Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto except for the ideas in this story, along with some jutsu and Oc's. Kishimoto is the rightful owner of Naruto though I do wish to go to Japan, kick his ass then take over Naruto story due to Kishi being an Emo-lover or hand it to a better writer than me. Hehe. Anyway, on to the story.
(In Konoha)
In the Hokage office, Sarutobi was signing his ever increasingly evil paperwork with an irritated look obvious on his features. "Stupid Naruto and his stupid ideas," he mumbled as he thought back to the day before.
(Flashback)
Finally finishing up his paperwork for the day, Sarutobi was relaxing on his comfortable chair while sucking on his pipe. Suddenly, a man wearing a black leather trench coat along with his Konoha Hitai-ate unfolded using it as a bandanna over his head shunshined into his office. Sarutobi looked plainly at him then asked, "What is it Ibiki?" with a curious look.
"Hokage-sama, there seems to be a problem with the Oto Anbu," Ibiki stated. Sarutobi gave him a questioning look before motioning for him to continue. "Under Naruto-sama's new torture tactic, we were able to obtain certain amount of information from the prisoner, but before we were able to finish up the interrogation, he started mumbling some nonsense before dying from a prolonged seizure. After using a reluctant Yamanaka to determine the cause, we found out that he had a mental breakdown due to not being able to handle… all the mental images from our newest torture," Ibiki elaborated with glee. He couldn't wait to use it on more incompetent subjects in the future. 'Naruto-sama truly is a genius,' Ibiki thought with a dreamy look.
The old man saw the look on Ibiki's face and he immediately knew that it was the same look a certain purple haired special jounin gets when she finds new type of poison to try on her prisoners and in Ibiki's case it was most likely the want to try out Naruto's special Gai and Lee torture tactic. Even though it seemed to be really effective, he just didn't have the heart to let anyone else to go through this suffering, no matter what their crime was, so he would just have to ban it. "What did you find out?" Sarutobi asked getting Ibiki out of his imaginative state.
Ibiki nodded before he said, "His name is Shibito Kazikato, Anbu captain from the newly created Otogakure located in Rice country. His team was ordered by his Kage to go into Suna and relay some message, though before we were able to find out what, he had passed." Ibiki Expounded.
"Did you find out who identity of the Otokage?" The Hokage asked earning a nod from Ibiki who said one word, "Orochimaru." Sarutobi's eyes grew wide in response.
The old man thought for a second before he said, "Dismissed, but before you go, I am forbidding you from using Naruto's special idea again," crushing Ibiki's future hope of having the ultimate torture tactic. A smile of satisfaction reached the Sandaime's lips when he saw the desperate look on Ibiki's face. 'It's true what they say. Misery does love company,' He thought with a chuckle. He then saw Ibiki using his puppy eye jutsu in such a pathetic attempt to sway him, that Sarutobi had no choice but to allow him to use it, but only on extreme cases. Ibiki gave him a nod of satisfactory before he shunshined out of the Hokage office.
(End Flashback)
Now here he was, doing more paperwork due to the Anbu's death. At this point he could only wish that someone would help him get out of this miserable life and soon.
(Wave country)
A week has gone by since Kurenai and Kakashi, along with their gennin team arrived at wave on the mission to protect Tazuna. During this time, both jounins took turns between teaching team seven and eight and guarding Tazuna while he was working on finishing the bridge.
Everyone progressed pretty quickly with their training. Hinata having already learned the tree walking, went on to water walking which took her two days to completely master. Sakura, even though completed her task on her first try, still had to continue working on it to improve her pathetic stamina. Shino got it within an hour or two. The only ones who had trouble mastering tree walking were Sasuke and Kiba since both had the most amount of chakra to control and least amount of patience. Kiba, for his part, had most certainly learned to control his emotion due to Naruto teaching him a lesson after he tried something unacceptable with Hinata, much to her displeasure.
(Flashback)
"Kuso, why can't I do this?" Kiba yelled out in frustration. He had been practicing for a whole day and still was a few feet away from getting to the top of the tree along with Sasuke who was few inches above him.
