Chapter 9: The Demon Of The Mist
At Zabuza's Hideout
In a cone-shaped house in the middle of the forest, Zabuza was resting in his bed. He did not like the fact that he had lost to Kakashi, let alone the fact that he was then immobilized and wounded by his blond-haired Genin, who then nearly killed him. Speaking of the blond, Zabuza saw that there was more to that Genin than meets the eye. Moments later, a short man dressed in a business suit with two samurai bodyguards entered the room and went over to Zabuza.
"What do I see here? The great 'Demon of the Bloody Mist' is crippled after facing a few kids and some ninja? I'm beginning to believe that I'm not getting my money's worth with you, Zabuza. Perhaps I ought to kill you now and spare myself the pain of losing my money," said the short man, whose name was Gato. Gato walked over to the masked ninja and reached out to strangle Zabuza when a figure came out of nowhere and stood before the short man, tightly holding his arms before twisting it hard.
"You will in no way harm Zabuza. I won't allow it," said the young hunter-nin, who was no longer masked. Much to the older man's surprise, it was a young girl. The girl had a very pretty face, dark brown eyes, and dark hair that were tied up in a bun on top of her head, with two bangs hanging down and framing her face. She wore a green kimono with brown pants and a long, brown obi.
"Remove your hands from our boss, you little bitch!" yelled one of the two samurai bodyguards. The girl simply threw senbon at specific points in their arms, rendering the men helpless.
"I purposely missed your vital points, so don't test me," she warned.
"You brat, I expect both you and Zabuza to finish the job you started! I will not tolerate failure from either of you! Get the job over and done with, or suffer the consequences!" shouted an angry Gato, leaving the room with his bodyguards while rubbing his injured arm.
"Haku, there was no need for you to intervene. I could have taken care of matters myself," said Zabuza, holding on to a kunai under the bed sheet.
"I was aware of that, but as your instrument I must always protect you, no matter the circumstance," Haku said with a smile.
Zabuza sighed, and said, "I will recover soon. After I get back to full strength, I'll make sure Kakashi suffers for putting me in this condition. I'll kill his little brats, too."
"The blond one among them looked more dangerous than the others," Haku said, then continued, "He was ready to finish you off had I not taken you away from there."
"That blond kid's name is Naruto." Stated Zabuza
"Really" Haku said with interest. "So that's his name."
"Haku," Zabuza warned. "Be as cautious against Naruto as you would be with Kakashi." The girl simply nodded.
A Few Days Later
Haku stood up and walked over to the window. Releasing the bun, her hair fell down to just under her shoulder blades. Twelve minutes later, she left the cone-shaped house and went walking into the forest. She now wore a pink kimono with red cherry blossoms on it and brown sandals. She carried a basket and was humming slightly to herself.
After an hour of walking, she came upon what she had searched for. Kneeling down, Haku started to pick herbs useful for medicines. Soon, her basket was almost full. A bird landed on her shoulder, and she smiled at it, cooing slightly at it before returning to her task. Haku was startled when the bird suddenly flew off. Feeling slightly down, she followed where it was going.
She saw the bird land next to a boy lying on the ground on his back. The boy had blond, spiky hair, and a Konoha forehead protector. He was wearing an orange jump suit and blue sandals. Haku got up and walked towards him. The bird flew off, as if thinking that the girl was going to kill the boy. Instead, she crouched down in front of him and shook him awake.
"Hey, you'll catch a cold, sleeping here," she said kindly. Naruto was awoken from his slumber by a gentle nudge. He opened his eyes and looked up at a very pretty girl who was at least two years older than him. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes before looking at her.
"Hey beautiful, what are you doing here?" Naruto inquired with a smile. "Did I die somehow and become a wandering spirit for you to take with you to the afterlife?"
Haku smiled and answered kindly, "No, you're very much alive like me. I'm picking medical herbs."
Haku gestured to her basket. "Ah, I see," Naruto acknowledged as he sat up on the ground.
"By the way, I'm Haku," the girl greeted.
"I'm Naruto," he replied in return.
"Are you a shinobi?" asked Haku.
"I am what of it?" Naruto responded.
"Well, what were you doing out here?" Haku asked.
"I was training intensely by myself before I decided to take a break," Naruto replied straightforwardly. "I must have passed out at some point."
"Why would you be training? You look very strong already if you ask me," Haku said.
Naruto grinned cheerfully, "I want to become even stronger so that I can protect my friends and become the Hokage of my village."
"So, you train because of your precious people, and the family you wish to have?" Haku figured.
Naruto replied, "Were my motives that obvious to you?"
Haku couldn't help but smile brighter and blush at what Naruto said to her. She spoke, "I believe that you have people precious to you, and that you're working harder to become stronger to protect them. I believe that if you have someone to protect…you can become truly strong."
"It's clear that we have a mutual understanding of each other's feelings about things," Naruto said. "But tell me, do you have anyone precious to you that you seek to protect? Or are you in search of someone to become that precious person?"
"Oh, I do have someone precious to me. In fact, that's why I was gathering all these herbs. They're to be used as medicine for him," Haku explained.
