Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Chapter 10 – New Faces
Both teams had awakened early to get started on the day. Tazuna wanted to get to the bridge in a few hours, but the jōnin figured they could get their teams started and then leave them to fend for their selves while they guarded the bridge builder. Now they were in a small clearing staring at some trees.
"We're going to begin training you cute little genin so that you survive the upcoming battle with Zabuza and his apprentice. They may have extra help along and you will may need to handle them on your own" Kakashi states.
"Sweet! Your finally going to train us and give us some cool technique!" Kiba shouted.
"Calm down Kiba. I will not be showing you any jutsu quite yet. We have no idea when Zabazu might show up so any training you do will have to be something you can learn fast and without burning through all of you chakra" Kakashi states.
This had the affect of dampening all the genins spirits knowing they wouldn't be learning anything cool.
"Then what are we going to learn sensei?" Sakura asked.
"I'm glad you asked Sakura-chan. I will be teaching you how to climb trees" Kakashi states.
This also got the affect he was looking for as the genin gave him questioning stares none more so than Team 4.
"But, we already know how to climb trees" Tomaru responds.
"I don't mean the way you genin normally climb tree's. I mean like this"
Kakashi proceeds to walk up the tree in front of him without the use of hands to demonstrate what he meant.
"That's exactly what I meant! We already know this exercise. Hayama-sensei showed us this the first week we became a team!" shouted at the man.
"Oh" was all Kakashi could say.
The genin of Team 7 that had been looking at their sensei with awe were now back to giving him sour looks as they didn't like that another team was getting training they weren't. Mainly Sasuke, because he needed that level of training. Kakashi hadn't shown him anything even if he did work more with him than his other two teammates on the basics. He didn't need that, he needed what Team 4 seemed to be getting.
This lead to all of the genins of Team 7 wondering what the other teams were learning and if they had been left behind and just didn't know it.
"Hatake-san, I think your team should work on this while I give my team another exercise to work on" Hayama says.
Kakashi just shrugged and started to read his book, which made Hayama curious.
'How long could it take to read a single book? He has the sharingan he could memorize the whole thing in a minute and then relive the scenes in his mind from what I know of that cursed dōjutsu's power'
'He's been reading that thing since we left the village and I've only seen him turn a few pages?' Hayama questioned.
"Team 4, follow me" Hayama calls out.
Naruto, Tomaru, and Fuki followed as Team 7 watched them leave the clearing. Sasuke wanted to follow them to see what they were doing, but Kakashi threw a kunai in his path and told his team to start climbing while marking their progress with the kunai. Sasuke frowned at this, but decided to do the training. He could always make Team 4 tell him what they did later.
Meanwhile, Team 4 stood in another clearing a short distance away from Team 7, but the trees and bushes concealed them from the other genin. Hayama had them sit in a circle Indian style before he described the exercise to them.
"What I will be showing you three is a new chakra control practice. You all have surpassed my expectations on how well you did with the first three control practices. Now I am going to teach you how to control your chakra through meditation" Hayama starts.
"Meditation?" Tomaru questioned.
"Meditation is a practice in which an individual trains the mind and/or induces a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit" Hayama lectures.
"Mode of consciousness?" Naruto asks.
"I'm not really up on the technical aspects of it Naruto, but I think I remember it being circumstances that change the relationship between the mind and the world producing what are known as altered states of consciousness or mind" Hayama answers.
Naruto nods at this, but Tomaru now has another question.
"How will that help us learn to control our chakra?" he asked.
"Good question, there are many different kinds of meditation and many different techniques and goals or objectives. Some use meditation simply as a way to relax, some use it to develop their compassion, patience, love among other things and more advanced far reaching goals like sustained single-pointed concentration, single-pointed analysis, or an indestructible sense of well-being in any situation. What we will be using it for is to build up your chakra" Hayama answers
"How do we do that sensei?" Fuki asked.
"I do not as I said before know the actual techniques and mechanisms behind traditional meditation. There are books in the library you can check out when we get home if you are really interested in the subject. For our purposes though I want you all to sit with your legs crossed" Hayama instructs.
Hayama also sat as they did and crossed his legs as they followed.
"Now place your hands palms down on your knees so that your entire body is connected and rooted to the Earth" Hayama further instructs them.
The kids followed in his movements.
"Now the tricky part of meditation is that it requires you to sit still and open your mind. To help in this some focus on an object, others chant, and many other ways. I can't give you an object to focus so we're going to have to use visualization. I imagine this will be harder for you Tomaru as you won't be able to talk and it is unknown how long it will take before you can accomplish this step. It's takes longer for some than others, but if you find yourself getting frustrated just calm down, take a few deep breaths, and keep trying.
When each of you are ready close your eyes, take deep relaxing breaths, picture your chakra, think about the times you have used your chakra and recall that sensation. When you feel your chakra picture it moving throughout your body. First move it to the base of your spine, then slowly move it through your legs, your feet, and then each of your toes. When you can feel your chakra cover the entirety of your lower body then try sustaining that feeling, and then move it up through your body.