Sasuke was even more annoyed than Kiba at the moment. Reason being: he had to listen to Kiba's complaining for the last ten minutes, which was getting on his nerves. Also, the fact he was still trying to finish this useless tree walking, even though his sensei told them that this would help their chakra control. He just couldn't see how the hell this was going to help him take down his traitorous brother. He also was infuriated that everyone else beside Kiba of course, finished tree walking before him.
He was brought out of his musing when he heard Kiba yell out, "Oi Sasuke! Lets go back. I haven't had anything to eat from the morning."
Sasuke wouldn't naturally listen to what Kiba says, but right now he was hungry, so with a simple nod, he complied to head back to Tazuna's house for lunch with Kiba.
Kiba and Sasuke jumped down on the ground and Kiba looked at his familiar Akamaru, who was sleeping under the shade of a big tree. "Let's go Akamaru, I am pretty sure you are hungry, too."
The dog woke up and barked in agreement before all three headed for lunch.
On their way, Kiba spotted Hinata in the middle of a lake practicing water walking which made him slightly jealous. Here was his girlfriend doing something that he couldn't do yet. Forgetting his hunger, Kiba looked at Sasuke who also sported a frown on his face while looking at Hinata. "Hey Sasuke, why don't you go ahead? I will join you soon," Kiba said. Sasuke made a grimace showing Kiba his annoyance.
"Whatever," Sasuke mumbled with his uncaring attitude as he slowly walked to Tazuna's home.
After Sasuke left the area, Kiba and Akamaru made their way toward Hinata. "Hey Hinata!" he called out in a sonorous tone.
Hinata looked back and saw Kiba standing on the shore of the lake. "Hello Kiba-kun," she said in a delicate voice with a smile before she gingerly walked toward Kiba as not to fall in the water. She was still somewhat an amateur in this whole walking on water thing. "What are you doing here?" she asked, after she safely stepped onto the solid ground. She stopped her stuttering around Kiba since she was more comfortable around him beside her sensei, Kurenai.
"I was originally going back for lunch, but then saw you training and you looked like you could use a break. So I thought… maybe we could do something to take your mind off of training for now," Kiba pronounced. Hinata smiled at him for being so considerate.
Nodding her head, Hinata then sauntered up to a tree and sat under the shade before motioning for Kiba to come and sit beside her, which Kiba did with satisfaction. After her boyfriend made himself comfortable, Hinata asked, "So what do you want to do, Kiba-kun?" while enjoying the little bit of rest she was getting.
"Why don't you sit back while I give you massage to help you relax." Kiba said with a slightly perverse smile which Hinata couldn't see because she was busy averting her gaze with a blush playing on her cheeks. Deciding to accept the offer due to her stiff shoulder, Hinata gave him a shy nod not knowing what his intentions were.
She turned around to give him access to her shoulder before Kiba started his work. After a minute of enjoying the massage, Hinata started relaxing.
Seeing her completely mollified, Kiba decide to go in for the kill before he brought his lips to her neck, lightly kissing. This act provoked a gasp from Hinata. "Kiba-kun?" Her breath hitched when his hands started roaming over her covered stomach, and started going higher. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck. "Wh-What are you d-doing?" She finally stuttered out with an intense blush from embarrassment.
"I want you," he whispered with a husky voice. The young Hyuuga's eyes widened in shock when his lips grazed her ear lobe. She felt his hands moving only a few inches away from grasping her pugnacious breasts.
Immediately going into action, Hinata grasped his hands, stopping him in track before she said, "Stop Kiba-kun. I-I-I am not ready yet and we are too young," with courage. A low growl was heard in response, sending a shiver down her spine in slight fear.
"But I am ready and that's all that should matter, my love," Kiba stated.
Tears threatened to fall from her pearly eyes before she quickly shut them as not to let her tears fall when she heard him say that. 'So he was just using me all this time.' She thought. While she was lost in thoughts, her firm grasp on Kiba's hands loosened, which he took as an indication of her acquiescence. With a smirk filled with confidence, Kiba squeezed her and almost drooled at the softness and hugeness of her breasts.
Hinata's eyes flew open before she shot up from the ground, her hand shooting forward to Kiba's face. A loud sound echoed throughout the clearing as Hinata's palm made contact with the Inuzuka's cheek leaving its mark. Hinata let loose a stream of tears that trailed down her soft features. Kiba stared wide-eyed at the girl from shock. He never expected her to react this way.