"In that case, beautiful, I'll let you continue on your way," Naruto said. Haku nodded and smiled before she stood up from where she had crouched down and took her basket. She turned and started walking off from Naruto.
As she was walking off "And just so you know, I'm a boy," Haku said plainly. Turning, Naruto started walking off away from the scene, heading back to the house where Kakashi and the others were.
The next day – At the bridge
Ambush and the element of surprise have been renowned as the greatest weapons of all shinobi. Seeking out the weaknesses of their targets and exploiting them was what made their profession so sought after, even though it wasn't considered very honourable by some. Regardless, most accepted the fact that a great ninja could wipe out a thousand fighters and still survive the encounter, and history attested to that time and time again.
It was due to those historical realities that ninja were sought after as instruments of war. However, there were occasions when one ninja must test their mettle against another strong peer. To do that, it could be done in the way of their profession, in the dark, in the shadows, or…in the mist. Tazuna, Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke had arrived at the bridge. When they got there, they were met with the sight of the workers lying there, unconscious.
"This is…," Sakura said.
"Form the ring," Kakashi ordered. The ninjas formed a protective ring around Tazuna, each pulling out a kunai while getting ready. Then a thick mist came rolling in.
"Hidden Mist Jutsu" Zabuza's voice rang through the mist. "I really hate this jutsu," Sakura growled.
"Zabuza Momochi," Kakashi greeted. "Normally, meeting someone of your reputation would be something I'd rather avoid. However, considering the circumstances, I don't think we'll be able to back down."
"Sad but true, Kakashi. I have ambitions that need to be put into effect, armies that need to be built, and a country that needs to be overthrown," Zabuza chuckled darkly within the mist. Suddenly, ten water clone of Zabuza appeared around Kakashi and his group.
"Sasuke" Kakashi said. He nodded. He pulled out some shuriken and threw them at the clones. The water clones were stabbed and fell apart into puddles of water. The mist cleared a bit, and there stood the real Zabuza with the fake hunter Nin next to him.
"It would seem that this fight will give us some trouble," Zabuza said.
"Indeed," Haku said.
"Sasuke, you deal with that fake hunter Nin while I fight Zabuza. Sakura, you guard Tazuna," Kakashi instructed. The Genin nodded as they went to do as they were told.
"The boy there looks ready to fight. Haku, go handle your opponent," Zabuza said to the girl next to him. The first to move was Haku. She rushed at Sasuke with a senbon. Sasuke blocked it with his kunai and tried to kick Haku, who blocked with her foot.
"It looks like we're at a stalemate," Sasuke said, but Haku shook her head.
"No, I have two advantages. First, I have occupied one of your hands, and then there is the water around us," Haku said, then started forming one handed seals. Sasuke gasped when he saw it.
"Secret Jutsu: A Thousand Needles Of Death" Haku called out, and the water around her rose up and turned to ice needles. The needles flew towards Sasuke, and just before they hit, Haku jumped away. Sasuke focused chakra into his legs and when Haku jumped, Sasuke did the same, successfully evading the needles. Haku spun like a tornado. She had several senbon in her hands, making her spin motion very dangerous. Sasuke leaped away from the needles before they made contact.
Meanwhile, Naruto was making his way to the bridge when he saw Sasuke from a distance taking on the fake hunter Nin. "Looks like Haku and Zabuza didn't waste time getting this party started. Well, better late than never," Naruto commented as he neared the bridge. Reaching the base of the bridge, Naruto ran up one of the supports where Sasuke and Haku were battling.
When he reached the top, he leaped high into the air and dashed to where Haku was. Naruto focused all of his chakra into a central point as he blasted down at Haku like a meteor. The girl quickly jumped away from the attack as Naruto aimed in her direction. Naruto plunged into the ground hard enough to send both Sasuke and Haku flying away. The blond stood within the newly formed crater and looked over at Haku.
Sasuke took the opportunity to get up and pull him together. He gazed over at Naruto and saw the same look in his eyes as when he spoke with Inari several days ago.
"I don't wish to kill you. This isn't anything personal," Haku said.
"Then stand down and neither you nor Zabuza will get hurt," Sasuke ordered.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, as I've been instructed to deal with you and now Naruto as well. This is the end," Haku said.
Naruto replied, "The hell it is!"
Haku formed some seals. "Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors"
The water below the bridge rose around Haku, Naruto, and Sasuke, and formed mirrors of ice arranged into a large dome around them. Haku, putting her mask back on, walked up to one of the mirrors, and 'melted' into it.
"What is that?" Sakura asked as she and Tazuna witnessed what happened.
"That girl…she has a bloodline limit?" Kakashi asked, and Zabuza nodded.
"That is her ultimate jutsu. Those two kids won't be able to survive it. No one has beaten it, ever," Zabuza bragged.
"Nothing's as boring as bragging. Let's go!" Kakashi said. Zabuza chuckled, and the mist thickened around them.
"You may be the Copy Ninja, but I'm superior when it comes to killing without sight," Zabuza said. Kakashi sighed and blocked three shuriken that Zabuza threw.
Inside the Ice Dome
Sasuke and Naruto looked around inside the dome of ice mirrors. In every mirror, there was an image of Haku holding several needles.
