Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
"Every action or decision in life, no matter how small has a consequence. But then if so the best decision or action one can take is no action or decision at all, but what if that has consequences as well? Ones which are far greater and regrettable?" The disturbed immortal.
Please review, please…It only takes a minute of your time and I will gladly appreciate it...
I wasn't satisfied with the last chapter as some of you also weren't. The aim was to focus on the training aspect of Naruto's training, it doesn't mean it's over though because he is still going to train more. I added the humour aspect to the chapter to avoid creating a web of monotony in which it's just training, training, and more training. Hopefully this chapter will be slightly better and I hope I get more reviews please, those who couldn't review the previous chapter you will finally be able to review this one.
This is sort of a two in one chapter, I'm trying to rush things here and get the wave arc out-of-the-way so that I can move on to more original arcs and events.
Note: Haku is a 'she' in this fic (she's female)
Also, if there is anyone who is a fan of this story and good at art, I would appreciate it fic you could do an art of this story's Naruto. I'm not inept at it, in fact I'm actually good, it's just that I don't have my drawing and sketch pencils nor my colours.
Alright, enjoy…
Chapter 11: Birthing hope and Startling Revelations
Naruto kept sending a hidden glance around the corners of the streets of Nami as he walked down the narrow dusty path lined with buildings on either side. The place was dull, bare and people were lifelessly milling around without a purpose and the street corners and hallways were lurking with children, some of whom couldn't be any older than six as they had their knees hugged close to their frames and were curling in on themselves and staring about with broken, hopeless eyes. Their thin frames and dirty clothes struck a painfully similar chord within Naruto as he walked, making his hand twitch with the ire of a feeling he couldn't quite fathom.
Naruto didn't want to say he felt pity for these people, but now here as they were, it seemed that these children were surviving solely on the pity of others. Many elders just went their way as well, ignoring all and everything around them as if it was a common occurrence. Everyone looked out for their own and here, in a country that was starving, it was the same. As he walked he could see many people, even the shop owners staring at him and whispering inaudibly. A couple of old frail men dressed in barely acceptable clothing looked/leered at him and Naruto stared right back at them to convey the hidden message 'Try something funny and I'll kick your asses'. The way the people were looking at him showed him clearly that they were not used to seeing new faces and also at the same time that they possibly had to know every citizen of Nami if they could recognise that he wasn't from around. He figured that with the way he had dressed himself that he would catch attention, seeing as many of the citizens here weren't dressed up in very fashionable clothing. It was very obvious that they would be able to separate themselves from him with how he was clothed or perhaps the manner in which he had…um announced himself earlier on with his entrance.
Naruto was snapped out of his musings when he felt someone bump into him. Glancing behind him, he was met with the visage of a young boy with short dark brown hair, black eyes and clad in a dirty, dull green shirt, black shorts and sandals. He flashed him a cocky smile before he took off in a run. Naruto's eyes narrowed before experience from Konoha told him what the little boy had just done. Just to make sure he cast his eyes down to see that the small sack he used to carry his money was missing. With a sigh Naruto slowly followed after him walking sedately and making the running mischievous urchin smirk victoriously. The boy disappeared around a corner and barrelled down the next street, before he found himself before a rundown building where there were many children, who were lounging about with dry lips and holding their bellies in a clear sign of hunger.
"Hey guys, look what I found?" the boy held up a sack, letting it jingle with the money that was in there. All of their eyes widened at that before beaming smiles came upon their faces.
"Where did you get that Kenjurou?" one of the kids asked as he looked at the brown-haired boy.
The boy planted his hands on his hips, a smug look marring his mischievous looking expression, "From some stupid guy that was walking on the street as if he owned the place. He didn't even notice" he said in an obviously exaggerated boasting of his skills, his wide smirk threatening to split his face.
"Really now…?" the foreign voice knocked the boy out of his vaunting and he found himself staring at the stern countenance of Naruto.
His eyes widened as he slowly cowered back, pointing an accusing finger at Naruto "Y-you, b-but I th-thought…How did you f-find me so quickly?" he stammered in his speech as suddenly fear of being scolded or a fate far worse crept into his heart.
Naruto suppressed a frown at the fear and apprehension he could hear and feel emanating from the boy "That's for me to know." Naruto reached out with his palm, making a beckoning sign and with a grunt the boy handed him back his small money frog "Now tell me why did you try to steal this from me?"
The boy's head bowed down in shame and Naruto was surprised when he noticed the boy's fist balled, a frustrated expression on his face and his form starting to flinch momentarily before he began shaking either with fear or anger.
One of the kids, a girl barely seven years old with lengthy, messy brown hair and big blue eyes walked next to the boy, standing in front of him protectively as she looked at Naruto "Please mister, don't hurt him. It's our entire fault, he was doing it for us" she defended with a soft and innocent childish tone.
Naruto sighed as he shifted his stare to the young girl. "I wasn't going to. I just wanted to know why he did what he did." He brought his gaze back to the quivering boy.
