Switched at Tragedy (Rewrite)

by Caliban Super Saiyan 0

The Shenron of Time and Space sees only pain for Goku in one of the timebranches. It's even worse for Naruto. What's a dragon to do? Maybe call upon a certain time traveler to switch the boys out. Will this fix the problem or make things worst? How will this affect our favorite heroes? T because Dragon Ball and Naruto. OCC Naruto and Goku. Goku X Hinata, Fu X Anko. Contains OC's.

10. Chapter 9: Of Demons and Bandits

Back again! Funny enough, this is the chapter where I announced Sakura as the winner of the poll. It's kinda hilarious since Hinata's the girl paired with Goku in the rewrite. The girl in second place is now the one getting the guy. How ironic can this rewrite get?

Anywho, on with the chapter! I don't own Dragon Ball or Naruto.

Time Branch 147, Random Desert

It's been a few days since the guys hit the road. Oolong was playing nicely at the moment. He had every motivation to leave soon, however. Why? Because Bulma's car broke down in the middle of the desert and she lost all her capsules somehow.

He would've made a break for it right then and there, if Naruto wasn't hanging back with them for security reasons. Plus the fact that the young ninja could track him anywhere and roast his ham didn't help. Naruto sighed as he looked back at them, memories from his shadow clones entering his mind.

"Shadow clone 3 found no trace of it at the village." said Naruto. Bulma groaned in anger. Oh how she wished they could all fit on the cloud, or only two so they could ditch the pig.

"They must've been stolen or something." cried Bulma. "That's the only explanation." Naruto shook his head, not believing his traveling companion.

"You think someone could steal something from this group in the middle of the day with me around? That person would either have to be quite the thief or one darn good shinobi." Bulma gulped at the prospect of another ninja being after them. She suddenly thought of a ninja with long black hair and a handsome face. It was then that she no longer wanted strawberries.

Bulma suddenly got another idea, turning to the pig beside her.

"Oh Oolong?" asked Bulma. Oolong knew the woman was up to something, but was too tired to ignore her.

"What?" asked the grumpy pig with a scowl. "I'm busy suffering here."

"Could you turn into a car and carry us through the desert?" Oolong groaned at her in response.

"I don't change mass so I wouldn't be able to carry you anywhere." Bulma frowned and looked forward. Later in the day, the group could still be seen trekking the path. Bulma panted, then fell to her knees. "BOSS! GET OVER HERE QUICK!"

Naruto ran over to check on the Capsule Corp. heiress. She had passed out from exhaustion, and needed to cool down fast. He looked around, then a memory from one of his clones came to him. He made a clone to grab Oolong, then scooped Bulma up in his arms. They soon arrived at a small rock formation, but it was big enough to provide cover.

"This should be a good place for her to rest." said Naruto as he placed Bulma on the ground. He propped her head as to make sure she was comfortable. The clone set Oolong down, then ran out into the distance.

"Where's he going?" Naruto turned his attention to the priso… I mean community service worker.

"He went to do a perimeter check and keep an eye out for Bulma's bag. Now help me get a fire started so I can cook some grub." Oolong groaned in protest, but quickly got to work. They soon got the sticks together, when Naruto smiled. "Could you go get Bulma's capsule bag from around back?"

Oolong looked to the jinchuriki in shock.

"When did..." Naruto waved his finger in the air.

"The clone found the bag hanging on a dead tree. He was about to come in when he stepped on a cactus. It was very prickly." Oolong gave the blonde a confused look.

"Then why aren't you..." Oolong got his answer when Naruto screamed into a pillow. Not wanting to ask anymore questions, the pig did what was asked. Naruto rubbed his foot as he awaited Oolong's return. "HELP ME BOSS!"

Oolong suddenly came running in as a hammer came flying behind him. The hammer continued to pound the ground behind him, almost hitting Bulma's capsule bag a few times. Naruto focused his chakra, trying to see if it was a genjutsu, but it was all real. He noticed Bulma starting to stir, then pulled out a kunai. He threw it at the hammer, which squealed as it flew the other direction.

It suddenly transformed into a flying blue cat. Naruto blinked a few times, but once again he wasn't seeing things.

"YAMCHA!" cried the feline. A sword suddenly knocked the weapon away. A man in a green shirt and orange pants stood before her. He had a scabbard on his back, and a scar on his face. His long black hair flowed with the wind.

He looked down at the kunai, then turned his attention to Naruto.

"Big mistake kid." said Yamcha. "I don't know who you think you are, but no one attacks my friend. I might spare you if you stand aside and let me end that miserable pork chop's life." Naruto slowly turned his head to Oolong. He grabbed the pig's ear and pulled.

"What did you do this time!?" shouted Naruto. Oolong waved his hands in the air.

"I did nothing!" cried the pig in defense. "I just went around back to grab the bag, when shrill voice over there transformed into a hammer and tried to squash me." The cat popped out from behind Yamcha with a frown on his face.

"You were the one that bullied me back in shape shifters' school!" shouted the cat. Oolong growled at the fellow shapeshifter.

"Can it Puar! You're not gonna let them turn me into bacon, are ya Boss? You ain't gonna let the fry my bacon, are ya?" Naruto rubbed his temples as he turned to Yamcha.

"Sorry pal, but the pig still has community service to pay up for." denied Naruto. "Maybe we can settle our problems without things getting messy." Yamcha chuckled as he took a step forward, definitely not giving off friendly intent.

"Well I warned ya kid." said Yamcha as he readied his blade. "Prepare to face the might of the Desert Bandit!" He then charged at Naruto. The blonde pulled out a kunai and parried the sword. He sweeped Yamcha's feet out from under him, causing him to fall right into an uppercut.

Yamcha held his cheek as he took a few steps back. He growled as he slashed from a different angle. It hit its mark. One thing that caught his eye, however, was that Oolong was still smiling. Naruto suddenly disappeared into a puff of smoke, a log with a tongue painted on it in his place.

He turned to see three of the boy standing at the mouth of the cave. Each one had the Power Pole drawn. "So you're a shinobi. Let me make one thing clear. This is my turf, so I suggest you leave the pig with me and go home."

One of the Narutos twirled his poll around, then they all entered the same stance.

"I ain't no thief! I'm Son Naruto Uzumaki! I'll show you how a real ninja works!" Yamcha thought over that name for a bit, then it hit him. He was suddenly hit by one of the poles soon after, funny enough.

He went on the defensive as the boys continued to assault him. He blocked two of the poles, but the third one was used to lift a clone behind him. He knocked them away and slashed the clone, making him poof from existence. He huffed and puffed as the two remaining Narutos surrounded him.

"I expected no less from a descendent of the mighty Son Gohan." Naruto smirked. He knew his grandfather's reputation as a famed martial artist. "To think I'd get to try my special move on such a skilled opponent." Now Naruto's curiosity was peaked.

"Then come on pal." The one behind Yamcha put away his Power Pole and held his hand back. "Come at me with all you've got." Yamcha smirked. He rushed at Naruto, signaling the type of attack he was about to endure. He prepared to counter, as Yamcha began his combination.

"WOLF FANG FIST!" Naruto took the full force, being surprised by the speed of the combination. He puffed out of existence, leaving the one at the entrance with a small but significant fraction of the pain. "Any last words Son Naruto?" The boy looked at him with a smirk.

Yamcha felt a shift in the breeze. He took a quick look back, and saw two more clones. One held his sword and the other came at him with his hands together.

"THOUSAND YEARS OF PAIN!" Yamcha screamed as the attack hit him smack dab in the rear. He nearly hit his head against the roof of the shelter. He was about to return the pain, when he heard a yawn. Bulma stood up, then turned to them with an angry face.

"WHO THE HECK IS MAKING ALL THAT RACKET!?" shouted Bulma. She then turned and saw Yamcha. He almost looked like the ninja she imagined. She smirked as she walked closer. Suddenly, Yamcha shrieked in fear.

He turned and ran away. Right into the Power Pole.

"Yamcha!" shouted Puar as the man went unconscious. He suddenly regained consciousness at the sound of slurping. He looked to the origin of the sound, and saw Naruto downing his third bowl of ramen. He heard Puar snore as the little guy was tied up beside him. He looked forward, and screamed as he once again saw Bulma.

"He's awake." said Bulma, honestly starting to get annoyed at all the screaming no matter how good the man looked. Naruto put the bowl down, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve. He hopped up and walked towards the two bandits. Puar shook around, trying to free himself as he had just woken up. Naruto stopped and knelt down.

"Nice sword." voiced Naruto, but it wasn't the one in front of him. He turned his gaze to find another one looking over his sword. "You obviously take good care of it, for a bandit."

"Yeah well, you wear a lot of orange for a ninja." retorted Yamcha. Naruto suddenly became enraged as he pointed the blade at its owner.

"You could never understand the awesome that is orange! NEVER!" Yamcha sweat dropped at that sentence. "Anyway, are you sure your so famous, oh mighty Desert Bandit Yamcha?" Yamcha took offense to Naruto's tone.

"I am too famous. There are wanted posters of me." Naruto held up a piece of paper. It was indeed a wanted poster, but it was only for 50 zeni. Yamcha read over it multiple times.

"More like a not so wanted poster. You had a lot of nerve challenging a shinobi, but you have the skills to face off against a low level genin." Yamcha smirked.