"What…Multiple clone?" Sasuke wondered out loud. He was answered by a shower of senbon needles, very few of which they managed to evade. The two Genin took out some shuriken and started throwing them at the mirrors. Haku travelled swiftly between the mirrors while Sasuke went through some hand signs, seeing his chance to attack.
"Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu" Sasuke shouted as he took in a deep breath before releasing a blast of fire from his mouth towards Haku, who evaded the flames.
'The black-haired Genin was able to follow my movements with his eyes, almost as if he has a bloodline limit of his own…Wait! His eyes are now red with 3 tomoe's on each of them! Did he just awaken a dormant Kekkai Genkai?' Haku wondered as she escaped to the sanctuary of another ice mirror.
"You seemed stunned. I guess you never went up against an Uchiha before," said the now smirking Sasuke looking at Haku. Naruto took note of the fact that Sasuke's bloodline limit activated, but gave no verbal remark about it and activated his sharingan too.
'An Uchiha, Zabuza warned me about that clan and their eyes. I heard they were all wiped out with the exception of two of them. This one must be the survivor of the massacre, then why does the other one have those eyes too' Haku contemplated before speaking, "It makes no difference to me whether or not you're an Uchiha. Neither you nor Naruto will escape this ice prison of my creation."
Senbon needles now came from every direction simultaneously. Sasuke tried to see when Haku threw the needles, but the Haku moved too fast. All Sasuke could see was a blur in front of the mirrors, and he felt a new cut. Sasuke started to get desperate as he tried to evade and block the needles with his kunai.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu" Naruto called out, creating more clones. The clones stood in front of the boys before charging at Haku, or what they believed to be her. More senbon needles came flying at the clones before taking them down like the others, destroying the clones, and striking both boys.
Meanwhile
"Damn it!" Kakashi cursed as he narrowly dodged another swipe from Zabuza's Executioner's Blade. Even with his Sharingan eye, he couldn't see through the thick fog the former Mist Nin had summoned.
"What's wrong, Kakashi? I assumed that almighty eye of yours would at least see through the mist," Zabuza taunted, his voice echoing through the mist all around him.
"I need to come up with a strategy soon, otherwise he'll get me," Kakashi thought as he jumped out of the way of another strike from the missing Nin.
'What's happening in there?' Sakura thought worriedly as she looked towards Haku's dome of ice mirrors. She would have run off to check on her teammates, but she refrained from doing so. She wasn't stupid; she knew a fierce battle was happening inside that dome. She was by no means deluded. She knew that she wouldn't last five seconds in there.
Then there was Tazuna, the bridge builder she was guarding. Sakura had seen the condition of Land of Waves over the course of the mission. It was abysmal; all its inhabitants were dressed in rags. Even small children had to scavenge for food. She couldn't stand to see their deplorable state. That was why they needed the bridge; that was why they couldn't risk having anything happen to Tazuna. His bridge would open up an invaluable trade route and save Land of Waves altogether. The entire future of Land of Waves rested on him, and if she left him, Zabuza might just take the opportunity to kill him, condemning the citizens of Land of Waves to their horrendous living conditions for the rest of their lives. So Sakura stayed, watching with worried eyes and hoping Naruto and Sasuke were alright.
Back Inside the Dome
Sasuke's cry caught Naruto's attention. The Uchiha had several senbon sticking out of his shoulders and thigh, crumpling him to the ground. The ghostly masked girl dashed through her mirrors towards them with a speed that was blinding, outwitting them. Naruto held a kunai in his hands and sped through a defensive weave, deflecting the senbon as they tried to pincushion him and Sasuke.
Sasuke was trying to drag himself over to Naruto, but his injury was keeping him from moving properly. The girl that had quickly and easily put down Sasuke was approaching Naruto with her hands full of senbon, floating over him like some wrathful spirit within her mirror.
Naruto himself sustained a couple of cuts and stab wounds around his body. Sasuke at this point was kneeling on one leg on the ground after being struck with multiple senbon needles around his body and bleeding from his injuries.
"Sasuke, are you still with me? We're not dying today!" Naruto stated. Sasuke started dragging himself, one handed and one legged in a sort of sideways crouch, moving towards Haku, his expression saying that he wasn't going to lose this way, not without a fight. They were fighting to live.
And he was just standing there as that kunoichi who took them down was calmly cocking her head at him, curious to see what Sasuke was going to do. The reflection of the smooth senbon in his opponent's hands caught Naruto's eye.
"You are not needed for the success of Zabuza's plans," Haku spoke sadly behind her mask, "Please, don't take this personally. I'll make your deaths swift and painless."
"A swift and painless death, that's what you're offering us? You're full of such mercy," Naruto mocked in sarcasm, never taking his eyes off of Haku, though he could hear Sasuke's grunts.
"Why don't you give up?" asked Haku
"I just don't know when to give up! And besides, I didn't come this far to die now! I have dreams to fulfil, and precious people to protect so they can fulfil their dreams too!" Naruto exclaimed.