Feel the chakra as it moves up your chest, through your arms, your hands, your individual fingers then back up through your neck, your chin, your mouth, your nose, your eyes, your ears, your eyebrows, your temple, brain, and even your hair. Once you have accomplished that sustain that feeling, and then move the chakra back down through your body and then up again and back down, up and down, just keep it moving up and down your body. I'll monitor you as you do this and let you know when it's time to stop" Hayama tells them.
As he stands up he notes that all of them even Tomaru had already seemed to move into a light trance. He moves towards a tree and leans against it as he waits.
"Your team finished already Kakashi?" Hayama asked out loud, but low enough to not disturb his team.
When Kakashi made his way through the trees and foliage to stand next to the tree beside him Hayama noted he was no longer reading his book.
"Sakura-chan has already figured it out. It seems she has a natural ability with chakra control, but I suggested she keep doing it to build on her low reserves. The other two will probably take most of the week to get it down considering the limitations we have on training time" Kakashi responds.
Hayama nods at this. They were both worried about when the next attack would come. Naruto's fight with the accomplice seemed to be the toughest fight and he had recovered quickly enough. Their fight with Zabuza had been little more than a spat each of them probing the other to find out their skill level and ability.
It hadn't been enough to get an accurate reading, but for jōnin of their caliber and experience it was enough. So far the genin were their advantage as Zabuza probably couldn't get a good enough read on any of them with his focus split between the two of them. Unfortunately they couldn't count on the genin's help and they didn't want to send any of them against the apprentice either if they could help it.
Both men focused on the three genin of Team 4 and noted the varying levels of concentration. Naruto seemed to be the most adapt at it like he had already had some practice with meditation. Fuki had seemed to be only slightly struggling, while Tomaru as expecting was finding it difficult to relax and focus as he was the most energetic and wild of the trio even though something told Hayama Naruto could be even crazier in the right or wrong circumstances.
"Why are you here Kakashi?" Hayama asked.
"I just wanted to see what your team was working on. This is a little too advanced for genin isn't it?" Kakashi returned.
"I only push them as far as they are capable of going. Like all genin they were very raw when I received them, but they've worked hard and pushed themselves to learn at a rate I haven't seen since the last war. I tried once to hold them back and stall their progress a little, but they didn't let me" Hayama answers.
"Didn't let you?" Kakashi questioned.
"Nope, I told them if each of them completed a scroll full of the standard genin chakra control to my satisfaction that only then would I teach them more" Hayama says.
Kakashi didn't respond just waited for the older man to finish. When he learned of their teams being paired up for this mission he had sought out some friends to give him a little information on Team 4's jōnin. The man was someone he could respect. Someone he was willing to bet his sensei would have respected as well as he seemed to share in their belief of the team above mission and village above all mentality. Hayama was a man of sacrifice and duty.
"It took them less than a month before they had them all down and a couple of weeks later they could even do them in combination. A truly remarkable team and I feel lucky to be their sensei" Hayama finishes.
Kakashi didn't agree with the man teaching genin such advanced material, but he could feel the pride the man had in his team. It reminded him once more of his sensei. He only wished he could feel the same about his team.
"Can you handle guarding Tazuna in an hour" Kakashi asked.
"Sure, I'll leave a clone behind to watch the kids until you take over" Hayama answers.
"Sounds good. I guess I should go do a little training myself. Admittedly Zabuza got the drop on me. Without your assistance I am not sure I could have chased him off like that" Kakashi says.
"It's to be expected. Those swordsmen as a group were nearly unbeatable before they fell apart. Even the weakest of them were a match for your average jōnin. Zabuza himself was some where in the middle and he's been running around trying to avoid their hunter-nin for some time. If he was still a swordsman I don't think either of us would have survived the confrontation as we are currently" Hayama responds.
Kakashi nods. He didn't like it, but it was true. He had started slacking off on his training since he left ANBU and admittedly even at his best he was still no match for his sensei or father. With a nod Kakashi melted back into the surroundings leaving to find his own area to train. His kids would be fine, they didn't need him to hold their hands doing such a simple exercise.
Hayama watched the kids for an hour before creating a clone to watch over the kids while he guarded the client. When he came back a few hours before sunset he found the kids pretty much as he left them. It seems they still hadn't accessed their chakra. Naruto and Fuki had seemed to manage the concentration and focus part of the meditation exercise at least, but Tomaru was still stuck at the starting line.
He didn't expect any more of them. This wasn't something they would get in a week or even a month. This was something people practiced their entire life. This was an exercise that could never truly be mastered, because just when you got one aspect of it there was another for you to learn and keep the process going.
Even if one did get the most they could out of the chakra building aspect of it. Most found meditating to be a worth while practice and continued training in the other applications of it. But for now it had served his purpose so he alerted his team and had them spend the last of the daylight hours doing their normal practices focusing a little more on their kenjutsu.
The next day it was spent in the same way with the genin of both team's training in their respective chakra control exercise and with team 4 finishing up early to work on what they normally practice on. So far the enemy hadn't been spotted and everything in the town was normal so far. The only real drama that took place was with the client's grandson.
