemed to be superior to herself in every regard, she had also captured everyone's attention. Kakashi seemed to be hanging around the group far more than he had prior to her arrival. While he still tried to hide his interest behind that disgusting book of his, his mere presence betrayed him.

Naruto had put aside the loud and obnoxious nature that he had been known for at the academy and was often seen either having quiet conversations with the girl or simply keeping her company. Sakura didn't even want to think about why that bothered her.

'And Sasuke-kun…' She glanced over at Sasuke and found him scowling at the dark haired kunoichi. 'Even Sasuke-kun is paying attention to her. The only saving grace is that this attention seems to be motivated more by his anger than anything else…, but he is paying attention to her none the less.'

Sakura sighed audibly as she shook her head to clear away her depressing thoughts. They would be back in Konoha before nightfall and then everything would return to normal.

The young kunoichi didn't seem to remember that her thoughts had also been troubled when they had left the village.

XXXXX

Naruto felt himself smiling a bit more as the group rapidly approached Konoha. Despite the thoughts that weighed on his mind, he couldn't help but focus on the positives. He would be able to harass Iruka-sensei. He would be able to update old man Hokage about his training. He would be able to regal old man Ichiraku and Ayame-nee-chan with stories of Wave while destroying ridiculous amounts of ramen.

He would also be able to resume training with Ino-chan and Hinata-chan. It wasn't until this last thought that he realized exactly how much he missed those sessions. His smile broadened even more as he realized that he would be able to see his friends tomorrow.

XXXXX

A/N – Well, that finally concludes the events of Wave. A bit darker than the anime, but not without its positive aspects as well. While I apologize for my atrocious updating schedule, I think that I will be a bit more active since I will be able to gain some separation from canon in the next couple of chapters. The next chapter will be a bit different, as it will focus on events surrounding Teams Eight and Ten during the Wave mission. This type of chapter will be the exception as this story is primarily about Naruto. The next six chapters are outlined as original content before the Chuunin exams in Chapter 17. Hopefully they will be worth the wait.

Now for a general comment… I always thought that Haku was an underutilized character and I am a bit of a sucker for a well-written FemHaku story. I hope I was able to pull her character off in a believable fashion. The other character I always thought was short changed in canon was Jiraiya, but this will be addressed in later chapters.

Story Statistics as of 11/20/2008

Chapters: 10

Reviews: 393

Hits: 137,871

C2s: 170

Favorites: 627

Alerts: 865