"I see, so you fight for your dreams, and for the dreams of others. Well, I fight for the dreams of my precious person. I want to see Zabuza's goals and ambitions carried out. I want to be completely useful to him and his plans. I will admit that it's difficult for me to be a shinobi, but for Zabuza, I'll sacrifice everything and become a full-fledged shinobi. To do so, I'll destroy my heart and kill you both," Haku replied, then held up a senbon needle.
"Destroy your heart?" Naruto asked.
"That's right. To be able to kill with no hesitation, one must destroy their heart. To take another's life is the way of the shinobi," Haku said as she noticed Naruto's enraged demeanour.
Naruto looked up at Haku and countered, "I risk my life and do what I must to do to protect my brother, my sensei, my team, my friends, and those who can't protect themselves! If I destroy my heart, accomplishing this will be impossible! I can't protect those precious to me and fight for their dreams if I lose all sense of humanity"
"Dobe…Don't listen to her…We have to-" Before Sasuke could finish his speech, seven more needles came from behind and impaled Sasuke in the back, arms, and legs all at once. The Uchiha fell to the ground on his chest.
"I'm afraid you won't be finishing your declaration of bravado, Sasuke," Haku remarked as she landed on her feet on the ground in front of one of the mirrors.
"N-Naruto," Sasuke said weakly, opening his eyes, blinking away the pain and weariness he felt. Naruto, while ignoring the pain from his body, pulled out the needles from both his and Sasuke's bodies and tossed them away. Before Naruto could do anything else for Sasuke, the Uchiha's entire body went limp as his eyes closed.
"Sasuke" Naruto asked, concerned, "Sasuke! Damn it! Wake up!"
"He's dead. Accept it," Haku said, having been watching them quietly the entire time. "Is this the first time you've lost a friend?"
Naruto gave her no verbal retort. "We are ninja, weapons, nothing more," Haku said.
"Shut up!" Naruto replied with a little killer intent
"There is always the chance that you or your comrades will die in battle," Haku added.
"Won't you shut up?" yelled Naruto as the killer intent grew wilder
"If you cannot realize that, then you are fighting pointlessly," Haku continued.
"I'LL KILL YOU" Naruto yelled as red chakra started leaking out of his body.
Haku threw some senbon towards the blond. "This again" Naruto taunted as he used his red chakra to create a complete suit of armour around his body, stopping the needles in their tracks from striking his body before blasting the needles away. Haku was shocked from the sudden yet effective defence to her attack.
"Impossible! How were you able to stop my needles when you weren't capable of doing so before?" Haku asked in disbelief.
In the Central Province of Land of Waves
Within a heavily guarded five story building was a man named Gato. He was a man who enjoyed keeping his mind open to any beneficial business opportunities he could get. His minions would make their rounds in terrorizing the citizens and ensuring the locals were kept in line.
Once in a while, the civilians would get a little unruly, and would need to be reminded of their place, but that didn't take more than a few choice words. Gato would still get reports every now and then, but not frequently. He was currently checking his account books, calculating the numbers, and watching them continue to increase.
"Boss, we got news for you," one of his minions said as he entered Gato's office. Grumbling, the midget raised his head up from his desk to stare at his two mercenaries behind his very round sunglasses.
"This better be important for you to interrupt me while I'm busy," Gato warned.
"Zabuza and his partner are at the bridge. They intend to finish the job and the contract today," a second former samurai spoke up.
"That's good news. He and that young girl with him were starting to prove to be waste of space anyway. Is there anything else you have to share with me?" Gato asked with a frown
"The extra mercenaries you requested are at the mainland, sir. Believing the bridge to be closed for construction, they requested a ship to transport them here to this island," the second ex-samurai explained.
"Just the thought of that goddamn bridge pisses me off! I'll have to buy a shipment of dynamite to use on that bridge and have it blown down after Zabuza finishes his job," Gato turned back to his reports. "With the new addition to my army and Zabuza finishing his contract, I'll have less to be concerned with."
"That's the other thing, boss," the first minion said, interrupting Gato's work, "Zabuza is having a hard time against those ninjas he's fighting. Even as we speak, Zabuza and his partner could end up losing, or worse."
As a sinister smile grew on Gato's lips, he spoke, "Now this is something. If Zabuza could, at the very least wear them down, he and the other shinobi will be vulnerable, and we can just kill all of them. Yes, that would do nicely."
"Understood, boss," the second minion snickered as he rubbed the hilt of his sword with anticipation. Gato stood up from his desk and ledger, contemplating what was discussed.
"This could be a blessing in disguise. I think I'll go meet my new army at the mainland. That way, I'll have a front row seat to see what's become of Zabuza and that partner of his," Gato said with a dark smile.
Back Inside the Dome
Naruto was able to feel Kyuubi's chakra circulating to all his wounds, and already the chakra was at work, healing him as fast as possible. Naruto just had to buy himself a little more time as his wounds closed up. With rage, he went towards Haku banging him on the ground and then piercing his claws through her chest.
His eyes fell on Sasuke's body and immediately run towards him. When he reached there, he noticed he was not dead, just unconscious, so he started healing him. After he had make sure that he will make it through, he went to Haku's body and noticed that he was alive and not dead, so he fell in deep thought.