Apparently the little boy had become convinced that Gatō was some invincible super villain that couldn't be beat by anyone or anything. He had even gone off on a verbal tirade about how his life was so much worse than all of theirs and how they should butt out of other people's problem.
The only ones to react were Tomaru and Kiba. With Tomaru shouting at how they were there to help and pointing out a little crudely that Gatō wasn't invincible like the kid believed. Kiba just growled and called him a weak little cry baby that was hiding behind his mother's legs where all cry babies like him belonged. That comment earned Kiba a smack to the back of the head courtesy of Sakura, who agreed with both boys but thought they didn't need to pick on the kid.
Of course Kiba didn't take lightly to the physical punishment as he then turned and growled at the girl, but to her credit Sakura didn't back down. The rest of them just watched the tirade and then retreat of the little boy who ran upstairs, but only after Tazuna had started to tell them of the boy's step-father. Tsunami didn't take kindly to the genin's verbal abuse of her son or her father bringing up old wounds and went after her son to console him.
After they left Tazuna finished telling them about Kaiza and his role in Inari's life. The genin were naturally shocked at the brutality Gatō publicly displayed and felt sorry for the boy, but that didn't excuse his behavior. If anything to Tomaru and Kiba they felt Inari and the citizens of Wave had spat on the man's grave with their subsequent show of cowardice. Still some of them tried to put themselves in the kid's position and understood a little of how he felt.
The two jōnin weren't moved either way by the story. They had heard, seen, and done worse. They did like the bit of extra fire they could see in their genin's eye after the story was finished. The genin even wanted to go out and practice more, but the two jōnin managed to get them to save it for the next day. After they all left Kakashi went and had a chat with Inari.
The next couple of days passed relatively quietly. Team 7 had managed to complete the tree walking exercise by the end of the fourth day, but Team 4 still hadn't made much progress with their meditation. They had all managed to at least get the first step down even Tomaru.
The jōnin knew the enemy was watching them on the fourth day. That gave them the feeling that the time for training was over and the fight for survival would soon be on. On the fifth day the teams decided to split up. One would watch the client's daughter and grandchild at the house while the other went with Tazuna to the bridge.
It was a short time after Team 7 left that two of Gatō's thugs showed up on the docks outside the house. They walked up towards the house like they owned the place with no fear and were quickly met by Team 4 before they could get close to the house.
"Who are you!" the shorter thug shouted.
"We are a team of ninja hired to protect the bridge builder and his family. Now why don't you tell us who you are friend or perhaps you would rather just go back the way you came and forget about this house and it's occupants" Hayama responds.
"You ninja are all alike, believing your so tough that nothing can touch you. We'll show you exactly why you shouldn't underestimate a samurai!" shouted the taller tattooed thug.
Both men drew their sword to cut down team 4's leader so quick that the genin didn't even see them move the sword as they flicked the blood off their blades, well Tomaru and Fuki didn't. They would have to move far faster than that to evade Naruto's eyes as they had become accustomed to such movement during his training.
"You kiddies are next" proclaimed Waraji hungry for their blood.
"I don't think so" Hayama remarks from behind the pair.
Before they could even turn to look behind them Hayama drilled two kunai into the back of their skulls. They fell to the ground with a heavy thud as blood poured from eyes, nose, and mouth creating twin red pools where their heads lay.
This was the first time the genin of Team 4 had seem a person die like that. It hit them each in a different way, but the hardest hit was Tomaru. Being from a civilian family they had little experience with ninja. Tomaru was actually the first in the family to ever want to be a ninja although he had some uncles that had been to the academy and flunked out. His graduation and acceptance onto team 4 was a great surprise to his family as they believed he would wash out like the others had previously.
For Tomaru his time on Team 4 had been a dream come true and he had learned so much from his sensei and team mates. He was proud when he went home everyday and practiced what he could in his families backyard with his little brother and sisters watching him and at times try to imitate him. Seeing someone being killed in front of him though, was something he couldn't prepare for.
Hayama took note of each genin's reaction. He would calm them down later, but now they didn't have time. If these two showed up at the house for whatever reason then Team 7 was in trouble and they needed to link back up with them immediately.
Hayama had Naruto who seemed to be the least affected go and retrieve Tsunami and Inari. When the mother and son came out the body and blood was gone with no trace of the scene visible save for the still slightly shaking Tomaru. He ordered them to go hide somewhere in the village, cause Gatō was sending thugs to the house to harm them. The mother quickly agreed and ran off with the child.
With them gone Team 4 hurried through the woods to meet up with Team 7. They had just made it past the remains of a boar that the wannabe samurai had cut up when they were stopped by a new foe. A blast of wind hit the ground kicking up debris, rock, and dirt to block their vision. The team waited for the next attack when senbon started peppering them from beyond the dirt cloud.
Having enough of the attacks Hayama stepped in and used a Fūton Daitoppa strong enough to blow away the senbon dust cloud and a couple of trees in front of his team. This also stripped the enemy of their hiding place causing them to fall to the ground, but they recovered enough to fall on their feet.
"Hehe, nice jutsu" called the guy who seemed to be the leader.