Just as he was about to say something, Hinata ran away from him as though he were contaminated by an invisible contagion. She raced back home with tears flowing freely down her cheeks, hoping to find comfort in the woman she had come to admire and trust over the last month.
Kiba stood where Hinata had left him, a dazed look obvious on his face, holding his red check.
(With Kurenai)
Kurenai was just doing her hair, waiting for Naruto to come so they could go outside and hangout for a while. She and Naruto had a lot of fun the past couple of days with occasional kissing and other stuff, though nothing serious. She didn't want their relationship to move too fast.
Just as she finished her hair, someone barged into her room. She thought it was Naruto so she didn't bother to check who it was. Then she heard a soft cry which sounded oddly like Hinata's.
Looking back, she saw the Hyuuga heiress face down on her bed, sobbing away. Quickly getting up, she went over to the crying girl and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hinata, what's wrong?" she asked in a mollifying tone. A concerned look obvious on her face. The girl cried louder, as if ignoring the calming presence of her sensei. Kurenai then slightly moved her student so she could cradle the girl until she could calm down enough to talk.
A few minutes later, Hinata finally calmed down. "Hinata, tell me what's wrong," Kurenai asked again with a soothing tone.
Hinata looked up at her sensei, her eyes red from all the crying. "Kurenai-sensei, (hiccup) Kiba-kun…." She proceeded to inform Kurenai of the event that took place between her and Kiba. To say Kurenai was pissed was an understatement. She knew Kiba was a hormone raged teenager, but she never expected him to pull something like this with the heiress of the Hyuuga clan. She was going to have to do something about this.
Unbeknownst to them, Naruto was standing outside of Kurenai's room with a beyond aggravated expression. He was just about to come into her room so they could head outside, but when he arrived, he heard someone crying and decided to listen in. It technically wasn't the right thing to do, but that's not the issue here. After hearing what happened, it took every bit of his will power not to just go over to the filthy mutt and rip out his throat. Even though he couldn't do that, that mutt still needs to learn his lesson and with that in mind Naruto went down the stairs to find the Inuzuka.
(Downstairs…)
Kiba came into the living room where Sasuke, Sakura, and their one-eyed sensei were watching TV. Shino was most likely guarding the bridge at the moment.
They looked at him with narrowed eyes and Sasuke asked, "What happened to you, dog breath?" with an amused look clear on his face.
"Shut up, Sasugay!" Kiba growled, annoyed by the fact that people saw him in his current state.
"Don't call Sasuke-kun that!" was the retort from the pink haired kunoichi. It was ignored by everyone in the room. At the moment, they were more interested in knowing what had happened to Kiba.
Kiba was about to shut her up, but stopped when he saw Naruto coming down the stairs with a scary look on his face.
"Kiba-san, can I see you for a moment?" Naruto asked in a firm tone, unnerving everyone in the room, especially Kiba considering he was one being called.
With a reluctant nod, Kiba decided to follow Naruto, though he wasn't sure as to why the sannin would want to talk to him in private. He hoped it wasn't because of what happened earlier with him and Hinata, though there was pretty slim chance of Naruto knowing that, unless, of course, Hinata talked to him about it. 'Nah...' Kiba thought.
"So where are we going?" Kiba asked, expecting Naruto to answer, but after a few minutes of silence, he asked again, "Are you going to tell me where we are headed to Naruto-sama?" while his eyes were filled with mock adulation and respect.
Still not getting an answer, Kiba growled under his breath and was about to repeat his question with curses only to feel a slight pull on his jacket followed by seeing nothing but a blur for a second before he was slammed into a tree, knocking the breath out of him.
"Listen, you little prick! I don't know who you think you are, but I will not tolerate that kind of behavior from a ninja of Konoha, especially not from someone who only recently became a gennin!" Naruto said in a dangerous tone, letting out some killing intent, which made Kiba tremble in fear. The boy was still trying to catch his breath.
"What (cough) the hell are you (cough) talking about?" he asked while struggling with his words as Naruto's right hand put pressure on his chest.