"Kill me" Haku asked
"Why?" Naruto asked
"Because my life had no significance," Haku answered with a low voice. "Zabuza gave me a reason to exist!" she cried, tears forming in her eyes before they started descending down her face. "He gave my life a purpose!"
"This purpose being" Naruto inquired.
"I am a tool, to be used by Zabuza in any way he sees fit. It's what I live for!" replied Haku
"You chose that as your purpose in life? To be his instrument! Listen to yourself Haku! You're a human being with feelings, hopes, and dreams! Why do you allow Zabuza to dictate your life?" Naruto replied with outrage.
Haku cried and sobbed and removed his mask and Naruto realized who he was, "I had no one. I have a bloodline limit. Back in Mist, we with bloodline limits were hated and killed off. The fourth Mizukage had ordered the complete genocide of everyone with bloodline limits. My mother, who also carried the same bloodline I have, lived with my father, hoping that he would never learn what she had. But one day, he found out. So he murdered my mother and tried to murder me as well. I can't remember what exactly happened after he tried to attack me. All I know is that when I woke, my father was dead, clearly killed by me, with ice stabbed through his heart."
"From that time, I was all alone. No one wanted me. I became a homeless orphan, alone on the streets, living off of whatever I could find to eat or drink. No one cared whether I lived or died! To them I was just street trash to be tossed to the side. It was Zabuza who found and took me in when everyone else shunned and left me to die. He gave me clothes, food, shelter, and taught me all he knew!"
There was a moment of silence between Naruto and Haku. The blond allowed the girl's words to sink into his mind as she continued in a sad tone, "Zabuza found use for me, and my bloodline limit and he wanted me to be a weapon, a tool for him. I was finally wanted in the world, as Zabuza seeks to overthrow the Mizukage. But Zabuza has no use for a weak tool. I no longer have a purpose. Now that you have beaten me, please (tears falling down her face)…finish me. Just end my life."
"I understand your pain Haku, more so than you know. Our lives aren't so different. Like you, I was also an unwanted and hated homeless orphan back in my village. Like you, I carried a burden since my birth which led to me being scorned, bullied, and reviled by everybody of all ages. Many even called for my death when I was an infant. And like you, I found someone precious in my life that I would give my life for," Naruto explained.
Haku, regardless of what happened not too long ago, gave Naruto a sincere smile. "I see that we have more in common after all," she commented.
"Even though I've beaten you, you still have much to live for. You can find a new purpose. You don't have to die here," Naruto encouraged.
"Who would want me, a living weapon with a cursed bloodline limit that has now been proven to be weak?" Haku asked.
"Haku, listen to me!" Naruto spoke, "It's not too late for you! You're very good with herbs so you can become a medic ninja and build a new life again. You can't throw your life away like this!" Haku stared at him quietly. "If Zabuza doesn't want you anymore, just because you aren't an invincible tool, then you are better off without him," Naruto said firmly. Haku was silent.
Naruto, without any hesitation started healing her. 'She won't make it, the wound is too deep, if she dies, I will be the reason for her death' thought Naruto 'No I won't fail, I'll save her'
"You truly are strong…Naruto. Zabuza warned me to be as cautious of you as…I would be with Kakashi. I failed to heed his warning seriously, in spite of the fact that you came close to killing Zabuza days ago. I underestimated your true abilities…while I overestimated my own against yours. I lose…Finish it," Haku requested as she awaited her death at Naruto's hands.
"I won't kill you" Naruto said. He tried to heal him but he died. His eyes started to pain, his chest was filled with guilt for killing him, and he was lost in that moment, and then he fainted, he was waiting for hitting the ground, but it never happened. He opened his eyes to see only to notice that Sasuke was holding him and the other Sasuke was holding Haku. They both shunshined from there to where the rest of them were.
Outside the Dome
"If sight and hearing don't work, use smell. My dogs went after the smell of my blood on your weapon. Now you won't be able to escape," Kakashi said as electricity started energizing in his left hand.
"Zabuza, you're very much renowned. You tried to take over Mist village, but when you failed and escaped, you started working for scum like Gato to get away from the hunter Nin's. The man you are trying to kill, Tazuna, is important to Land of Waves. Your motivation sacrifices too many lives of the innocent," Kakashi said, his tone cold and hard.
"Spare me your speech Kakashi! As long as I can accomplish my goal, I'm happy," Zabuza replied.
"I'll finish you here," Kakashi said coldly, readying his attack to tear into the man. Naruto and Sasuke arrived there and laid Haku on the ground and went to see Kakashi and Zabuza.
"My, oh my, you sure are getting beat up, aren't you Zabuza," a short man in expensive clothes said. Behind him from the mainland was an army of ex-samurai and rough-looking mercenaries, all of them armed.
"Gato…," Zabuza said as he eyed the man and his army of thugs.
"Oh, there's been a little change in plans. You see, I never intended to pay you," Gato said and laughed.
"What?" Zabuza asked angrily.