The genin were shocked by the older teen's appearance. It wasn't his dark skin or the weird village insignia on his head protector, it was the six arms protruding from his torso. The mummy looking genin in front of him was also weird, but not freaky like his team's leader and the other two appeared to be normal save from the aggression they were throwing at them.
"Your working for Gatō?" Hayama questioned.
"He hired our team. The fat pig was too cheap to hire anything above a genin team and a single jōnin, but we're more than enough to deal with a weak pathetic team of tree huggers like yours" the six-arm teen boasted.
"Tough talk from a weak boy from a weak village. I've never even heard of you guys before. I bet you don't even qualify as a real village" Hayama taunts back.
"Heh, weak huh. My name is Kidōmaru of the East Gate and this is Dosu, Zaku, and Kin. You three should go play with those other genins, I'll deal with the jōnin" Kidōmaru ordered.
"Hah, these punks don't stand a chance against us" boasted Zaku.
"Oh yeah, I'll take you out with one jutsu stupid!" Tomaru shouted back.
"Why you little …" Zaku started to get angry.
"Calm down Zaku, don't fall for such a cheap ploy. Come on let's get out of here so Kidōmaru can deal with their leader" Dosu commands.
Zaku and Kin nod before the three took off into the trees. Team 4 looked towards Hayama for orders and he gave them the go ahead. When the genin were gone Hayama and Kidōmaru got started.
"What's your name leaf nin" the Oto teen asked.
"Shirakumo Hayama, I don't have time for this because if you're here it means my comrades are in danger. Let's make this quick shall we" Hayama responds.
"Fine by me. I have better things to do as well" Kidōmaru taunts.
"Nenkin no Yoroi – Armour of Sticky Gold" Kidōmaru called out.
Hayama watched as a yellow gold type substance started to cover the teem forming some type of armor. Deciding to see what the jutsu did Hayama fired off another Great Breakthrough, but the jutsu didn't seem to have much success.
"My armour blocks chakra based attacks. A technique of that level won't work on me" the Oto teen boasted.
"Maybe this will" Hayama said.
Before the teen could properly react Hayama unsheathed his blade and called out 'Shinkūken – Vacuum Sword'.
Gusts of wind flew at Kidōmaru before he could do anything he was sent flying back into a tree with serious force causing the tree to actually break and fall over pinning the teen. Kidōmaru coughed up blood as he lay against the undamaged portion of the tree trunk. He focused and tried to get up first using his extra limbs to remove the tree trunk from his legs and then trying to stand, but only barely managed.
When he looked for the Konoha-nin the only thing he found was the tip of a sword breaking through the armour still covering his chest and piercing his lungs. Kidōmaru was down, but not out as he used his blood to call on his summon Kyodaigumo. The summons was quickly dispatched as Hayama used another vacuum sword attack to buffet it against another tree with enough force to dispel it and since he was so far away the threads that erupted from the spider never reached him.
"You should give up kid. Take your team and go back home. You don't need to die today for a guy that's probably trying to find some way to recoup what he spent on you" Hayama offers.
"Screw you old man. Oto ninja's never quit on a job" Kidōmaru retorted.
Before anything else could be said Kidōmaru found himself crushed under the weight of several trees. Hayama had used his Vacuum sword technique to cut down the trees surrounding them. He was sure the teen was out of the fight and decided to catch up with his team.
"Stay put kid. With any luck your team will be back soon to help dig you out of there" Hayama says before leaving.
The muffled shouts of rage Kidōmaru threw at him never reached his ears. Kidōmaru would have used his curse seal and easily gotten out from under his wooden prison, but Orochimaru had warned him directly against using the curse seal. Orochimaru needed Konoha to forget about him for the upcoming invasion to work and he couldn't have a curse seal warrior revealing himself in the vicinity of any Konoha-nin or his plans might be derailed. Even the slightest misstep could ruin everything he had been working for.
Kidōmaru knew what would happen to him if it was reported he had used the seal to fight against a Konoha team. He didn't wish that fate on anyone. So he just kept trying to use his extra limbs to get himself free little by little. With any luck he could catch up before Dosu and his teammates were defeated and complete the mission.
While the team leaders had been fighting Team 4 had been playing a game of ambush with the Sound genin. Every time they got close to the jerks the Oto team would assault them with some disorienting attack and then run. It was getting really old, really fast. That little bell trick the girl, Kin, used was really annoying and effective but it was that Zaku kid's wind jutsu that was really proving troublesome to deal with.
Both Naruto and Tomaru did think having a jutsu like that would be cool and with both able to use wind chakra they thought on how to recreate it. There were 4 types of wind ninjutsu or so Hayama had told the both of them.
There were blunt wide spread attacks mainly meant for defense or to throw the opponent off balance. They could do damage, but not a lot. These were mostly meant either as distractions or to create an opening for the user. They were also handy if one was out numbered due to how wide spread they could be.
The second were slicing, cutting, or piercing type of wind jutsu. These were mainly offensive in nature and among some of the strongest and most difficult jutsu one could learn. One hit with one of these jutsu's and the opponent was usually done for. The only problem came in that it was hard to focus the wind nature chakra enough to get it slice or pierce an opponent and there weren't many known to have been made.