"I guess you see my skill huh?" Naruto shook his head.

"A genin is basically a ninja who just graduated. A low rank one just started. I'd technically be a regular genin." Yamcha growled, but then a thought crossed his mind. That means there are guys stronger than this kid out there.

Naruto chuckled at the frightened look on Yamcha's face. "Now you have a choice to make. You can either have us drop you off at the nearest prison, where you'll rot out the rest of your years; I can knock you out and leave you here, with a way to untie yourself of course; or you can join our little merry band." Yamcha looked over to Bulma, who looked like she agreed with him. He returned his hus to Naruto, trying to hide the fear he was feeling.

"W-why would I want to join you? You threw a knife at my friend and now you tie me up." Naruto shrugged.

"One, you attacked one of us first. Two, you were a threat, so I restrained you, which is much nicer than what regular shinobi would do." Naruto slowly rubbed his thumb across his neck. Yamcha gulped at this motion while Puar increased his struggles. "Besides, you could probably overcome your little fear you just displayed."

Yamcha sounded his worry as Bulma sounded her confusion. He didn't like either option, but there was one crucial thing about that last option. His darn fear of women, and that ramen smelt really good right now. He hadn't had lunch, plus it was practically dinner time. Whether the smell was there on purpose or not is unknown.

He looked back to Puar. The cat looked freaked out. Would it really be a good idea to get back on the bad side of the people who kicked their butts? He groaned at his predicament. This was totally gonna hurt his pride, but since the descendant of Son Gohan was apparently sparing them.

"Well, I have just one request." Everyone listened in intently. Bulma thought he was gonna make some selfless request or he was gonna have a demand like some treasure. "Can I get some of that ramen? I haven't had lunch or dinner, and I'm starving."

Bulma faceplanted as Naruto laughed. He brought over a bowl as one of the shadow clones untied both the bandit and his friend. Puar was definitely shaking, but that changed when Naruto brought over a large piece of fish.

"By gones be by gones." The two dug in as they reluctantly joined the others. Oolong was prepared to try something, when Naruto pulled on his ear. "If you cause any trouble..."

"I was just gonna... uh..." started Oolong as he tried to find an excuse.

"Apologize to Puar since you were a jerk." Oolong nervously chuckled before nodding. Naruto smiled as he released his hold. "That's exactly what I was thinking."

"Yep. That's the plan Boss." Oolong gulped as Naruto smiled at him. He wondered how a kid could be so ruthless. He swallowed his pride as he walked over to the two newcomers.

Puar looked up from his meal, to see Oolong reluctantly walking over. "Look Squeal... I mean Puar. I'm sorta, kinda…" Oolong mumbled the last part, causing Puar to just smirk.

"I didn't hear you." said Puar. Naruto chuckled at the two shapeshifters.

"That's the best you're getting out of me tonight. I'm to tired to say I'm sorry." The porker let his words sink in. He smacked his head in defeat.

"Apology accepted." He raised an eyebrow as Puar resumed dinning. Bulma looked on as Yamcha wiped his face. She didn't know what his fear was, but she knew of a sure fire way to help him get over it. Besides, she might have just got her real wish.

A few hours into the night, a shadow began to creep towards the group. The shadow popped out from behind a rock, revealing himself to be an anthropomorphic dog in a purple ninja outfit. He soon saw the dragon balls all set out on a table. He snickered as he rolled them into a bag. He then placed a charge on the table and ran.

He soon found himself back at the plane that brought him here. A woman with long black hair stepped out of the vehicle. She had black, shoulder length hair and blue eyes. She wore red eye shadow and lipstick, a teal trench coat with a red star insignia on each shoulder, a brown belt with a pistol holster attached to it from the right hip, beige slacks, and brown combat boots. She smirked as the dog showed her the dragon balls in the bag.

"Nice work Shu!" cheered the girl. "Emperor Oolong will be pleased for sure!" The dog smirked at the compliment.

"It was too easy Mai!" bragged the dog. "They had them sitting out on a table, completely unguarded. How dumb can you possibly get." He then sniffed the air as a strange scent hit his snout. "Is it just me, or is the scent of smoke in the air?"

The dragon balls suddenly puffed, revealing four paper bombs. Back at the rock formation, everyone turned into logs. The bomb there went off just before the paper ones went off. Mai and Shu stood there, covered in ash. Shu coughed as he fell over.

"WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED OVER THERE!?" shouted a voice over a com in Mai's ear. "WHERE ARE THE DRAGON BALLS!?" She slowly raised her hand to answer the call.

"It was a trap sir." answered Mai. "The dragon balls we acquired were actually explosive orbs. I bet one hundred percent that the people back at the formation were also fake, so the bomb Shu set was basically ineffective. Forgive us Emperor Pilaf." The man on the other end, now known as Emperor Pilaf, growled at the predicament.

"You are to find them and forcefully take the dragon balls from them. Do I make myself clear?" Mai saluted the man, while Shu just put his hand on top of his head while he lay on the ground.

"YES SIR EMPEROR PILAF!" shouted both Mai and Shu. Mai then looked down to her partner.

"Are you gonna get up any time soon?" asked Mai. The dog looked over to her.

"Just a few more minutes." answered Shu. Meanwhile, Naruto was smirking from a chair. They had gotten into Bulma's RV and left the scene, but Naruto left a little surprise behind. Sufficed to say he enjoyed being a ninja. Bulma shot up from the sound of the explosions.

"What was that?" asked Bulma as she rubbed her eyes. Naruto looked over to her.

"Just some Dry Lightning." partially lied Naruto. He had called the trick Dry Lightning a few days after he came up with it. "Nothing to worry about. Go back to sleep Bulma-Hime." Bulma, groggy and exhausted, raised her hand as she turned back to the bed.

"You ain't hear'n any complaints from me." Naruto looked up to the sky as Bulma returned to slumber. He could see so many stars without all the trees. He looked over to all his allies. They were kinda growing on him, even the new additions.

'Best decision I've made in a while.' The boy then looked down at the four star dragon ball. 'Wish you were around to hear this story Grandpa.' Naruto resealed the dragon balls as he went to sleep.

Time Branch 149, Konohagakure

Hiruzen Sarutobi was working on some last minute paper work. He definitely loved Fu Nisekuma's suggestion with the shadow clones. Even though the paper work increased, he still found that he had enough time to actually visit his family and partake in more relaxing practices. He was signing the last piece of paper work, when he heard a knock at his door. He sighed as he finished up his signature.

"Come in." said the Hokage. An ANBU officer entered the room and bowed. "Well? What is it?"

"Lord Hokage, you are needed in I and T." stated the ANBU. "A shadow clone of one Goku Toyotomi has returned with a missing nin from Kumo and some startling news about his assigned mission." Hiruzen quickly exited the room and followed the officer. Once they reached the building, they could here the screams of the missing nin. Hiruzen found the Goku clone and kneeled down to check on him.

"Are you alright my boy?" Goku just smirked. "You aren't hurt are you?"

"I'm fine Jiji." reassuredly laughed Goku. The boy then explained the truth to Hiruzen. The Hokage definitely wasn't fond of the trick, but he felt sorrowful for the people of Wave. He was relieved to hear that the team decided to continue with the mission and Goku's wise choice for the fate of their remaining attacker. "So anyway, we might be able to handle it, but some backup might be necessary."

Hiruzen nodded as he stood up.

"Wise choice for someone your age Goku. You definitely deserved that forehead protector." Goku smirked in response. "I'll send a team directly to Tazuna's house to secure his family in the event of an attack. As for some back up, I believe you should be able to handle getting him there."

Goku continued to smirk as his shadow clone puffed out of existence. Hiruzen looked to the ANBU behind him with a serious face. "Did you not here me? Call in Team 10! I will give them the assignment as a B-rank mission, importance level 3."

The ANBU officer bowed respectfully, then took off. He then took a breath of his pipe as a figure appeared behind him. It was revealed to be Fu Nisekuma. Hiruzen breathed out a puff of smoke as he turned to the man. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting Fu?"

"I wanted to talk about a transfer." said Fu. "It's for the good of our favorite blonde." This left Hiruzen a little confused, but one thing was clear. Between the joint mission of Team 7 and Team 8, assigning a new mission to Team 10, and now Fu's visit, there was going to be a lot more paper work to do.

Road to Wave

The group was currently on their way to a river that separated them from the home of their client, Tazuna. The memories from Goku's shadow clone had just arrived, and he filled the others in on the situation. Tazuna was releaved that the Hokage was willing to send a team to keep his family safe while he worked, though he was still wary of children fighting these battles. Kakashi seemed pretty annoyed by the mention of Team 10, but no one was quite sure why. Only Goku could here the word youth being shouted from the high heavens.

They soon arrived at the river. Goku suddenly felt an ominous energy as the boat made landfall. Something was wrong, really wrong. Goku nodded to Sakura and Hinata like the last time, receiving nods of confirmation from both. Sasuke looked between the three, understanding that they knew something.

They soon reached the other side of the stream. They all got out, and Goku took the lead. Sakura and Hinata remained close to Tazuna, Shino sent out some insects in response to their actions, Kiba and Akamaru prepared to redeem themselves, and Sasuke kept an eye out for whatever it is they were looking for. A rabbit suddenly hopped in their path, causing Hinata to lose focus. She walked over to pet it, when Goku suddenly wrapped her in his arms as he tackled her to the ground.