"Hiring normal ninjas is expensive, so I hire missing Nin's like you. Then I dispose of them when they're tired from battle and no longer serve any use for me. No one misses missing Nin's like you. The Demon of the Hidden Mist, what a joke! You are just a little puppy demon," Gato said, and his thugs laughed at the joke.
"You bastard, you'll pay for double-crossing me!" Zabuza growled at Gato.
"Say what you want, but it doesn't matter. You'll all die here," Gato said as two of his thugs shot arrows straight at Zabuza. Zabuza screamed as two arrows pierce through his chest. Then Gato noticed Haku's body and spoke "Oh, so she is already dead, I would have enjoyed killing her, after what she had done with my arm" and then he placed his leg on her face.
"GET YOUR LEG OFF HER" Naruto yelled
"Haku…" Zabuza said softly.
"That stupid girl, she should have stayed out of the way and allowed you to die with what dignity you had left" Gato sneered with contempt. Zabuza stood in a dead silence as he processed what just happened.
Naruto's eyes closed tightly as a beastly growl escaped his mouth. His facial whiskers grew more feral as his fangs grew longer and sharper. His finger nails grew and turned into razor sharp claws, and a red aura appeared around Naruto's body. The aura itself gave off feelings of malevolence and pure hate.
"This is bad," Kakashi muttered as he saw Kyuubi's influence rising from within Naruto.
"Kakashi-sensei, what's happening to Naruto?" Sakura asked worriedly with a frightened expression. Tazuna was just as scared while Zabuza looked on in wonder. Naruto opened his eyes and gone were the ocean blue eyes everyone was used to seeing. Now in place of them were bloody red eyes with vertical slits for pupils.
"She used herself to save your life, Zabuza. Do you feel anything?" Naruto asked through his growl.
"Haku was a shinobi, an instrument like me. I used her as much as Gato used me. That's all it was. I needed and wanted her bloodline limit, not her," Zabuza answered coldly. Naruto looked back at Zabuza with disgust and indignation.
"Do you really mean that?" Naruto asked
"I have no regrets. We're tools of war, Naruto. That's the shinobi way," Zabuza added. "Haku loved you, Zabuza, more than she should have! You were precious to her, more than her own life! She lived for your dreams without having any of her own! You both have been together for all this time, and all you have to say is that she was a useful instrument? Have you no heart?" Naruto shouted.
"Kid, stop it!" Zabuza requested.
"Is that all you have to say?" Naruto asked loudly.
"Please…don't say anything further," Zabuza pleaded as a several tears fell from his eyes as he stood over Haku, "It pained her to have to fight you. She fought not only for me, but for you guys too. She was too kind."
Naruto couldn't think of anything to say, but Zabuza continued, "I'm glad I faced you guys in the end. You may be right, a shinobi is still human. We may not be able to become emotionless tools after all. I've lost."
"What a heart-warming soap opera. I could cry, if I cared. I've had enough of this drama! I have a country to dominate and some troublesome ninja to kill!" Gato said contemptuously.
"Zabuza, lend me your Executioner's Blade! Now" Naruto ordered as he went over and took the
Mist Nin's large sword before the older man could give him an answer to his request. Sakura asked with the same scared but worried tone as before, "Naruto, what are you-"
"Just stay with the others, Sakura! I'll handle things from here! Don't any of you argue with me! I'm not in the mood!" Naruto replied darkly with a venomous and murderous tone as bloodlust was pouring out of him in waves. Naruto walked over to Gato and his army while holding Zabuza's Executioner's Blade with his right hand. Despite the size and weight of the sword, it was surprising to everyone that Naruto was able to wield the weapon with only one arm. Gato and his men looked at the possessed-looking Genin, trying to look like they weren't scared by his change of appearance.
"That's a nice trick there boy, but you must be crazy if you think that it'll make me and my men run away from the likes of a child like you," Gato said as confident as possible.
"Among us ninja, Zabuza is renowned as the "Demon of the Hidden Mist", and yet even he has a heart and a measure of honour. But unlike Zabuza, you're something far worse; you have a dead heart and no honour. Therefore you'll have to be removed!" Naruto declared as he stood where he was and summoned eight shadow clone, four to his left and four to his right, each holding a copy of Zabuza's giant sword in their hands and looking the exact way Naruto currently looked. All nine of them now started focusing large amounts of wind chakra into the sharp large blades of their Executioner's Blade. After a couple of moments, Naruto yelled, "Wind Style: Nine Spiralling Guillotines"
Using powerful wind manipulation with the swords, Naruto, and his eight clones simultaneously slashed their swords, sending out nine powerful razors sharp wind guillotines at Gato and his army. The guillotines tore and shredded through the ground before reaching them. The result was gory and catastrophic as the nine enormous spinning wind blades ploughed through them. Gato's men screamed in agony and dread as the attacks delivered their devastating blows.
"Kakashi-sensei, did you teach Naruto that jutsu," Sakura asked.
"I did not teach him that jutsu as I never seen that jutsu before. I haven't taught him wind manipulation, either," Kakashi answered calmly as he and the others watched Naruto in action.