The third type were like the first type but more focused on a single area or enemy. They used wind pressure to do damage and could cause a great deal of internal injuries instead of the concussive type of injuries the more wide spread ones dealt.
The fourth and most difficult type to learn were the vacuum wind jutsu. Actually Hayama theorized they were the hardest type of jutsu to learn period save for kekkai genkai techniques and sealing techniques. Hayama admitted he had been trying to learn how to perform the vacuum style wind techniques since he had become a genin himself and only got it down after he had been promoted to jōnin with help from another wind user who was proficient in the advanced techniques. For some reason he would not tell them who the person was that helped him, but he did promise to help Tomaru reach the same level he was with wind manipulation and the two vacuum techniques he knew.
Zaku's seemed like the third type, but both boys also knew wind jutsu and wanted to test which one was stronger. When Zaku popped up again they were ready and both Konoha boys fired off a Fūton: Daitoppa – Wind Release: Great Breakthrough at the boy from Sound, which he countered with multiple blasts of Zankūha – Decapitating Airwaves.
Both attacks clashed, but far to close to Zaku and the wind attacks were able to break through and shove Zaku through a tree directly behind him. The Konoha trio thought his teammates would help, but surprisingly they just ignored him and attacked again this time with Dosu revealing his melody arm to attack with his jutsu Kyōmeisen – Resonating Echo Drill.
The assault on their ears caused the Konoha team once again to fall back and recover as none of them could fully focus or move. The two Oto-nin tried to take advantage of their situation by throwing kunai at the slightly disoriented Konoha team, but each managed to evade. Although Naruto received a cut on his forearm, but it wasn't deep and it was noted by everyone that he didn't scream or even make a small sound of discomfort.
The two remaining Oto genin the continued their ambush tactic and left the area including their teammate forcing the Leaf genin to follow them once more. However, the Leaf genin took the time to strip and tie up the unconscious Oto genin. And then came up with a plan to deal with the remaining enemies.
Fuki was the one that pointed out Kin would be the easiest to take out and that she wasn't much of a threat. So far it had mostly been the two male Oto genin that had attacked while the girl peppered them with senbon and triggered her bell technique when they got too close. So Fuki wanted to focus on taking out Dosu, but Naruto had a plan to deal with them both.
Catching up to the Oto genin that had slowed down it seems to lure them into chasing them Team 4 moved faster like they were going to attack. Kin was the one to attack using her senbon to force the Konoha genin to back off, but this time they didn't. Instead they pressed forward letting the senbon hit them.
When Kin moved to activate her bell ringing technique she saw that the genin were still moving towards her, which was when Dosu attacked again with his melody arm. Both Oto genin were taken by surprise when the Konoha trio stumbled and then burst into water revealing them to be clones. The next thing Dosu knew he was being punched in the face by Fuki so hard that he flew through the air and crashed into the ground creating a crater.
Kin suffered the same fate this time by Tomaru although she just hit the ground and bounced up slightly a few times before coming to a stop. Despite the hit not being as strong the fall to the ground and repeated hits to the back of her head on the ground knocked Kin unconscious and out of the fight.
Dosu was still not out of the fight as he slowly stood up and made his way out of the shallow crater his body created. That was when he saw a fast moving blur coming at him only to be to slow to block the fist that hit him right on the mouth. Dosu stumbled backwards and held his mouth as blood seeped through his bandages. He didn't get time to recover as he was hit again on the cheek and then kicked in the stomach. The last blow he remembered was a hard blow to the top of his head as he was kneeling over.
Hayama arrived just as Naruto finished tying Dosu up after he had been stripped. Kin was also stripped and tied up by Fuki as she didn't trust Tomaru or Naruto to do it without getting handsy. Not that she really thought either of her teammates would do something like that, but they were boys and she felt it was her duty as a female and kunoichi to protect her fellow female and kunoichi even if she was the enemy. And unlike her teammates she let Kin keep her shirt on although she made sure to check underneath the shirt and through the small bra to make sure she wasn't hiding any weapons there that would normally be overlooked.
Hayama congratulated his team on defeating the enemy genin although he did question why the went so far as to strip the enemy of their clothes before tying them up. The genin just blushed and made a few excuses hiding that it was mostly out of revenge for the Oto genin pulling those ambush tactics pissing them off. Hayama let it go since they need to hurry and get to the bridge. He was hoping they still had time and that the Oto team hadn't delayed them too much.
When they arrived at the bridge however, both Sasuke and Kiba were laying on the bridge dead inside a dome of mirrors although Hayama noted a lack of blood that was on or surrounding the bodies although the Uchiha kid looked messed up. The Haruno girl was the last one standing, but barely despite not seeming to have been attacked as she was standing beside Tazuna. Thankfully the Bridge Builder was still unharmed although he seemed a bit shaken.
When Hayama searched for Kakashi he found him barely holding off Zabuza. He knew Kakashi could handle it, but a little help wouldn't hurt and hopefully the masked ninja was worn out from facing the two male genin of Team 7. So he had Tomaru who was itching to join the fight and Naruto go fight Zabuza's accomplice while Fuki was ordered to help Sakura protect Tazuna while he went to assist Kakashi.