"I am talking about what happened between you and Hyuuga Hinata." Naruto stated. Kiba's looked at him in shock. "Do you know what you've just done? Did you even stop to think? No, I bet that you didn't. You just copped a feel from Hyuuga Hinata! The heiress of the Hyuuga clan. I don't care if she was your girlfriend or not. You didn't ask her permission to do what you did!" Naruto stopped his verbal assault, as Kiba's eyes grew wide in realization.
"I'm glad to see you understand. Obviously you didn't take into account what kind of pull the Hyuugas have. Why, for groping the heiress, I'd say...they kill you on sight, should Hinata-san, Kurenai-san or I choose to tell the main branch. Now, I've seen greater men die for less. And it would be a shame for the heir to the Inuzuka clan to be killed for such an act. I'm sure it would bring great shame to your family." By this time, Kiba was near tears, he thought Hinata would be ok with it, which is why he didn't bother to listen when she told him to stop. Boy, was he wrong.
Naruto continued, hiding his emotions all the while. "Remember this, for it will be your only warning. I will not stand for this type of thing ever again. It is a disgrace to you, your clan, and your village. Should I ever hear of you committing such heinous acts again, I personally will be the one to deal with you. Am I understood?" Naruto barked out, forcing more fear into Kiba.
"Y-y-yes...Naruto-sama." He stuttered out with a nod, holding himself back from passing out from the overwhelming transient killing intent bestowed upon him.
"Now, get back to the house and apologize to Hinata-sama while I take care of Kurenai-san." Naruto said with an exasperated sigh before he left Kiba.
Kiba, who had no idea where he was, looked around and saw he was surrounded by trees. "How the hell did we get all the way here?" he said to no one in particular while feeling his chest strangely. It seemed as if the pressure from Naruto's hand had left an indelible imprint.
Quickly standing up, he fixed himself before heading home… again.
(Thirty or so minutes later…)
Kiba walked straight into the house, ignoring the look he was getting from the occupants in the living room.
Walking up the stairs, he headed toward Kurenai's room where he predicted Hinata to be. With shaky hands, he slowly opened the door and saw Kurenai sitting with Hinata, comforting her. "What the hell are you doing here, Kiba?" Kurenai said, making Kiba flinch.
Putting his head down in shame, he answered. "I am sorry, sensei, but I need to talk to Hinata right now."
Kurenai's glare only strengthened before she said, "Why? So you can finish what you started?" making him feel lower than the dirt.
"No, I just need a minute to apologize to Hinata for my behavior earlier," he said in a serious tone. Kurenai stared at him for a while longer before she nodded and got up to leave the room.
"If he tries anything, let me know. I will be right outside this room," Kurenai said to Hinata as she left them room.
Kurenai closed the door, leaning her head back against the wood. She sighed to herself and listened in on the conversation inside, her eyes closed.
(Inside the room)
Kiba went over to the bed and sat down few feet away from Hinata who held her head at an oblique angle, so that she could, by merely shifting her eyes, look at Kiba and then out the windows.
Kiba shifted under her gaze, trying to find the courage to say something. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerve, he said, "I am sorry for what I did, Hinata." trying to sound as sincere as possible.
Hinata stared at him then said, "I d-don't kn-know if I can for-give yo-you, K-Kiba-kun." with her stuttering back.
"Look Hinata, I am really sorry. What I did was underhanded and I didn't consider you feelings. I promise I will do anything to make it up to you, so please just give me another chance," Kiba pleaded with a desperate look on his face.
Hinata looked out the window, not wanting to see the expression on his face. She shook her head, "You br-broke my hea-heart Kiba-ku-n. Whi-which is why I don't t-think we should be a co-c-couple anymor," she replied softly, trying to hold back the oncoming tears.
"I see..." Kiba whispered with remorse. How could he have been so stupid to hurt someone like Hinata? Now he felt worse than he did when he first came into the room. "Can we at least… maybe still be friends?" he asked with hope.
Hinata looked him in the eye, trying to see if he was genuine, when she saw no deception in his eyes, she nodded her head, earning a sad smile from Kiba.
"Arigatou, Hinata," Kiba said. 'Maybe she will let me into her heart sometime in the future... I will do anything within my power not to break it twice.' With that in mind he left the room with newfound determination.
(Right outside the room)
Kurenai lifted her eyelids slowly when she felt Naruto's presence. Her crimson orbs set upon seas of blue as the young sannin walked over to her.