A mud wall was made by a shadow clone to block a sudden explosion. Goku raised his head as he checked on Hinata. He found that she was blushing, the reason obvious as he was laying right on top of her. She half expected him to lean in. Instead, she got a concerned face from the boy.

"Are you okay?" asked Goku. "Do you have a fever?" Sakura couldn't believe that he suggested that Hinata had a fever. The poor heiress couldn't keep up her composure and fainted under the saiyan. "Hinata!"

The sound of soft laughter reached their ears, and they both hopped up and into their respective battle stances. A tall and noticeably muscular man with light grayish skin, short spiky black hair, dark brown eyes, and small eyebrows stood before them. He wore bandages like a mask over the bottom half of his face, a forehead protector sideways on his head, a belt, baggy pants with a striped pattern, and mimetic wrist-warmers extending up to his elbows, with matching leg-warmers. Attached to his back by the belt was a large broadsword. It was as tall as a full-grown man and shaped like a butcher knife.

The blade had two large circular holes, one close to the top and a semi-circular one nearer to the handle, the former obviously used to relieve one of his head. He glared at the group in front of him.

"This is the group of shinobi who defeated the Demon Brothers?" asked the man. "I'm not impressed, but my source tells me that the young ones have potential. Prove it by making the smart choice and move out of my way." The man pointed his blade at Tazuna, and the girls stood in front of said man. "My only business is with the bridge builder."

Kakashi then stood in his way as well.

"I'm afraid we have orders to protect him until the completion of the bridge." said Kakashi. He looked over to his team. "All of you, protect Tazuna. I'll deal with Zabuza Momochi myself." Kurenai looked to Team 8, the same orders written in her eyes.

Zabuza smirked as both groups followed the orders of their sensei.

"You've heard of me, yet you still stand in my way? You are one foolish Jonin. Maybe I should thin Konohagakure's ranks." He ran at Kakashi, preparing to slice him in half. Kakashi just held up a kunai and blocked the attack.

Zabuza was more than surprised by the occurance, and fell prey to a hard kick from Kakashi. The Jonin threw multiple kunai at Zabuza, but the missing nin blocked them all with his huge sword. They continued this back and forth cycle as mist began to fill the area. Kakashi looked around, then his eye widened. He turned to warn his team, but instead found himself blocking an attack from Zabuza.

Zabuza chuckled. "You've caught on to my little trick haven't you? Well it's already too late. Their screams of agony will fill the air soon enough." There were screams, but they certainly not the genins' voices.

"You underestimate our teams." said Kurenai as she slashed Zabuza, only for the man to turn to water and fall to the ground. Back with the others, they had just disposed of multiple clones of Zabuza. Suddenly, another grabbed Tazuna by the shoulder. He was suddenly hit by a ki blast, however, and disappeared in steam. Tazuna watched as the children reformed their tight lock around him.

"Water clones." said Sasuke. "He must be a missing nin from Kirigakure." Zabuza's chuckle filled the air once more.

"I'm impressed boy. Though I guess I should've expected it from an Uchiha. I wonder if you've activated those eyes of yours yet." Sasuke looked forward, only to see Goku get in front of Zabuza's sword. It pierced him, but he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Be more careful Sasuke." said Goku. "This guy's no pushover." He soon found Zabuza standing in front of him with his sword raised. Sasuke threw a kunai into his chest. The clone turned into water as Goku turned to Sasuke.

"I could say the same to you." replied Sasuke with a smirk.

"Can you idiots focus!?" shouted Kiba as Akamaru lunged for a clone's throat. Kiba followed the attack up by stabbing the fake Zabuza in the head. Shino unleashed some aquatic insects at the clones. The bugs but down on kill points as the clones splashed on the ground. He turned to the others as telepathic insects landed on them.

'We can't see anything in this mist.' said Shino over the connection. 'We have to deal with it before we can win this battle.' Goku suddenly got an idea as he looked to Sakura.

"Secure Tazuna and Hinata!" Sakura understood and held on to the bridge builder and the heiress. Goku breathed in as he began to charge his energy. Suddenly, shockwaves were sent out from where he stood. Rocks flew in the air as his energy continued to increase.

Any sensory ninja for miles could feel a small portion of the energy being charged. Goku suddenly stopped, causing a massive pulse to disperse the mist. Tazuna stood shocked as Sakura finally let go of him. They soon were able to see all the water clones that were around them. Suffice to say they were all stunned by the boy's display of power.

'What is this brat?' thought Zabuza. Goku smirked as he began to volley the clones with a multitude of ki blasts, Sakura doing the same from the other side and Sasuke preparing a fire ball jutsu. Soon, only one remained. The original was dumbstruck by the power of the genin. He smirked at their close proximity to the bridge builder, and got his hands in position.

Kakashi ran at him. As Zabuza created the first sign, Kakashi lifted his headband and followed along.

"WATER STYLE, SHARK BOMB JUTSU!" said both men. Two water sharks popped up from behind them. Zabuza sent his forward first, but Kakashi's was faster. The two attacks clashed, the animals fighting a bit before exploding into a puddle of water. Zabuza looked to Kakashi in surprise.

"That was awesome Kakashi-sensei!" shouted Goku. Zabuza smirked at that name.

"I guess I should've expected a strong shinobi to cross my path eventually." said Zabuza. "I never expected it to be Kakashi of the Sharingan though." Sasuke gasped and looked to his sensei. Indeed, a sharingan adorned his sensei's left eye. It swirled as it locked on to the missing nin.

"Keep that form around Tazuna!" ordered Kakashi. They resumed their positions, covering all angles. Zabuza growled as he prepared a special jutsu. Suddenly, Kakashi mimicked his first hand sign, then his second, third and on from there. Zabuza was shocked at the sight.

"What!? Can you predict the future!?" Kurenai landed beside the Sharingan wielder.

"He can, and your future is death!" shouted Kurenai. Kakashi cringed as she stole his line.

"WATER STYLE, MULTI SHARK BOMB JUTSU!" shouted Kakashi. A multitude of water sharks rushed Zabuza, pinning him against a tree. Kakashi was about to go for another strike, when two needles pierced straight through Zabuza's neck. All eyes turned to what appeared to be a man with long black hair, wearing a mask over his face to hide it. Other than the mask, he wore a green haori with white trimmings, a brown sash with a fringed trail wrapped around his waist twice, light-brown platoon sandals with straps in the same color as his kimono and nail polish on his fingernails and toenails in matching blue green color.

"I give you my thanks for keeping him busy." said the man as he hopped down from the tree he was standing on. "Do you know how hard it is for a hunter nin to catch one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?" Sakura sounded her understanding. Goku turned to her with a confused face.

"You know what a hunter nin is?" asked Goku. Sakura nodded.

"Hunter nin are tasked with tracking down missing nin and returning them to their country dead or alive." explained Sakura. The ninja nodded his head.

"That's the gist of my job." replied the man. He walked over and grabbed Zabuza's body. Kakashi nodded and gave the hunter a nod.

"Well we best get out of your way then." said Kakashi. He looked to his students. "Let's get a move on. We have a mission to complete." The team nodded, but Goku sent a quick glance towards the hunter nin.

He sensed out his energy. His suspicions were confirmed, but he knew this wasn't the time to start a fight since they had a vulnerable civilian. He returned his sights forward as the ninja took off. The group was about to move forward, when Kakashi collapsed. The teams ran over to check on him.

"Is he alright?" asked Tazuna. Goku and Sakura looked to him.

"He's just suffering from chakra depletion." answered Kurenai, causing all eyes to turn to her. "He just needs to rest." Sakura respectively pulled Kakashi's headband back over his sharingan eye. Tazuna was about to offer to carry him, but Goku hoisted the man over his shoulder. They quickly made their way to Tazuna's house, where a few men were being carted off.

The bridge builder quickly ran to one of the villagers.

"What happened here?" The man smiled as he turned to Tazuna.

"Apparently these men came to your house looking for trouble." answered the man. "A group of Konoha ninja gave them more trouble then they planned to cause. Two specifically kept mentioning the power of youth." Kakashi was able to groan in annoyance while he was unconscious. Just the mentioning of that phrase brought about an involuntary reaction. Goku, on the other hand, gave a wide smile as he passed Kakashi to Tazuna and ran in the house.

He leaped when he saw a familiar bowl hair cut boy.

"DYNAMIC SURPRISE!" shouted Goku as he stuck his arm out. Lee turned around as he raised his arm. The two boys clashed in an epic fist bump. At least, that's how it looked to them and a certain look alike. To the rest, it looked like some random event.

"Goku-san!" shouted Lee. Goku landed on the ground and rubbed the back of his head. "It is wonderful to see you again my eternal friend!" Goku laughed and nodded.

"Great to see you too Lee." A girl suddenly walked over to greet them. She had dark brown hair put up in two buns and eyes of matching color. She wore a pink sleeveless qipao-style blouse with red sleeve trimmings and yellow fastening buttons, dark green pants, a pouch adjusted to her thigh, a standard Konoha forehead protector and blue sandals. Goku knew her as Tenten, a girl who really loved weapons.

"Long time no see Goku." greeted Tenten. Goku smirked to the girl. "It's great to see you again."