Hayama sunshined past the dome of ice mirrors and the masked ninja that tried to stop him but was forced back as Naruto threw several kunai at him/her. The boys quickly moved to surround the ice dome and the enemy ninja. Looking inside the dome of ice Naruto could tell they put up a good fight if the cracks, dents, and chips in some of the mirrors were anything to go by. There was also slight signs of melting like they had been hit by a couple of fire jutsu.
Tomaru was focused squarely on the enemy but had trouble telling if it was a kunoichi or not, but figured it didn't matter. He needed to help Kiba and Sasuke even though he never liked Sasuke or Kiba that much. They were Leaf ninja and as a future Hokage he would also look out for his comrades.
"Who are you and why are you interfering?" the masked enemy asked.
"We are here to protect Tazuna-san and help protect this bridge that will free this country from Gatō's control. As for who we are this is Naruto and I am Tomaru the next Hokage!" Tomaru shouted introducing them.
Naruto sighed a bit, but nodded. If he was truthful he enjoyed Tomaru's way of doing things and some times wished he was more like him … some times.
"I ask that you step aside Tomaru-san and allow me to complete my mission. If you do I promise no more harm will come to your friends or teammates" the masked nin offers.
"Never! We won't allow Gatō to ruin any more lives!" Tomaru responds.
"I think you should re-think the situation here … umm what's your name?" Naruto asks.
"My name is Haku" the masked enemy responds.
"Wow … I kinda didn't think you would actually answer me. Anyway Haku, you should see you are out numbered. Even if you defeat the two of us, there is still our teammate plus Haruno-san guarding our client as well. Plus your leader isn't faring to well against Hatake-san and Hayama-sensei" Naruto states.
Haku looked further down the bridge and what the boy said was true. Zabuza was starting to lose against the combined might of the two jōnin. Haku had no illusions that Zabuza could beat both of the jōnin. The hope had been that the team Gatō hired would be able to take care of the extra team or give them enough time to deal with whatever team got to the bridge and kill the old bridge builder. It seems the Oto team were not worth the money Gatō spent to hire them, not that she thought Zabuza would be surprised.
"I'm sorry, but my master wants the bridge builder dead and for him I will not fail my mission even if I must kill you to do so. Please forgive me, but I must do this for my precious person" Haku tells them.
"Tomaru I'll retrieve Inuzuka-san and Uchiha-san. Can you cover me?" Naruto asked.
"I got your back bro, believe in me!" Tomaru shouted.
Naruto nodded having got used to Tomaru yelling his catchphrase or motto. He then waited for the right moment before dashing into the dome to retrieve the two bodies. As soon as he did the mirrors shone brightly blinding him and Tomaru stopping Tomaru from helping. Naruto was knocked onto his back.
"Your kids are done for just like those other brats" Zabuza taunts.
"I see … a bloodline technique that boosts the users speed" Hayama deduces.
"Haku is the last holder of the Hyōton bloodline. Your brats don't stand a chance. Not after the training I have given her. Not when she uses that technique. She is unbeatable and those useless brats of yours don't stand a chance against her" Zabuza brags.
Naruto stood up as he looked at Haku and the mirrors intently. He made another move forward only to have Haku pelt him with senbon needles. Everyone on the bridge was surprised when he managed to doge and deflect most of the needles with surprising accuracy and speed.
"I see … you use your bloodline to create these mirrors, but all they are doing is helping you to amplify your speed. It's just you I am fighting and not a bunch of clones" Naruto analyzes.
"Close, my mirrors reflect my speed allowing me to travel at speeds close to the speed of light. Now that you know that I ask that you give up. My technique is invincible and you will only force me to stay my heart and kill you if I must" Haku says.
"You have a pretty voice kunoichi-san, even when you threaten me" Naruto says.
Everyone on the bridge falters hearing the unexpected compliment.
"Naruto you baka! Don't compliment the enemy! Kick her butt Cha! Avenge Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted.
Everyone just looked at the pink hair kunoichi and then back to the mirrors.
"Not how I would say it, but it is time to get serious Naruto! You and Tomaru need to think and find a way to destroy the mirrors" Hayama orders.
"Come on Naruto, let's do it!" Tomaru shouted.
"What the loud mouth said" Fuki adds.
"Hey!" Tomaru shouts at her.
"It seems I have no choice. You are fast Haku-chan, but I am faster" Naruto states.
Before the others on the bridge could ask what he was talking about Naruto held the Boar hand seal and in less than a second he was standing beside Tazuna with the bodies of Kiba and Sasuke held on both shoulders. He quickly and unceremoniously dumped both boys on the cement floor of the bridge.
This time everyone including Team 4 stood with jaws dropped.
"Wh-wha-what the hell was that!" Sakura shouted for everyone.
The others also wanted to know what the heck that was. Although Kakashi mistakenly thought the boy had recreated his father's technique some how.
"You should remove the needles from their bodies. Haku-chan only knocked them out, not kill them" Naruto says.