"What a strong ninja that boy is!" Zabuza marvelled. Wind Style: Nine Spiralling Guillotines was the new attack that Naruto was secretly working on over the last two months. Even Sasuke wasn't aware of it. And the fact that he used Zabuza's Executioner's Blade made the attack more devastating than it would have normally been.
When the nine blades died out, Naruto dispelled his clones. With Zabuza's Executioner's Blade in hand and wind chakra still focused around the giant blade with his chakra and gravity restraint seals lowered by several notches, he rushed in with blurring speed to finish off those that survived the attack. All that was seen of Naruto was the occasional orange-red blur.
When it was all over, Gato, who narrowly avoided being killed by Naruto's earlier attack, came out of hiding and saw a sight that left him in a terrifying situation. All of his hired men were dead, slaughtered, and butchered in the most brutal and vicious way he could imagine. Slashed organs, dismembered body parts, and blood of his slain men littered the ground. He stopped when he felt pure bloodlust from behind him. He cowered as he slowly turned and saw a red-eyed and fanged Naruto holding Zabuza's blood-covered Executioner's Blade standing behind him.
"Monster…," Gato said lowly in fear.
"Look who's talking," Naruto remarked darkly as he started to move closer to the man.
"Please! Spare me!" Gato shouted desperately, "I'll give you anything you want! Money, power over Land of Waves! Beautiful women! I'll buy as many as you want!"
"You'll give me what I want? Well, there are a few things you have that I want to retrieve," Naruto replied as he summoned a shadow clone. The clone moved forward and grabbed Gato by his shirt collar. "Take him," Naruto ordered as the clone nodded and body flickered away with Gato, making their way back to the central town of the country and leaving Naruto alone.
Back at the Bridge
Despite his injuries, Zabuza stayed behind with Kakashi as they and everyone else hurried to where Naruto was. When everyone arrived on the scene, they found that all of Gato's men are already dead, and Gato was gone, taken by Naruto's clone to an unknown location.
"It's over. Gato's reign over Land of Waves has come to its end," Naruto said calmly after changing back to normal with the red chakra vanishing entirely. His gravity and chakra restraint seals were also returned to their previous levels.
As happy as the people were that Gato was defeated, they couldn't help by feel dread from the gory, bloody, and devastating mess Naruto singlehandedly left behind in his wake. Parents turned their children away from the horrific scene while a couple of the people even vomited after seeing what became of Gato's army and the surrounding environment that was caught in Naruto's wrath. Sakura, who was still carrying Sasuke with his right arm around her shoulders, didn't know what to think as fear of Naruto came over her as she and everyone else looked to see the gruesome carnage Naruto left behind for all to see.
"Magnificent! I never thought Konoha could produce such a powerful Genin who could use a sword with such talent!" Zabuza congratulated. "What have you been teaching the boy, Kakashi?"
"I hate to admit this…but what I'm seeing here is beyond anything I taught my three Genin," Kakashi confessed while wondering if Kyuubi had anything to do with what happened after seeing that red chakra. But Kakashi threw that theory out of the window after considering the fact that in spite of the red chakra he and the others saw, Naruto was still in control of himself and his actions without going berserk.
Naruto went over to Zabuza and returned his blood covered Executioner's Blade. "This came in handy. Pity I can't keep it," Naruto commented.
"Boy, after seeing such a display from you, I'd be honoured to make you my successor, if it were possible," Zabuza remarked and chocked some blood from his mouth and fell on his knees. Naruto tried to heal him but he stopped him and replied "No, don't, It's my time to die. Just take that sword and fulfil your dreams" with that said, he closed his eyes and slowly his pulse started fading.
"Kakashi, please can you bring me close to Haku" Zabuza spoke again. With that said, Kakashi brought him close to Haku, after a moment it started snowing, he spoke again "It seems Haku is crying too"
When his pulse completely faded and he passed, Naruto held his sword and sealed it in a scroll and gave it to Sasuke and spoke "Your skills with swords are better than mine"
He threw the scroll back to Naruto and spoke "Thanks, but it seems the sword work well with wind style while I have fire and lightning, if we come across and lightning sword, then I will take that. That swords belongs to you and Zabuza also wanted to make you his successor, so you should keep it"
"Very well" Naruto spoke and kept the scroll in his pouch
"Naruto, did you really do all this by yourself?" a shocked Inari asked. It was true that Inari, with the aid of Tsunami, rallied the people to stand up against Gato's tyranny. They were inspired to take back what was rightfully theirs, and not let a cruel businessman steal and keep it for himself while they suffer and slowly die out from poverty and despair. The people were ready to fight and go the distance against Gato and his army. But by the look of things, Naruto had beaten everyone to the punch in breaking Gato's hold on their country.
"You wiped out Gato and his entire army all by yourself! You're so strong and amazing! You freed us from Gato's evil rule over us!" Inari praised.
"I didn't do that all by myself Inari. My team and I did that," Naruto said, trying to act as humble as possible, though inwardly he was enjoying the praise and acknowledgment he was receiving.
"But you left behind quite a grisly mess. It'll be a while before we get this all cleaned up," Tazuna remarked with grim expression.