"Same to you Tenten." He then glanced over to see Neji resting in a chair. He only had enough energy to raise his hand for a greeting. Goku returned his attention to his two long time friends. "What's wrong with Neji-sama?"

Tenten snickered as she turned to her teammate.

"He couldn't handle Lee flying us here and lost consciousness. He hasn't moved from that chair since we got here a few hours ago." Goku sounded his agreement. Tazuna and the rest of his team entered the building. Tazuna placed Kakashi down on the couch, when suddenly a strange man burst into the room.

The man was almost a carbon copy of Lee. The only differences were his height, age, and the fact that his face was definitely that of a mature man. Both Kakashi and Neji unconsciously groaned at the man's arrival. Goku guessed this was the great Mighty Guy that Lee idolized. The man suddenly rushed over to great them.

"You must be Team's 7, 8, and the client Tazuna!" cried Guy. "It seems my rival has a very youthful bunch, as do you Kurenai!" He glanced to Kakashi then turned his gaze back to them. He suddenly freaked out as he once again looked to Kakashi. "WHAT HAPPENED TO MY ETERNAL RIVAL!?"

"He blacked out from Chakra depletion." answered Sakura, still feeling awkward about the whole thing. "He had to use his sharingan just to win." Guy still held his shocked face.

"WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO COOL WHILE BEING UNCONCIOUS!?" Goku held back a chuckle while the others just gave the man a deadpanned look. The man smacked his own face then looked to the roof. "YOSH! To keep up with you, I will run around the entire village one hundred times! Wish me luck children!"

He ran out the door, with Lee trailing behind.

"I will join you Guy sensei!" shouted Lee as the door closed behind them. As soon as they left, Kakashi sat up from his spot.

"Why did it have to be him?" asked Kakashi. Neji opened his eyes and looked over to the jonin.

"Great minds think alike." said Neji. Tenten and Sakura just shook their heads at the men. Neji looked to Hinata as she was rested in a chair. "What happened?" Goku shrugged, causing Sakura to sigh.

"She... passed out from overworking herself." lied Sakura. "She's really working hard." Neji nodded in understanding. At least she wasn't slacking off. Tazuna soon introduced them to his family.

Tsunami, his daughter, was a very nice lady. Inari, his grandson, was a different story. That wasn't important right now, however as they grew weary from their travels. Soon the only ones left awake were Goku, Tenten, Sakura, and Hinata who had recently awakened from her passed out state. Tenten was getting a glass of water, Goku was combing his tail, and Sakura was sharing stories with Hinata.

Sakura sat up in her sleeping bag as she looked over to the resting Sasuke. She sighed as she saw an actual smile on his face. He actually looked very peaceful. She then looked over to Goku. He just finished with the brush and placed it back in his travel bag.

She was cut off by Hinata's laughter.

"So Akamaru bit Goku-Kun's tail, making him yelp out in pain." said Hinata as she continued her story. "Goku weakly ran around as Kiba tried to get Akamaru off of him." Sakura chuckled as Goku's ear twitched. "You should've seen him when someone mentioned a visit to the doctor."

"WHERE?!" shouted Goku as he held his tail in fear. The two girls blinked multiple times before giggling at the boy. He blushed with a chuckle as he waved at them. Sakura waved back, but Hinata turned with a blush of her own.

Hinata suddenly looked down in realization. This is definitely a dangerous mission. Sakura's sensei had to use his trump card against Zabuza, and it took a lot out of him. She was glad that hunter nin came around when he did. One thought crossed her mind as she closed her eyes.

'Will I really do any good on this mission?' thought Hinata.

"What kind of question is that even?" asked Goku. The Hyūga heiress became as red as a tomato. She actually asked that question out loud. Sakura gave her a serious look as Goku shook his head. "Why would you doubt yourself?"

Sakura stood up at that point. She had a feeling this would get personal.

"Well, I'm gonna go see what Tenten is doing." said Sakura as she walked off. Hinata felt betrayed as she was left alone with Goku. She slowly turned to him, her expression innocent. He had his arms crossed as he awaited Hinata's explanation. The heiress sighed in defeat as she turned to face the saiyan.

"It's just... that Z...Zabuza guy took all of M...Mr. Kakashi's strength to beat him, and he's a high level jonin. What hope do we have?" Goku sat in a meditative position and made a ki sphere. He motioned his eyes, and Hinata did the same.

"We have mastered the art of using and expanding our physical energy. We have enhanced strength and powerful blast attacks. Sure he may have stronger jutsu, but we have the ability to enhance our own strength. We just have to get the drop on him as soon as possible." Hinata shook her head with a false smile.

"You really think I can do something? I was hardly any help in the last battle, being unconscious and all." Goku suddenly sat beside her, causing the ki she was generating to dissipate.

"I know so. You're stronger than you think Hinata. You're honestly the strongest girl I know. You're also caring, sweet, honest, and an overall compassionate person." Hinata's blush deepened as she looked to the monkey boy. She stared into his eyes, able to sera darker version of her reflection in those onyx mirrors.

She felt something begin to wrap around her waist. Goku looked down, then his cheeks ran red. Hinata also looked down to see his tail wrap around her. She looked up as the tail unwound to see Tenten walk back to her sleeping bag. She looked over to Goku, but he was laying down in his sleeping bag.

Hinata sighed as she laid down in her sleepin she didn't know, however, was that Goku was covering his mouth as he stared at the wall. He looked back to a memory back with his Uncle.

Flashback

Goku was four years old that day. Uncle fu had given him a bowl of Ichiraku's ramen. He loved the meal so much. He began to eat as his tail wrapped around the bowl. Uncle fu suddenly but gently pulled his tail away from the bowl.

"I wouldn't do that sport." said Fu. Young Goku gave him a confused look.

"Why?" asked young Goku. "I just don't want my ramen to run away from me." Fu chuckled as he looked around. He smirked knelt down to meet the boy's ear.

"In the Toyotomi clan, if you've fallen for someone, you're tail will instinctively wrap around their waist." Goku gave him a disgusted face.

"Eww! Dat gross!" Uncle Fu suddenly laughed at the child.

"We'll see if you think the same way when you're older." The young Goku lost all attention to the man as he returned to his ramen.

End Flashback

Goku rolled over to look at Hinata. He could see the peaceful look on her slumbering face. His tail began to reach out for her again, but she was too far away. He grabbed his tail and turned away.

"We're just friends, and she probably doesn't like me anyway." whispered Goku to himself. His tail stretched out once again, but he was too tired to think about it anymore and fell asleep. The next morning, Kakashi was the first of his team to awaken. He was about to wake the others up, when someone shushed him. He looked over to see Tenten with a finger over her mouth.

The girl pointed to Hinata. Kakashi looked to the heiress to find her sprawled out. He noticed her hand was wrapped by Goku's tail. He groaned as he rubbed his temples. This was gonna get complicated. A little while later, Hinata awakened.

She felt the warmth around her hand, and turned to gaze at it. She found the same thing the others found. She was okay with it for a moment, then inaudibly screamed. She yanked her hand away, thankful that it didn't wake the young Toyotomi. She got up from her sleeping bag and went to get changed.

Meanwhile, Sakura straightened her forehead protector as she stared into the mirror. She thought over the events of last night, having heard and seen the whole conversation between Goku and Hinata. She hated how Tenten had to ruin the moment. If that happened to her and Sasuke... She closed her eyes as a pain suddenly rushed into her head.

When she reopened her eyes, she found her in the middle of a battlefield. She saw Sasuke and Goku standing off. She blinked multiple times, Weren't they sworn brothers? Why were they against each other?

"Guys!" shouted Sakura, but she received no response. She gasped as they watched them exchange blows. "What's going on!? Why are you fighting!" Instead of responding, both fighters began charging up strange attacks.

Suddenly, without her telling them to, her legs moved forward. She couldn't stop. Sasuke charged forward as his hand became coated in lightning. A chakra sphere formed in Goku's hands as he held them back. Sasuke suddenly threw his hand forward.

"CHIDORI!" shouted Sasuke. Goku also threw his hands forward, sending a beam towards him.

"KAMEHAMEHA!" shouted Goku as the beam went forward. Sakura leaped, unable to stop herself. She found herself in between the two attacks. Both boys' faces turned to fear. Sasuke's hand hit her just as Goku's attack reached her back.

"SAKURA!" shouted both boys. She suddenly felt shaking. She opened her eyes. Kakashi had turned her towards him and looked her straight in the eyes. Hinata stood behind the Jonin with a worried look.

"Are you alright Sakura?" asked Kakashi. Sakura shook her head as she fully returned to reality.

"Y-yeah." answered Sakura. "I'm fine." Kakashi visibly frowned at her. His face suddenly turned back to his usual stare.

"You better hurry or you'll miss breakfast. Our hosts were nice enough to make enough food for us." Sakura nodded and ran to the kitchen with Hinata in tow. Kakashi looked back at the mirror. He waved his hand, and a purple wave dissipated from the object.

'That Nisekuma probably knows what's going on.' thought Kakashi as he got a little of the energy to go into a bottle. He suddenly summoned his ninken, and handed the object to him. "Take that to Fu Nisekuma for examination." The dog nodded and vanished. He sighed as he returned to his team.