He didn't have to say anything else to Sakura as she dove on Sasuke removing all the needles she could find and just like Naruto stated he started to cough indicating he was alive. Which made Sakura shout even louder and push him into her chest.
This left Fuki to the task of removing the needles from Kiba and his puppy as they also coughed a bit indicating they were okay. Naruto seeing that he had been right disappeared again and when he reappeared he was back in front of the mirror Haku was in. Before she could move to another mirror Naruto punched at it, but was surprised to find the mirror didn't break.
He punched and kicked the mirror a few more times only to have nothing happened so he disappeared again only to reappear outside the dome again. Standing beside him was Tomaru.
"N-n-nartuo! What was that?" Tomaru questioned.
"I would also like to know that Naruto-kun?" Hayama interjects.
"As would I" Kakashi butts in.
"We don't have time for this, and I think I hear something at the other end of the bridge" Naruto states.
Everyone turned their heads towards the end of the bridge as Zabuza let up a little on the fog to find Gatō and a small army of thugs standing smugly looking at the assembled ninja. With them was the Team from Oto also grinning at getting another shot at the Konoha team.
"Well, well, well what do we have here. It's seems like the terrible, ferocious, mighty demon of Mist is nothing but a cute little devil now isn't he boys" Gatō says confidently from infront of his men.
"What's the meaning of this Gatō?" Zabuza questioned the midget.
"What do you think … you ninja are way to expensive. I hired you so I could avoid the expense of hiring ninja from an official ninja village, but you botched the entire thing and forced me to hire these four. I never intended to pay you Zabuza, but if I collect the bounty on your head then I can recover what I lost hiring these 4 and even make a profit. I might get even more for those Leaf ninja. I hear Iwa pays top dollar for any dead Konoha ninja's body they can get their hands on" Gatō threatens.
Everyone on the bridge tenses hearing the evil businessman's plan for them. When Gatō takes a loot at three kunoichi his beady little eyes light up for a second before he orders his men forward.
"Kill the men, but bring the girls to me. For a fee I might even let some of you have a turn with them before I'm through with them" the short busineman says.
"Hey! Who do you think you are!" Tomaru shouted.
Gatō just laughed at the boy and hid behind his men as they started to charge.
"Naruto, Fuki, Tomaru form up around me! Tazuna you should run back to the village and go home. We'll come find you after this is done" Hayama shouts.
Tazuna didn't need to be told twice and quickly took off in the direction of the village. Although he wasn't going home. He wasn't sure if the ninja could handle things on the bridge on their own so he was going to get some help himself. If nothing else this would be the day it all ends.
On the bridge Haku dissolved her ice mirrors back into water to use her jutsu. She also brought up more water on to the bridge to help Zabuza-sama and the others. She then made a large amount of water drop down on the bridge near the thugs and Oto-nin and froze it. As the thugs started to run at them they started slipping and falling making everyone laugh even the Oto-nin.
"Pull yourselves together and get them! I'm not paying you to make fools of yourselves! And you Oto-nin stop lazing around and do something already. I'm paying you top dollar and I expect results or your Kage will hear about this when I demand a refund!" Gatō shouted.
"As if you could. Our leader would kill you and feed your body to his snakes, that is if he didn't use you in a few of his experiments!" Zaku boasts.
He was quickly elbowed in the stomach, six times by Kidōmaru.
"Shut it you idiot. No one is supposed to know about leader-sama" he harshly whispers to the teen.
"We're out of here Gatō" Kidōmaru tells the little man.
"What!? I paid you to do a job and I expect you to do it!" Gatō bellows.
"We don't care it's suicide to go up against 3 jōnin, that ice chick, and 2 genin teams on our own. We're leaving, let's go" Kidōmaru orders.
Kidōmaru didn't like abandoning a mission like this, but all Oto-nin were under orders by Orochimaru to keep a low profile. Fighting a battle against Sharingan Kakashi and Zabuza the 'Demon' of the Mist on a bridge for all to see was anything but low key. Plus the idiot Zaku may have given away their leaders identity and he would need to report that as soon as possible.
With the Oto team gone the thugs weren't feeling all that brave anymore as they also knew they didn't stand a chance against the two teams from Konoha or Zabuza and his apprentice. The only thing keeping them from running away as well was the promise of all of that money.
Gatō didn't like this at all. This wasn't his plan. Everyone was supposed to kill each other and then he would not only be able to skip out on paying the Oto team the rest of their fee, but also collect the bounty on all the heads of the ninja. They were ninja they were sure to have enemies and bounties he could collect and become even richer.
But he could see the look in his men's eyes. They were close to abandoning him as well and he didn't like to think about what would happen if they did. He had done this village no favors or spared them any mercy. He wasn't a chump and didn't believe for a second they would show him any so he said what he needed to get his men going again.
"The first one to bring me Zabuza's head gets 1 million ryo!" Gatō shouted.
He wasn't surprised when the men immediately grew savage looks and ran across the ice to take the ex-Mist shiniboi's head. He figured if he gave them one opponent to fixate on they wouldn't be as scared and maybe the Konoha ninja would let them take Zabuza out before he could then turn his men against them.