"I take it you had some part in making him apologize?" Kurenai asked.
"I merely told him the facts and made sure he understood that his actions could have serious consequences," the blonde replied with a smirk.
"Hmm… I am disgusted by his actions, but it seems that you're 'talk' shall suffice in punishment."
Naruto nodded before he looked around the hallway, sensing no one near he wrapped his arms around the jounin's neck, bringing her lips close to his, catching her in a passionate kiss, eliciting a moan from Kurenai. He let his tongue lick at her lower lip, asking for entrance. She complied and let their tongues dance. Kurenai brought her hands up and caressed the Phoenix sannin's face.
They deepened the kiss, relishing each other's taste. The soft sound of footsteps reached their ears and Naruto let his grasp relax. Kurenai stepped back and rested her back against the wall just as her charge opened the door.
Kiba kept his head low and walked past them, only looking up to receive a glare from Naruto. He quickened his pace and disappeared down the stairs.
"You know, if we keep doing that around the house, someone might notice. I am pretty sure Kakashi already knows about us," Kurenai said trying to catch her breath.
Naruto chuckled, "Hahaha, Kakashi should know, considering I went to him for dating advice. Besides, if anyone else finds out, I will just have to eliminate them," he finished in a joking tone. "Anyway, can I still take your offer on that walk?" Naruto asked, already knowing the answer.
"I'm sorry. I still need to look after Hinata for a while," Kurenai said as she peeked into the room to see the girl staring out the window with a dazed look on her face.
"I understand. If you guys need anything, let me know. I will be downstairs," he offered before pecking her on the lips then sauntering down the stairs.
(End Flashback)
After that, everything pretty much returned to normal, though Hinata was still a little cautious around Kiba, which was understandable.
(Next morning)
Naruto's ears perked up gently in his sleep. He had mastered detecting the quietest sounds in the past. This sound that interrupted his nap though was that of softened footsteps from far off. He jumped up, fully awake in that one moment. He knew that Kurenai and Kakashi would be protecting Tazuna early in the morning, and from what he could tell from looking outside, it was probably just past 10:00 AM.
There should have been no reason for anyone from the gennin team to be back at the house this early. And if they were, they would find no need in being stealthy, though it was too pathetic to be called stealth.
Something was amiss, Naruto's instincts screamed that.
Naruto pulsed his chakra sensing his surrounding to find some unwanted guests.
He created a Kage Bunshin then ordered, "Go wake Komiko up." as he proceeded to check the surroundings from the window. The doppelganger nodded his head before heading toward Komiko's room.
The blonde Sannin pulled out a kunai, preparing himself for an attack. He crept downstairs, making sure to silence his feet with chakra. There were sounds outside, possibly voices. Naruto listened intently, trying to pick up the conversation.
"Stop! Get away from my mom!" yelled out a boy, and by the sound of it, it was Inari. Hoping to see what was happening; Naruto sped outside, still concealing his presence from the enemy.
He was slightly surprised to see Inari running towards two men with swords. One had an eye patch on his left eye. His left hand seemed to be covered with some kind of tattoo. The other one had tattoos under his eyes with a winter hat on his head.
"Inari! No, don't come near!" his mother yelled with a desperate look on her face. The boy didn't heed his mom's words as he kept on running toward the wannabe samurais.
"The boss just said we need one hostage, right?" questioned the one with eye patch.
"Yeah, that's all," his companion answered.
"Then I guess we could kill this one."
"I swear if you hurt him, I'll…" Tsunami tried to interrupt, but never got to finish as she was knocked out by one of the assailants.
"Take a nap, woman," said the guy with tattoos under his eyes before he and his companion grasped the hilt of their swords, bringing them out of their sheaths. Both took a swipe at Inari, who was just a foot away from them.
Just as the sword came near him, Inari closed his eyes waiting for the swords to split him in half. But it never came, so he slowly opened his eyes to see someone he was at the moment glad to see. "Are you ok, Inari?" Naruto asked as he held on to the blades between his thumb and index fingers of each of his hands.
Naruto saw Inari nod before his focus shifted to the two men struggling in front of him trying to pull their swords out of his grasp. "Inari, close you eyes for a moment." Naruto said, not wanting to let the kid see what was about to take place.