He was so relieved to learn that Mighty Guy had taken his genin for early morning training. He and his team could actually eat in piece alongside team 8. When he heard someone shout youth to the high heavens, he knew it was time to get to training. He pulled his team out of the building, and Kurenai followed suit, but not for the same motives. She looked around to make sure they weren't followed, then turned to her team.

She took note that Kiba stood in between Goku and Hinata. "Today's training will be tree climbing." Kiba and Akamaru gave her confused looks, but Goku and Hinata understood entirely what she meant. "Try to see how far up the tree you can get without falling." Kiba walked over to a tree and began to reach for a limb.

He suddenly received a hard smack in the back.

"What the heck!" shouted Kiba as Akamaru growled at Kurenai. "I was just doing what you said!" Kurenai shook her head as she turned to the tree.

"That's not what I meant." She walked over the tree, then began to literally walk up it. Both Kiba and Akamaru looked at their sensei in awe. She stopped and walked out onto a branch. "The more you practice, the longer you can keep your hold until you stand sideways for hours."

The group nodded and waited for an explanation. "The trick is to pull at the bark with the chakra in your feet. You'll want to pull just enough to keep you attached, but not too much or you won't be able to move." She looked over to Hinata, who was rubbing her arm. "Why don't you try to demonstrate Hinata?"

The girl looked to her sensei and nodded. She walked past Goku, who was trying to control his tail. She breathed in, then put her foot against the tree. She suddenly was able to stay attached, and began to walk up the tree. She reached the top, impressed by the view.

She soon walked back down, met by the happy faces of her comrades. She blushed as Goku smiled and Kiba smirked. "Nice job Hinata. That was perfect control. I might have to find something harder for you to do."

The heiress gulped at her sensei's words. She felt a strong hand on her shoulder. She looked back to see Goku giving her a thumbs up. She felt a blush creep up her cheeks, but she was able to resist fainting since she was more prepared. Kiba walked past them and took a try.

He only got four steps up the tree before he fell to the ground. Goku resisted the urge to laugh. Akamaru licked the Inuzuka's face. Kiba was definitely furious.

'Darn you Mitsuki and your tampering!' thought Kiba as he stood up.

"It looks like you'll have to learn better control Kiba-san." Kiba just walked over to his sensei with his head down.

"Why do we even need to keep training? The strongest man that Gato could throw at us is dead."

"About that, isn't it odd how some needles were able to kill Zabuza so easily?" said Kakashi, having a similar discussion with the Uchiha. Sasuke thought over his sensei's words. Kakashi then turned to the other two genin. "I'm sure one of you were able to figure it out." Sakura gave him a confused look, until flared she scanned the area. She gasped as she felt a familiar ki.

She looked to Shino, who nodded. "That's right. Zabuza Momochi is still very much alive."

Sasuke was stunned by the news. That hunter nin was actually a colleague of the demon. Kakashi breathed in as the full weight of the situation set in. "We have to assume that he'll try for another attempt on the bridge builder's life. We have to be prepared."

Goku took a step forward as Kiba let his jaw hang.

"You find something to train Hinata on." said Goku. Hinata wasn't offended since she knew Goku had faith in her. "I'll help Kiba with tree walking." Kurenai was about to retort, when Goku easily ran up to a high tree branch. "You think living with the Hokage's family means I slacked off on training?"

Kurenai chuckled at her student. Did showing off run in his family or something?

"I see you have everything under control here." said Kurenai as she turned to Hinata. "Come on Hinata. I've got an idea which will help you immensely." The heiress nodded as she followed her sensei. Goku watched as they ran in the direction of the river, then turned his attention back to Kiba.

"Now let's see you catch me Dog Breath." The Kiba growled at the insult. "Don't tell me the Inuzuka give up so easily." Kiba gave Goku an evil smirk as Akamaru growled.

"You're gonna regret those words Monkey King." said Kiba as he and Akamaru once again attempted to run up the tree. He also failed once again, landing on his head. Meanwhile, Kakashi had brought Sakura to the lake. Sakura watched as Kakashi walked towards the water.

"I want you to do the opposite of what the others are doing." Instructed Kakashi. Sakura watched as the man began to walk on water. "I want you to find the right amount of chakra to keep you above the water. It's the reverse of the tree walking technique."

Kakashi walked back to the ground and sat down on a log. "Too little chakra and you'll fall straight through. Too much, and you'll send yourself flying. Is that clear enough?" Sakura nodded, then walked towards the water.

"It seems we have the same idea Kakashi-san." said Kurenai as her and Hinata approached. Hinata rubbed her arm as she walked over to the water. "Kakashi gave the details of the training, so I expect you to try your hardest." Hinata nodded as she tried to focus.

Both girls slowly walked across the water. Amazingly, Hinata was able to walk across the water... for twenty five steps exactly. She suddenly sunk like a rock, Sakura following after thirty steps. She swam to the lake side and coughed up some water. She looked up to Kurenai with sorrowful eyes.

"I honestly don't know what happened." said Hinata. "I had perfect control." Kakashi sighed as he looked to both Genin.

"Control, yes. Concentration, not by a mile. Both of you let your concentration sway for a single moment, then you let go of your control. You need to learn to do it consciously before you can do it subconsciously. Twenty five steps is rather impressive though, for someone just starting out."

Both girls sighed as they cleared her minds. They tried the exercise multiple times, with various results. Meanwhile, back with Goku and Kiba, they decided to join Sasuke and Shino, Actually switching partners. Sasuke was definitely getting better. He still couldn't reach Goku, but the monkey boy was going higher as the Uchiha reached him.

He hit a roadblock, however, when they got halfway up the tall tree. Goku chuckled as he hung from a sturdy branch.

"What's wrong Sasuke?" asked Goku. "You won't be able to keep up if you don't get better." Sasuke just growled in response.

"I'm over this today!" shouted Sasuke. "This training is pointless!" He started to walk off as Goku returned to the ground.

"OH COME ON! Don't give up on me now Sasuke! Itachi could do it at..." He stopped as he felt an ominous aura from Sasuke. "Let me start that again."

It was too late for that. Sasuke turned to Naruto, his anger almost visible. The other two turned their attention to the sworn siblings, Kiba resting on a limb as he prepared to watch.

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT ITACHI!" Sasuke suddenly ran for Goku. The monkey boy screamed as he ran up the tree. Sasuke suddenly took off after him. They definitely went past the half way point.

Sasuke finally caught Goku by the tail. Goku had jumped from the top of the tree, preparing to fly off. He squealed as he felt the squeeze on his hairy appendage. He suddenly went limp as he fell. "Crap."

Goku began to fall, pulling Sasuke along with him. Back at the lake, Sakura was finally succeeding at running on water with Hinata not far behind. Both Jonin instructors smiled as the girls ran back his way. A sudden crashing sound made Sakura loose focus and fall below the water. She was lucky it was the shallows, but that didn't matter to her as she ran back to where the boys were.

When she arrived, Sasuke had Naruto by the collar while Kiba was holding his gut in laughter. Hinata gasped as she stood behind Sakura, worried for the saiyan. "Take back what you said or..."

"OKAY! I admit I said the wrong name in the wrong situation, but on the plus side, you got to the top." Sasuke looked back up to the tree, then turned back to Goku. His arm dropped from it's position as he began to laugh. Soon both boys were sprawled out on the ground as they entered a fit of laughter.

'Boys.' thought Sakura a she rolled her eyes.

'I know right?' said Inner Sakura. Sakura had found out she could actually communicate with the second voice a long time ago. She wouldn't tell anyone else mind you. They'd think she needed mental help if she told anyone. She sighed as she walked over to the two.

"I think we've all had enough training for today." said Kakashi as he suddenly appeared. "Let's head back and make sure Tazuna's family hasn't gone crazy form our 'interesting' companions." The students nodded in agreement and followed their sensei back to the house with Team 8 in tow. Kakashi certainly had the right idea, since the family was definitely freaked out by the training regime of Guy and Lee. A few hours later, Kakashi had called a joint team meeting.

"I've called you all here on the account that a very dangerous enemy we previously encountered is still at large. Zabuza is the real threat to the operation here, being a high level missing nin and a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. It's a given that we'll have to confront him again before the bridge is complete. Each team will remain focused on their given missions, but should anything go wrong, each team should find a way to signal for back up." Guy stepped in front of Kakashi.

"In case something goes wrong with the joined mission Teams 8 and 7, Lee and Tenten will take off for assistance." added Guy as he nodded to his Genin. Kurenai then stepped in front of her team.

"If Team 10 has trouble, Sasuke, Sakura, Kiba, and Akamaru will rush to our aid." said Kurenai as she jestured to the aforementioned genin. "If something goes wrong with both missions, we'll each be on our own." Guy nodded in agreement as he pumped his fist.

"Do not fret my comrades! The youth within us all will definitely be enough to take on any threat Gato can send our way."

"NO IT WON'T!" shouted Inari, catching everyone by surprise. "YOU'LL DIE JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!"

"Inari!" scolded Tsunami. Inari ignored his mother as he continued his rant.

"EVERYONE WHO GOES AGAINST HIM ENDS UP DEAD! NO ONE CAN STOP HIM! YOU'RE ALL JUST A BUNCH OF GENIN, A WEIRD WORKAHOLIC, A CRAZY WOMAN, AND A LAZY ONE EYED JONIN." Guy frowned at the boy, but noticed the sad tone in his voice.

Goku stepped forward, a frown on his face.