"Leave it to –"Naruto couldn't finish his sentence as Kakashi spoke "-me, you have done enough Naruto, you need some rest to, leave it to me" with that said he gone through some hand signs and yelled "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu" and the whole area was cleaned by a water dragon
Naruto's shadow clone from earlier returned, but not with Gato. He was seen carrying a large briefcase and a small black bag. "So what happened?" Naruto asked.
The shadow clone explained, "I forced Gato to return all the sea ports he bought and to return all of the money he stole from Land of Waves. I then had Gato hand over a huge sum of money to give to the people and Tazuna to finance the completion of the bridge. All of the official documents with Gato's signature and stamp are inside this briefcase along with the money."
"And what became of Gato himself?" Kakashi questioned. Naruto's clone produced Gato's sunglasses, suit, and two expensive gold diamond rings from out of the black bag. All four items were drenched and dripping with fresh blood, and a large stab wound was seen through the suit jacket.
"You won't find a body, so don't ask," the clone stated before puffing out, giving Naruto all of the knowledge he needed to understand what happened. After he did, Naruto saw what became of Gato's body after his clone finished him.
"Shark food," was all Naruto said. All the while his sharingan was activated with a new pattern in it and nobody noticed it except Sakura.
"Naruto, what's with your sharingan, it seems a little different" spoke Sakura. This caught everyone's attention, but mainly it caught Sasuke's attention.
"What do you mean?" spoke Naruto
"It seems you have activated you mangekyo" replied Kakashi
"How?" asked a shocked Sasuke
"I guess after killing Haku or maybe after I thought that I lost you" replied Naruto
"But how?" asked Sasuke again
"She told me her story and when she died, I was guilty of killing her or maybe when I thought you died, the loss of losing a friend was too much for me to bear" replied Naruto
"So it make sense, Itachi told the truth" replied Sasuke
"What do you mean by that statement Sasuke" asked Kakashi
"Itachi killed Shisui to get his mangekyo" replied Sasuke
"But how did you know about mangekyo sensei" asked Naruto
"It's because I have mangekyo sharingan too" replied Kakashi showing his mangekyo sharingan to his Genin's
"Don't tell me sensei that you killed someone too to gain those eyes" asked Naruto while Sasuke was still shocked that his sensei not only have the sharingan but the mangekyo too.
"Yes Naruto I killed my other team mate and then I got these eyes" replied Kakashi and continued "My friend Rin was kidnapped by Kiri, Hidden Mist Village and made the jinchuriki of 3-Tailed Beast in order to have her be rescued so the tailed beast could be let loose within Konoha. To ensure the plan's success, various jonin and ANBU-level shinobi by the Hidden Mist Village were sent to feign chasing them so that their return to the village would be hastened. Knowing this, Rin requested me to kill her to protect the village. Though I refused, Rin later intercepted with my Chidori, which was meant to hit a Hidden Mist shinobi, impaling herself on my hand and that's how I got these" Kakashi explained in a saddened tone.2 Weeks Later
Everyone was rested up and ready to go. Kakashi and his team were at the completed bridge with Tazuna and his family. The entire village had also shown up at the bridge to say goodbye to the shinobi who made it possible for them to escape Gato's oppression.
"Our mission here is over. We can finally go back home. I miss Konoha," Sakura said and Kakashi nodded.
"Thanks to you, the bridge is finished. Though this bridge is completed, it's…really sad that you all have to leave," Tazuna said
"Our mission is finished, so we have to return to Konoha," Kakashi said
"Please take care," Tsunami said
"We will," Sakura answered
The villagers gave them their good-byes and best wishes.
"We'll visit someday," Naruto said confidently.
"You promise?" Inari asked, on the verge of crying.
Naruto nodded with a sad smile and said, "You've grown a lot during these past few weeks Inari. You've proven that in spite of troublesome times, you can inspire and protect those precious to you. Kaiza would have been as proud of you as all of us are." Inari ran up and hugged Naruto, who in turned hugged him back. The dark-haired young boy sobbed a little while embracing the blond who he now looks up to. Inari looked at Naruto with a sad smile and a tear-stained face as he nodded.
"Are you sad that you're leaving, Naruto? It's alright to cry, you know," Inari said.
Naruto ruffled Inari's hair before he turned and walked off and said, "Me, cry? No way"
Sakura and Sasuke sweat-dropped upon seeing a few tears escape Naruto's eyes as he wiped them away. Tsunami giggled at Naruto's futile attempts to keep those few tears from falling. Kakashi sighed and shook his head slightly at the scene, as he and his remaining Genin followed after Naruto
"Well, we'll be seeing you later," Kakashi said and turned around to continue on his way with the others. The five ninja walked away, leaving the cheering locals.
"That boy changed Inari's heart, and Inari changed the villagers' hearts. That boy gave us a bridge toward hope and courage," Tazuna said, talking about Naruto.
"The bridge…that's right. We haven't named it yet. We need to name this bridge," one of the villagers said.
Tazuna thought about it for a bit when…"I have the perfect name for it!" Inari exclaimed. "The Great Naruto Bridge"
Tsunami laughed slightly and agreed, "That's a good name."
"It's settled, then," Tazuna declared, "This Bridge will be named The Great Naruto Bridge"