Inari complied then he heard one of the men ask, "Who are you?"
Naruto gave them a sadistic smile before he answered, "You'll never know."
"And why…" tried to say the eye patched man, but his words stopped as he and his partner choked on their own breath due to the incisions on their throat. Deciding to give them a quicker death, Naruto snapped his finger before blue flames shot out from his hands, burning their body in a matter of seconds, leaving no remains.
He slowly walked over to unconscious Tsunami, then picked her up before he looked back to see a gaping Komiko. Noticing her surprised stare, he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
Looking over at Inari, he saw the kid still had his eyes closed, so he said, "You can open them now, Inari."
Inari opened his eyes and looked around for the samurais but when he didn't see any, he asked, "Hey, what happened to those scary looking guys?"
Naruto thought for a second trying to come up with something, "Well you see, they are someplace else thinking about what they did. And I am pretty sure they will never bother you guys again," he expounded with a smile earning one from Inari. Komiko simply rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of his explanation to the kid.
"Arigatou, Naruto-nii-san!" Inari yelled, wrapping his arms around Naruto's waist. The blond returned the hug, chuckling lightly at the kid's exuberance. This was the first time he'd seen the kid excited.
"Anyway, you did great out here kid. If you didn't rush toward them then I might not have been able to make it in time to save you and your mom." He praised Inari as he ruffled the kid's hair. Inari gave a big grin, which was returned by Naruto before he looked at his female informant, then handed her the sleeping mother on his shoulder. "Look after them both and don't let them out of your sight unless I come back. I need to check what is going on at the bridge. If they sent someone here to abduct Tsunami-san, then I am pretty sure Zabuza and his companion will attack today." Naruto finished, earning a nod of understanding from Komiko before he sped toward the bridge.
'I wonder if they will take up my offer.' Naruto thought as he continued toward his destination.
(Flashback)
During their stay in Tazuna's house, everyone except Naruto got the chance to train. Even Komiko was able to spar with Kurenai and sometimes the gennins, to get them used to a somewhat real battle.
So, on the third day of their stay, in order to get some training in, Naruto spent almost a whole day in the middle of a forest doing jutsu training along with physical exercises to the point where he had no energy to even walk back to the house.
The next morning, a blond with scorched black trench coat was leaning by a tree with his eyes close when they suddenly shot open after he sensed someone near by. Looking around, he checked his surrounding to see the forest in worse condition than his clothes. It was like a barren land with most of the trees burning in blue flame. Many of the plants died or were in the process of doing so due to the tremendous amount of heat.
Looking behind him, he saw a girl around his age, slowly approaching him with a basket that was third of the way filled up with some plants in her left hand.
She was wearing a pink kimono with red daffodils sewn into it, holding it in place was a sash around her waist.
'What the hell is a civilian doing all the way here?' Naruto asked himself while inspecting her closer. Her chakra level was to that of a civilian, but her posture said otherwise. She seemed to have her guard up as she walked toward him.
'There is no way she is a civilian.' Naruto convinced himself.
She kept on walking towards him and when she was close enough, he saw her face. She had an amazing face and a body with all the right curves in all the right places. She had dark brown eyes and black hair that went to her mid back with a little of her hair in front of her face. He would've blushed if it weren't for the fact that Kurenai looked better in his eyes.
"Hello, what are you doing out her in the middle of the forest so early in the morning?" she asked with a small smile.
Naruto gave her a sheepish grin then said, "Ahh, I was taking a break from hard night of training. And you miss…"
"My name is Haku, and you are?" the girl answered and half asked.
"Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto." He answered causing the girls eyes to slightly widen, which was immediately noticed by Naruto causing him to narrow his eyes.
'Shit! A Sannin here of all places. I need to inform Zabuza-sama on this matter, but for now, I need to play it cool as not to arouse suspicion.' She panicked a little while looking around the premises inspecting the damage done by Naruto. 'Even though the bingo book says he is only given the title of sannin to prove Konoha's superiority, the damage to the forest says otherwise. And what's up with those hole in the trees,' Haku thought as she stared at the perfect sphere in the tree as if it was carved or something.