"You've only known us for one day." argued Goku. "You have no idea what we're capable of. I stake my name as a Toyotomi on the fact that we will keep your grandfather safe and make sure the bridge is complete." Inari ran up to punch Goku, but the monkey boy held his hand up to catch the attack.

"Inari that's enough!" shouted Tsunami. "You go to your room right now mister!" Inari ran deeper into the house, but Goku noticed the tears coming down his face. Tsunami sighed. "I'm sorry for his behavior."

"The boy hasn't been the same since Kaiza died." said Tazuna. Kakashi hummed in understanding.

"it is hard to lose a loved one." agreed Kakashi. Tsunami shook her head with a false smile.

"Oh Kaiza wasn't his father. My husband died before Inari could know him. Kaiza was a man who took an oath to protect the village. Inari grew so attached to him that he became a fatherly figure to him. There's no need to tell you what happened."

"Gatō." Tsunami nodded her head as Kurenai growled.

"Kaiza stood against Gatō and his subjugation. The man used his strangle hold on the land to have him put to death. The fatherly figure of Inari's whole life was suddenly gone, it made him heartbroken, and he became an angry child." Goku walked towards the front door. He glanced back at the others.

"I need a minute." said Goku as he suddenly flew off. The girls started to go after him, but Sasuke put his arm in their path.

"When Goku needs a minute, it's best to give it to him." said Sasuke. He looked back to the door. "He'll be back before we leave." Goku flew deep into the forest. He finally stopped at a clearing.

He looked up to the sky in thought. He sighed as he began to meditate. Uncle Fu had taught him that meditation was a good way to calm your nerves. He definitely needed it, because this Gatō rubbed him the wrong way. A few hours into meditation, he felt a familiar presence.

A girl approached him as he opened his eyes. She had long, flowing black hair. She wore a pink, sleeveless kimono, with pale red edges and decorated with small plum-colored swirls, that went to her ankles. Around her waist was a simple white obi tied in a bow. She also wore a pair of light brown sandals with dark straps and a dark-colored choker around her neck.

"Hello there." greeted the girl. "Would you happen to be a shinobi?" Goku smirked.

"The forehead protector should make it obvious." said Goku. The girl understood his friendly intent as she drew closer.

"You seem to be a long way from home. What brings you here?" Goku still held his smirk.

"I'm here on a mission to protect someone. He has loved ones who would be happy if he stayed alive for the rest of his years." The girl chuckled a bit.

"We can all relate to that." The girl held up a basket. "You look like you could use a snack. Would you like some fresh fruits?" Goku nodded as he scooted over a bit.

The girl sat down next to him and handed him a cup of fruits. Goku nodded his head in thanks, and slowly ate at the fruit. They stayed within each others company for a bit. Goku could tell that she was trustworthy, since he sensed no ill will from her. "Can I ask you something?"

"As long as it's not something crazy." The girl only continued to smile.

"Say you have someone you want to protect. They have a huge dream they want to accomplish, and you want to see it through to the end. What lengths would you go to help them?" Goku rubbed his chin in thought.

"That's really a question with varying answers." The girl looked away with a frown.

"I see." Goku removed his hand from his chin and smiled.

"I'd probably go to the point of stopping them when they get out of hand." This answer shocked the girl. "If they start to go too far, then they might end up cutting their life short. What good is having a dream if you're not around to fulfil it? That's where the people who truly love you step in to make sure you can see your dream to it's end."

The girl thought over his words for a minute, then stood up.

"That is a fine answer for someone so young. I must be on my way." The girl began to walk off, then stopped. "By the way, I'm a boy." Goku just smirked at her.

"Not gonna get me with that one. I'm not as naïve as some people think I am." The girl laughed as she disappeared into the forest. Goku frowned when he could no longer see her. 'Get ready, because our dreams will clash when you and Zabuza show your faces again.'

Having cleared his head, Goku flew off to meet with the others. He found that they were already on their way to escort Tazuna to the bridge. They began to approach the bridge, when Goku held out his arm. Sakura instinctively sensed the area, then held her mouth.

"People are dying." said Sakura. The others were stunned by this declaration. Kakashi raised his arm, and the genin formed around Tazuna to protect him. Mist suddenly filled the area as they approached the areas where the ki signatures dropped like flies. Tazuna took a step back in shock.

"Who could've done this to all of these people?" asked Tazuna. Kurenai raised her blade as Shino scattered his insects.

"I told them to take a vacation." said a familiar voice. Zabuza and the hunter nin stepped into view. "The smart ones decided to take any family and flee the country. You can clearly see what happened to the others." Goku frowned, but his gaze was on the hunter nin.

"Permission to take on the tailed one Zabuza." said the boy. Zabuza glanced at him, then chuckled.

"Getting bold Haku, but I'll grant your request. Make sure to end him and the Uchiha." Before Kakashi could get in the way, two mirrors of ice appeared beside the boys. Goku found himself caught by a surprise kick, followed by Sasuke being pushed in the same direction. A huge wall of ice stood in between them and the others.

"Goku-kun!" shouted Hinata as she prepared to go after them.

"Stay with the bridge builder!" ordered Kurenai. "Those two can handle themselves. We need all available hands keeping the client alive." Hinata felt anger boiling inside her, but sighed as she stuck with Tazuna. Inside the sphere, the sworn brothers started to stand as the hunter walked out of a mirror.

"I will do as Zabuza commands." said Haku with killing intent. "Unless you cooperate and surrender the bridge builder, you will die." She prepared her senbon needles, her warning received. Goku looked to Sasuke, who nodded. They both entered their respective stances.

"I'm afraid we can't do that." said Sasuke as he withdrew his kunai. "We won't go down so easily."

"We will show you the might of Konoha's Will of Fire!" shouted Goku as he cocked his fist. Suddenly, both boys leaped forward to confront Haku. She readied her needles as they finally approached. Back with the others, Sakura was tempted to join Kakashi, but he glanced back at her to quell the idea. Her sensei looked back to his opponent, who patiently awaited his full attention.

"I'd start looking for new students Hatake." said Zabuza. "Haku fulfills every order given to her. Your students don't stand a chance." Kakashi pulled out a kunai as he readied for battle. Kurenai stood by his side as Zabuza unsheathed his sword for the same reason.

"You underestimate our students Zabuza." argued Kakashi. "They are some of the strongest genin this world has ever seen. No kekei genkai will slow them down. Goku Toyotomi is known for his immense strength and his genius in battle, while Sasuke is one of the last members of the Uchiha clan."

Zabuza loosened his stance.

"You make it sound like they could take you on at full power." Kakashi nodded with a serious glare. Kurenai was about to hop forward, but Kakashi held his arm out.

"If I let them they could go toe to toe with you, but they have their orders and so do I." Kakashi rushed Zabuza, swinging his kunai at him. "This battle is mine alone." Zabuza smirked as he blocked the blade. A water clone appeared behind Kakashi, but a shadow clone of Kakashi's blocked his blade.

Sakura stood in her position, switching her glance between the fight she could see and the fight she couldn't. Hinata suddenly sent a ki blast forward, striking a hidden water clone. Another clone was about to strike Tazuna, but Shino suddenly appeared in front of him and delivered a devastating kick to his gut. The clone turned into a puddle as the Aburame landed. Kiba and Akamaru tore through multiple Zabuza clones as they ran offense.

Back over with Inari, the boy was sitting at a dock as he looked over the water. He held a picture of Kaiza, the man he once held high above all others. He began to cry as he crumpled the picture. He suddenly threw it towards the water. It disappeared into the mist as Inari took a deep breath.

"LIAR!" shouted Inari. "YOU GAVE YOUR WORD THAT YOU'D PROTECT THIS PLACE, BUT YOU HAD TO GO AND DIE! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" Inari fell to his knees as he began to cry. A hooded individual suddenly appeared behind him.

"Do you think he wanted to die?" asked the man. Inari looked back in surprise and fear. "You don't have to worry about me kid. I'm just a concerned traveler stopping by. Now I believe I asked you a question."

Inari, still confused and wary, turned to the river and sighed.

"No." The man sat down beside him.

"If he didn't want to die, then do you really think that makes him a liar?" The boy just stood up in anger.

"He had to go and die on me. I thought he was unbeatable. He was supposed to be the hero that kept us safe." He began to cry again, but the stranger dried his tears.

"I know it's hard to lose a loved one, but do you really think it's a good idea to curse his name when he gave it his all. I understand your pain. I too had a loved one who bared a huge weight on her shoulders. She was honestly like a sister to me when no one would treat me as an individual." He pulled out a sword, and stuck it in the dock.

The boy looked over the sword in admiration. "I dare you to try and lift this sword." Inari looked confused, but began to try. He found that he couldn't lift the blade from the ground. He huffed at his last attempt.

"This should be going straight through the dock!" The man chuckled as he put the sword away.

"Back when I was young, Suchīru Kaminari could only be wielded by a chosen blood member of my adopted family. I broke that mold when I used the sword to defend my adopted sister, Miana. From then on they treated me like a trophy instead of a person, but I always had Miana's support."

Inari listened closer, only for the man to suddenly disappear. He turned to find the man slashing two bandits across the chest. His hood was down, revealing his black hair. The man looked back, revealing half the face of Caliban Kurosagi. "I wish I could tell you more, but I believe you need to return home."