He was forgetting one thing though. Zabuza was beaten, bloodied, and hurt but he wasn't out and he had full use of all his limbs. Plus, Haku while tired was still ready to go and back him up. And the businessman obviously didn't know Konoha ninja at all if he thought they were going to sit by idly while his men slaughtered the two.
"Charge!" Gatō yelled.
"Naruto, Tomaru use the technique I taught you to take some of them out" Hayama ordered.
Naruto knew what his sensei was getting at and Tomaru did when he saw Naruto charging up a kunai with wind chakra using Chakra Flow. When they were both ready the flung them hoping it would work as Hayama charged his sword and used a full powered Shinkūken.
Haku joined in as she threw a volley of ice needles at the charging thugs, but only aimed to knock them out or cripple them instead of kill. Naruto and Tomaru's attacks hit one thug and then pierced through him to hit 3 more each before they stopped imbedded into the stomach of the last thug they hit whom also fell over. While Hayama's attack sliced up a good deal of the thugs.
Kakashi used the 'Kagebunshin – Shadow Clone' Technique to send his own small army against them. Since they could use chakra the KB's navigated the ice just fine sticking to the icy surface as they ran faster than the thugs could and began to take them down just like Haku aiming to incapacitate and not kill.
Zabuza angry at the betrayal soon charged to take Gatō out. He made his way through the thugs as Haku provided cover with a little help from the Konoha teams. It was all over in less than ten minutes, which was ten minutes before Tazuna showed up with help. When he looked over his bridge he noticed a little damage and the blood, but there were no bodies as unknown to him they had been pushed into the water.
"What happened? Where is Gatō and his thugs?" Tazuna inquired.
"Zabuza was able to kill him and then he and his partner took off. We were just about to head off and find you when you showed" Kakashi tells him.
Tazuna and the men he brought with him immediately broke into cheers. The men then raced around the village telling everyone the good news. It wasn't long before a party started with everyone in town celebrating. Teams 4 and 7 were worn out from fighting and staid at Tazuna's forgoing the party where Tsunami fixed them a meal fit for hero's with a little assistance from thankful villagers.
During the next few days it literally felt like Wave was springing to life as the village was slowly recovering. The bridge would be done in a few days and then the Konoha teams would leave. The only one who wasn't happy or excited seemed to be Tsunami's son before Kakashi talked to him some more.
Naruto also wasn't all that happy as both teams tried at different times to grill him about what happened on the bridge. He didn't care about Team 7 much although their sensei was acting like the blond should remember him or know him some how. Naruto just reminded them he wasn't apart of their team and didn't have to answer to any of them, something which Sakura didn't like as she tried and failed to hit him.
For his own team Naruto promised he would tell them when they back home and alone. After that nothing much happened except Team 4 continued their training until Zabuza's accomplice showed up without her mask or disguise.
"Zabuza-sama wanted me to give this to the citizens of Wave" she said as she handed Kakashi a scroll.
Kakashi took the scroll and unsealed it's contents. Inside of it were a bunch of deeds and millions of ryo. The Konoha teams looked at the ice wielding teen in surprise.
"This is Zabuza-sama's way of apologizing for his part in helping Gatō oppress the citizens of Wave. This is some of what was left in the safe Gatō had hidden in his home" Haku informed them.
"Some? Does that mean there was more and Zabuza is taking it for himself?" Kakashi questioned.
Haku nodded but said, "I am sorry but Zabuza-sama hopes to use the money we have taken to liberate our own home village. I am sorry, but we need it and hope you will forgive us" Haku says with a bow.
"It's alright young lady. I understand and I hope your master is able to accomplish his goal now" Tazuna says diplomatically.
"Thank you, we will forever be in your debts. I will be going now as Zabuza-sama is ready to leave" Haku tells them.
"Hey wait!" Naruto shouts.
Haku turns in surprise to see the blonde teen in front of her.
"Umm … I … just wanted to say I had fun fighting you. I hope to see you again some time" Naruto says.
"I … hope so too Naruto-kun" Haku responds.
She then quickly reached forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before quickly leaving in a sunshine.
Naruto smiled goofly at the direction she left in. Well, until Tomaru and the rest started giving him a hard time. The next day both teams were at the finished bridge walking across it on their way home. The citizens of Wave came out and cheered for the teams that freed them from the tyrant Gatō. All of them waved back as they walked on.
Naruto smiled when he thought back on the mission. This was the farthest he had ever been from Konoha and once Gatō was dealt with Wave had been a nice place. He planned to visit some time in the future to see what had become of the village.
The others were also thinking of their time during this mission. Although both jōnin looked intently at Naruto and then each other before looking forward. Hayama knew he would have to talk with the other jōnin and Hokage-sama as well once they got back to the village. He just hoped Naruto would tell him the truth so that he could satisfy any suspicions and keep Naruto safe.
As the teams walked on they couldn't know it, but danger was in their future.
I want to thank everyone for reading this latest chapter of Speed Unmatched. This is a challenged issued by Narutoenthusiast. For anyone interested in the challenge or others he has check out u/1646974/Narutoenthusiast