"Well Haku-san, what would a civilian be doing so far away from the village? With Gato around, I wouldn't call this the safest place to be." Naruto asked with a neutral face, bringing her out of her musing.
"Picking herbs, Naruto-san," she stated. Naruto gave her a questioning look. "It's to cure injuries and illnesses," she finished with a smile.
"Need some help with that?" Naruto proffered the girl who was now picking up some herbs that were away from most of the heat in the area. She nodded and offered him her thanks.
For the next few minutes, both picked out herbs in silence while Naruto watched her thorough the corner of his eyes to check for any signs that would make her more suspicious than she already was.
For a civilian to come out all the way here alone was suspicious enough. Also that she carried herself like a shinobi. Everything else seemed pretty normal.
"So, who are these herbs for, Haku-san? If you don't mind me asking." Naruto questioned, wanting to confirm his suspicion.
"N-No, not at all. These are for one of my friends who got injured while working on a ship," she lied, sporting a forced smile.
Naruto narrowed his eyes. She seems to be lying to him, though why? He would have to find out, "That must be an awful injury if you need so much herbs." Naruto stated. "So tell me, how long is it going to take Zabuza-san to recover with this much medicine?" he finished, only to confirm his suspicion when he saw Haku's body stiffen and saw a slight movement of her hand a second later.
Being found out, with a movement of Haku's wrist, she hurled senbons toward Naruto in hopes of disabling him long enough to get away, only for him to disappear for a second before a kunai was placed near her throat courtesy of the sannin. 'So fast.' Haku thought, staring at the place Naruto was a second ago with wide eyes.
Naruto narrowed his eyes once more while standing behind her and spoke in a calm yet deadly voice. "I should kill you right now Haku-san. You are putting someone important to me in potential danger…but I am willing to let you live if you pass on a message to Zabuza-san for me."
"Why should I believe anything you say? For all I know, you will follow me after letting me go," Haku spoke with fear present in her voice.
"You don't, but what choice do you have at the moment? If I wanted to kill you, I would've done so by now, but that would be a waste of great potential. Which is why I have a proposition for you and Zabuza-san," he said, getting a curious glance from the corner of Haku's eyes, so he continued, "Say, how much is Gato paying you to assassinate the bridge builder?"
"20,000 Ryo," Haku answered simply.
"Hmm, I will triple that each month if you guys become my informants. Along with added protection from me and my other spies and I'll also get you out of Konoha's bingo book. How does that sound?" Naruto asked, earning a shocked look from Haku.
This is what they wanted. Freedom. To be not chased by hunter ninjas from all the villages all the time, and with this, they could also make double what they were earning now without having to kill people.
Naruto, seeing her thinking this over, released his kunai from her throat before stepping away from the fake hunter nin.
"And if you refuse…." Naruto blasted Haku with huge amount of killing intent, dropping Haku to her knees, gasping for breath. "…You shall perish along with Zabuza!" With a dark voice, trying to prove that he was serious.
Haku nodded as she struggled to breathe before she shushined out of the clearing.
(Unknown place in Wave)
Haku shushined into Zabuza's resting room catching her breath as sweat glistened down her forehead. It was a killing intent unlike any other she had ever felt and she could tell he was still holding back on it.
"What's wrong Haku? You seem like you've just seen a ghost," said an injured man who was bandaged to the point where he looked like a mummy. The only uncovered part being his eyes.
"We need to talk, Zabuza-sama." Haku said, looking at the man.
(End Flashback)
A few seconds later, Naruto arrived at the bridge to see something that surprised him. The whole bridge was surrounded with mist. He could barely see one foot in front of him. The only thing his trained eyes could make out was a dome made completely out of ice.
Sounds of fighting could be heard inside the mist, so to clear it up, Naruto brought both his palms out to his side, arm bent in a horse stance then pushed forth sending a burst of wind, clearing up the mist, leaving some surprised ninjas.
"What the hell!" Exclaimed Zabuza as he stared at the blond figure a few feet away from him and Kakashi.
(A/N: I am sorry guys for updating so late and also for writing a small chapter. I had bad writer's block and it pissed me off, but finally, with some help from my beta, I was able to write. I was actually going to give up writing this story since I couldn't put down what I wanted to in words. I will try my best to make up in the next chapter, which should be out in the next two weeks. I hope.)
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