Inari watched as the man vanished without a trace. The boy suddenly ran home, fearing for his mother. He opened the door and quickly shut it behind him. He was suddenly thrown against the wall by a man. He was about to strike Inari, so the boy looked for something to defend himself with.

He soon found himself grabbing at a handle, and slashed whatever he held at the man. His attacker screamed in pain as he released him and grabbed at his own arm. Inari looked at the object in his hand. It was a small sword with the kanji for Black Lightning engraved in the blade. He noticed the picture he threw was tied to the hilt of the blade.

"You brat!" shouted the assailant as he held his arm. A huge gash ran up the useless appendage. "I'm gonna...

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" shouted Lee as he literally kicked the man through the door. He looked down to check on Inari, who quickly sheathed the blade. "Are you alright my young friend?" Inari shook his head, then remembered why he ran there.

"Mom!" shouted Inari. He looked out the door to find Guy knocking out another man as the rest of Team 10 made sure his mother was safe. Ignoring all safety, the boy ran to his mother. She embraced him as he reached her. When she let go, she noticed the sword at his waist.

"Where did you get that blade?" asked Tsunami. Inari kept his hand tight on the handle.

"Please don't take it away. I'm gonna use it to keep you safe." Tsunami didn't know what to do. Before she could give him her answer, Lee ran over to the group. He gasped as he turned to the bridge.

"Sakura's energy spiked!" shouted Lee. "They're in trouble! Come Tenten!" The mentioned girl nodded as they prepared to take off.

"YOU AIN'T GOIN WITHOUT ME!" shouted Inari at the top of his lungs. Tsunami wasn't having any of it as she grabbed her son by the wrist.

"What do you think you're saying young man!?" asked Tsunami. "You won't be going off to a dangerous battlefield! I won't lose my son!" Inari unsheathed his sword, but held it to his face.

"I won't let this gift go to waste. He gave me this to help me get stronger. To fill the void left by Kaiza. Gatō has to pay for his crimes. I won't let someone else fight my battles anymore!"

Tsunami looked at her son. The sad and angry boy was gone. In his place stood a determined and brave young man with hope in his eyes. She didn't know whether to be scared or proud. One of the villagers walked towards the group.

"The boy is right." said the villager. "We've been letting Gatō and his men walk all over us for too long. Look what he's done to our friends, our loved ones." The man held up a pitchfork. "I'm not gonna stand by and watch children die doing the work we should have done long ago. WHO'S WITH ME!"

Multiple villagers raised their fists while others raised some form of weapon. The whole village let out a war cry as they prepared to rush into battle. Back with Naruto and Sasuke, the boys had the upper hand on Haku. They had a good team dynamic that allowed them to get past the girl's defenses. Goku swung a kunai at her, only for it to be blocked by a wall of ice.

Sasuke suddenly came around the wall and threw a punch at her. Haku wasn't able to block in time, and felt the full force of the punch. She walked back a bit, but then he was hit by a twin flying kick from two Goku clones. She stood in place as the two boys had her surrounded. There was only one thing she could do now.

"You both are impressive, but this needs to end now." said Haku as she threw some hand signs together. She suddenly placed both hands on the ground as a dome enveloped them. The huge ice wall disappeared, revealing the full dome for all to see. Goku and Sasuke looked around as Haku walked towards one of the reflective points of the dome. She suddenly walked into the mirror.

All the mirrors had Haku in them. They all pulled out needles as they prepared to attack. "I offer you one last chance to surrender. After this, I will not hold back. You will die."

Goku and Sasuke stood back to back, a kunai drawn each.

"We never give up and we never surrender." said Goku as he twisted the blade. Sasuke nodded as he readied his blade. Haku sighed as hundreds of needles began to volley them. The boys were able to block most of them, but some either missed them entirely or scrapped right by them. Goku saw Haku start to step out of a mirror, and sent a ki blast her way.

The boy suddenly returned to the reflection, but the mirror exploded from his attack. Haku was shocked by the amount of force exerted by the attack. Goku felt good about that attack, till two needles struck him in the legs. He screamed as he fell to his knees.

"Goku!" shouted Sasuke as he checked on his friend. He suddenly threw a kunai at one of the mirrors, distracting Haku for a bit. "Are you alright?" Goku looked to Sasuke.

"I can't feel my legs." responded Goku. Sasuke growled as he tried to pull the needles.

"Pull them out wrong and he will never walk again." warned Haku. Sasuke lookedto one of the mirrors, where Haku was sticking out a tiny bit. "Give in and hand over the bridge builder, and I will properly remove them."

Sasuke found himself considering the offer, when Goku tugged at his shoulder. The boy looked to Haku with an angry face.

"I won't let Inari suffer from anymore loss." argued Goku. "Do your worst." Haku shook her head as he prepared another volley. Sasuke stood in between Haku and Goku. He wasn't about to lose the only family he had left.

'I won't let you take him!' thought Sasuke as the world started to move in slow motion. The attacks seemed to come all from the front in slow motion. Sasuke suddenly moved like lightning as he blocked every single attack that came at him. Haku stopped in surprise, not expecting such speed. She suddenly noticed something about Sasuke's eyes.

He had unlocked his sharingan. There were two tomes in his red iris. Haku watched as Sasuke quickly put together some hand signs.

"FIRE STYLE, PHEONIX FIRE BALL BARRAGE!" A volley of large fire balls came at the mirrors in front of him. Through the hole in the dome, Kakashi and Zabuza could clearly see the light from the attack. Kakashi turned to Zabuza. Both ninjas were impressed.

"The Uchiha awakened his sharingan." observed Zabuza. Kakashi nodded as Kurenai smirked.

"It would seem your ally has entered the lions den." replied Kakashi. They readied to return to battle. "He won't last long." Zabuza began to laugh as he readied his blade.

"You seem to be the one underestimating now Kakashi. Haku is a cold blooded killer. He has no weakness. I've formed him into the perfect weapon." He suddenly charged Kakashi. "I'll make sure you don't interfere so you can observe the bodies of your students lifeless on the ground!"

Kakashi scowled and created a group of shadow clones.

"That's assuming that you can stop me before I kill you." Kakashi used Zabuza's sword to propel himself behind the man. He threw a kunai at his back, but Zabuza quickly turned around and blocked the blade. He wasn't so lucky with the sudden ki blast to the back. He turned to see Sakura with her hand stretched out, but that's when Kakashi kicked his back in the same spot.

Tazuna suddenly got an idea as he grabbed Sakura's shoulder.

"Can you do the same thing the boy did?" asked Tazuna. Sakura gave him an understanding yet worried look.

"Yes, but..." began Sakura. Tazuna suddenly ran behind a large machine. Hinata and Shino quickly ran after him, trying to keep him from killing himself.

"Don't worry about me just do it child!" Sakura was hesitant, but she knew what had to be done. She squatted as she began to increase her energy. It quickly got to the visible point as she reached half of Goku's power in an instant. She pulled her power, lifting the vale of mist.

"Darn girl!" shouted Zabuza. "How many times are children gonna disperse my mist!?" Three Zabuza clones came at Sakura. She instinctively held her hand out and shot three ki blasts. All clones were hit, but Sakura turned to find a water shark hitting the machine Tazuna hid behind.

It was about to crush him, when a familiar green blur held the tipping machine.

"This is just as taxing as my regular training!" shouted Lee as Tazuna opened his eyes. Lee was effectively pushing the machine back into place. He watched as the machine returned to position, then kicked a water clone with all his might. "Please be more careful when you hide Tazuna-san." The bridge builder just nodded his head in shock.

Tenten unrolled a scroll as she prepared for battle. She suddenly squealed at the sight of the water clone, but not in fear. She suddenly swiped the weapon and took a closer look.

"I've never seen such detail and function in a sword before!" shouted Tenten. She was unaware of the clone trying to regain his sword. He suddenly set off a trip wire, however, and was flung away by a spring board. He fell into the forest behind them, where a huge explosion went off. Tenten voiced her disappointment as the weapon turned into a puddle on the ground.

Sasuke continued to block needles and volley fireballs at Haku. One of the mirrors finally cracked. Haku growled as she activated her kekei genkai once more. The mirrors were replaced in an instant. Haku looked at the two Konoha fighters, trying to formulate a plan.

'I can't get past the Uchiha's defenses.' thought Haku. She then got an idea as she looked to the saiyan. All reflections prepared for an assault. "You can't block all of these and save your friend." Sasuke looked around as the needles were suddenly thrown.

'There's one thing I can do.' thought Sasuke. He pushed Goku to where he was sprawled our on the ground. He screamed as all the needles pierced into him. Goku's eyes filled with horror.

"Sasuke?" asked Goku. Sasuke looked down to Goku, a broken smile on his face.

"My only regret, is that I didn't get revenge on my brother, or give peace to my family." Sasuke chuckled as he began to fall. "If I don't make it, take care of the others, and do what needs to be done to Itachi. Thank you for being the one thing I needed." Sasuke mumbled one last word before he hit the ground.

Haku stayed silent for a moment as she payed her respects.

"Is it you're first time losing friend?" asked Haku as Goku's head hung. "He stayed strong to the end. Sadly, it will all be in vain. Now it's your turn b..."

"He had a dream." interrupted Goku. Haku watched in shock as Goku removed the pins in his knees, despite the risk. He stood up, his legs spread out as his head bobbed up and down. "He wanted to find out why his brother ended their clan. And you..."

Goku lifted his head, revealing pure white eyes. "YOU TOOK IT ALL AWAY FROM HIM!" Goku's body sent out a shockwave as his power suddenly burst. The mirrors all shattered, with Haku standing right in front of the angry saiyan. All eyes turned to the event in shock.

Sakura covered her mouth at the condition of Sasuke. Zabuza actually took a step back in surprise. What was this kid? The aura radiating off the boy was immense. Haku suddenly doubled over as a punch was sent straight into her gut.

He almost regurgitated, but refrained from doing so. Goku suddenly began a barrage of punches and kicks. Haku was launched halfway across the incomplete bridge. Zabuza couldn't believe his eyes. Goku's Power only continued to rise as his white aura shined.

The boy turned to look at Zabuza. The demon felt the one thing he never thought would come into his mind. Fear, and loads of it. Goku charged straight at him while Haku tried to get up. His mask had fallen off, so one could see the horror on his face as Goku rammed Zabuza.

The demon tried to fight back, but the boy was too strong. His sword was batted away from him. Goku grabbed his arms and pulled from behind. Zabuza screamed in pain as Goku continued to pull. Haku reached out to the two.

"No please!" shouted Haku. Goku looked to the terror on the girl's face. He almost smirked. He pulled one of the arms tighter, making it come out of socket. Hinata just watched in disbelief.

The boy she knew seemed to be nonexistent, replaced by a monster she had never seen. His hair seemed to stand on end as he continued to hold Zabuza in the pin. Hinata couldn''t take it anymore when Goku started to chuckle.

"ENOUGH!" shouted Hinata. Goku flinched as he turned to her. Conflicting feelings overcame him as he stared into the tear filled eyes of his teammate. "Please Goku-kun, stop this madness." Goku loosened his grip as Sakura checked Sasuke's pulse.

She gasped as she turned to the carnage.

"Goku!" called Sakura. The boy looked to his friend, an inquisitive look on his face. There was hope in her eyes as her fingers rested on Sasuke's kneck. "He's alive. Sasuke's alive."

Goku's aura dropped as he heard those words. He let go of the swordsman as he flew over to his friend. Kakashi was in shock to say the least, and Kurenai still couldn't belive what she just witnessed. The boy had a terrifying side to him when enraged. He looked over as Haku helped Zabuza to his feet.

"That boy..." started Zabuza. "He's not natural! He shattered Haku's ice with a flex of his energy. How..." Zabuza suddenly felt himself be pushed away.

He turned to see a kunai strike Haku in the side. The terrors just kept coming as Zabuza stood up.

"It would seem that I hired the wrong group for the job." said a voice. All available eyes turned to see a short man in a business suit in front of a bunch of bandits.

"Gatō." growled Tazuna. Goku felt his rage return as he was face to face with the man who plagued Inari's village.

"In the flesh. Now, since you have failed to end the bridge builder, I'm afraid our contract is up. All of you should be prepared to die." Another bandit threw a kunai at Haku. Haku closed her eyes, prepared to go down for Zabuza's dream.

The pain never came, however. Confused Haku opened his eyes. They widened as Zabuza stood in front of her. The kunai was stuck in his chest. Another was in his working arm.

"Hatake." said Zabuza. "Rip these bandages off my face." Kakashi nodded, then did what his once enemy asked. Zabuza suddenly kicked a kunai in the air and caught the handle in his mouth.

Gatō suddenly ran through the bandits, fearing for his life.

"Protect me!" The bandits all readied for battle. Zabuza stabbed his way through the crowd. No matter how many blades stabbed him, he pushed forward. A few bandits backed up as they imagined a giant demon head coming at them.

"He really is a demon!" shouted a bandit as he tried to run away. Zabuza quickly struck him from behind as he made his was to Gatō. The man found himself at the edge of the unfinished bridge. Zabuza soon got through the crowd. He rushed at Gatō, who screamed.

Silence followed as the villain's throat was sliced. The man gasped as he fell into the river below. Zabuza, still holding the kunai in his mouth, stumbled towards the bandits. They all cleared a path as he made his way back to the group. Once through the bandits, Zabuza spat the kunai out of his mouth.

"Take me to him." ordered Zabuza. It was actually Goku who helped him reach Haku. The boy kneeled down as Zabuza was lowered to the ground. "Haku."

"I'm sorry Zabuza." apologized Haku as tears filled her eyes. "I failed my orders and couldn't protect you." Zabuza closed his eyes as he began to cough up blood.

"I guess I didn't do good enough as a ninja and your master. Here I am. Forsaking all of what I raised you for. I won't be able to see the day when Kiri becomes free of that tyrants mad laws. I won't be able to avenge those who lost their lives just because they were different."

Goku frowned at those words. He knew exactly what Zabuza meant by different. "Haku, I want you to see my dream fulfilled. Be there for when the people like you gain their freedom." Haku continued to cry as Zabuza looked away.

"Please don't leave me." Zabuza chuckled as Haku touched her forehead to his.

"I'm sorry to leave such a burden on you girl."

"She won't bare it alone." said Goku. The missing nin's eyes turned to the boy as Haku stood up. "I'll make sure that she lives to see that day." He pounded his chest with his left arm. "I'll stake my family name on it."

Zabuza looked to his sword, then returned his gaze to Goku.

"That's not enough for me brat. Grab my sword and bring it here." Goku looked to the weapon, then nodded. He held the sword as he returned to Zabuza. "I want you to take a swordsman's oath that you'll see my dream through, and that you'll have the girl and my blade with you when you achieve it."

Goku nodded his head. Holding the blade to his face.

"I won't let harm befall Haku, and your sword will be with me at all times." Zabuza smirked as he looked to the sky.

"I hope you're life will be better than mine Haku." Zabuza breathed out one last time as he closed his eyes. Haku wanted to scream to the sky, but Goku put his hand on her shoulder. She saw Goku's soft smile, then returned it in kind. One of the bandits took a step forward.

"You blokes think we're just gonna scatter since Gatō's dead?" asked the bandit.

"We might just ransack that village for all its valuables." said another. The crowd of bandits all sounded their agreement. Goku turned to them, sword at the ready.

"Then come and face us rat!" shouted a familiar voice. The group turned to see the villagers, all in make shift armor and carrying all sorts of objects. Inari readied the sword left for him. "We won't let you just take all we own. It's time to face justice!"

The villagers all shouted a war cry. Guy and Neji already entered positions. Goku smirked as he made a familiar hand sign. A large number of Goku clones appeared in their path. Kakashi followed suit, making more than his student.

The girls powered up, their auras flaring. Shino called his insects into a massive swarm as Kiba and Akamaru bared their teeth. Lee jumped between his teammates as Tenten readied her scroll. Kurenai pulled out a weapon with a blade that ran from the bottom of the handle to the top in an arch, extending a foot further. The weapon glowed as she took a battle stance.

The bandits screams could be heard throughout the land as the battle raged on. The village celebrated the victory hours into the night. Akamaru and Kiba played around with the younger kids, Sakura stayed with Sasuke to make sure he was taking it easy, Kurenai was eating sweets with Hinata, Gai and Lee decided to have a pushup contest with Neji as the unlucky referee, Tenten kept asking Goku if she could take a look at Zabuza's sword with no success, and Shino leaned up against a tree alongside Kakashi. Goku and Haku took time away from the party to stand by Zabuza's grave, but they too slightly enjoyed the festivities.

As per the mission details and due to Sasuke's injuries, the three teams stayed as the bridge was completed. Sasuke still had a cast on his leg, but he had Goku to hold him straight. Haku stood with the group, still sorry for her actions. Turns out, Haku was clear to come to Konoha and live out the type of life she wanted. Not surprisingly, she hopped to continue her shinobi career so she could still carry out Zabuza's dream.

The entire village gathered at the bridge to see them off.

"We wish you could stay a little longer, but we know that you have homes to return to." said Tazuna. "All we can do is wish you good luck on your travels." The group nodded, then turned to walk away. Inari fought his way to the front. He breathed in as they continued forward.

"Wait!" shouted the boy. The group stopped, and Goku turned to see him pull out his blade. "I'm going to become a great swordsman like Kaiza. When I've done that, I'm going to challenge you to a duel. Don't you dare get soft on me!"

Inari's mother was definitely worried over this sudden change in boldness, but he had to pick up something from the man he idolized. Goku smirked then turned his back to the boy. Zabuza's sword gleaned in the light.

"As long as I carry this dream, I can't afford to." replied Goku. Kurenai smiled at her student's words. "I can't wait to see you again." The group finally departed for Konohagakure. A thought crossed Tazuna's mind as he smiled.

"I think I have a name for this mighty bridge." One of the villagers turned to him. He watched as Goku pumped his fist into the air. "Kagayaku Kibō Bridge. Our shining hope."

This chapter is full of emotions no matter how you rewrite it. It remains the longest chapter of the story to date. I decided to make Haku a girl in the rewrite, having a few ideas that seemed too good to pass up. Also, the tail scene has shifted from Sakura to Hinata, the same words most likely to be said by the heiress.

Anywho, do you like the changes made? What do you think of the story so far? Leave your thoughts in a review down below and I'll try to respond as soon as possible. This is Caliban, signing out.