"It's because we don't have any food and he is the one who brings us some but sometimes they…they" at that Naruto looked at the boy closely, taking in his appearance with a critical eye. The boy's body was lined with several scars, and some bruises along his face and his body which Naruto hadn't seen due to how messy the boy looked.
Naruto sent Chakra to his eyes as he looked at the boy and immediately flinched as he did so. He grit his teeth as his eyes narrowed before he settled himself with a calmed sigh "What is your name?" the boy was obviously abused regularly and it seemed that no matter how much they beat him up, he would still cause trouble by stealing food simply to feed his friends. To have the guts to do that constantly without the fear of death spoke volumes about the boy's will, he was strong in heart. It was people like him who Nami no Kuni needed but now it would be of no use if he went and got himself killed.
"K-kenjurou…" the boy mumbled lowly.
"Well Kenjurou you're a very brave kid but let me ask you, if you had power, what would you do with it?" It wasn't just a question for the youth bur rather it was also indirectly for Naruto. It was a question that has been troubling, occupying and exhausting his thoughts lately and to tell the truth he had no answer to it. It was a question that he had asked himself long before he came to Nami no Kuni, but after hearing Jinyancha's wisdom about great power entailing even greater responsibilities he had thought, at least at that moment that he had found his answer. It was not so and it still haunted him as much as his greatest nightmares and regrets.
"First I would kill Gatou…" the blond closed his eyes at that "Then I would set my country free. My parents, they were killed by Gatou and I don't want to see any more people suffer"
Naruto softened his face slightly more, he lowered himself slightly in order to get eye level with the boy, "Listen, killing is no child's play and it's not something I would urge you to do. It certainly isn't something your parents would like to see you do, you have to remain a kid while you can."
"How would you know?" the boy nearly shouted.
"Trust me, I just know…" Naruto said with a wistful smile on his face as he ruffled the boy's messy hair.
Naruto lifted his face to stare at all of the kids "Alright I hope you learn your lesson and never steal from people you don't know, for all you know I could've been a Shinobi or someone else dangerous" Naruto chided with a softened forbidding look about him, however his statement was aimed at Kenjurou in particular, making the boy winced at that prospect "But don't worry, I promise no one will be hurting you anymore. All of you" he said as he looked at them all with a reassuring gaze.
"Do you promise Nii-san?" the small girl asked, it seemed she hadn't took long to get accustomed to him.
"It's a promise of a lifetime" Naruto said with a smile behind his clothed face. After all, he always kept his promises, except that one time and it was one he would forever bemoan and regret for the rest of his life "Alright, I'll buy you all something to eat. But you're going to learn to do things for yourself, without stealing" they all nodded before they followed after the blond.
"Thanks Nii-san" they all said in unison, their appreciative words somehow reminding Naruto of himself when he was young and impressionable.
Naruto sighed through the fabric of his scarf as he watched the group devour their share of meals with ruthless gusto, their eyes gleaming with unshed tears at finally eating a well-cooked meal. The sight made his eyes squint sadly at the stark similarity of it all to his situation, back in Konoha, when the Sandaime would take him to Ramen at Ichiraku's. Like him these kids have had it rough, and it looked as if they had gone a few days without food or anything good to eat if their ruthless devouring of their meals was anything to go by.
He didn't know what to do. His heart burned with the desire to kill Gatou, but would that solve anything?
And was it even his business? Who knew if his butting in wouldn't cause even more problems for these people? These were many of the questions he found haunting him day in and day out, which he had no choice but to mull over. He knew very well that everything in this world has a cause and effect, and he had made decisions in his life which enacted that cycle. Such was his decision to leave Konoha, which had succeeded in him finding family and eventually his presence leading to them being killed.
But then what about right or wrong then? If as humans, people didn't look out for each other, helping those who couldn't help themselves and just settling to just bask in the bliss of ignorance while others suffered, then what would be of the world? What would be of people's morals? Which drove people to imagine themselves in the shoes of those experiencing hardships and to try to be better people?
He sighed as he looked up, looking up at the worn ceiling as he leaned back into his chair, putting his hands on the back of his head. What they needed the most wasn't a hot meal on a table, but hope. These people had lost all hope, Gatou had mercilessly broken their will to fight and thus they were reduced to mere pitiful shells of their former self. Simply living because they woke up, seeing the sunrise and sunset as just another day of suffering and hunger. They were merely alive because they didn't have the guts to kill themselves, they just lived, and hoping that by some miracle they would wake up to find that Gatou had died and that sickened Naruto.
A life like that was while terrible, something that Naruto wouldn't stand for if he had breath in his body. To live the rest of your days lurking around the streets and searching for food where you knew it wasn't. To ignore the monster responsible for so much out of fear, it simply was cowardly. We all have to face our and confront the monsters in life in order to get what we want and just as with every monster, Gatou had to be slain. His blood would be source that would help breed the freedom would unshackle these people from his grasp. Naruto couldn't figure out if just killing the man was a tad too extreme or not, and he briefly entertained the thought that maybe Danzo's ideals were seeping back into him again. He supposed that if he used the experience and knowledge he had stolen from the man to save people's lives then he had nothing to worry over. The reason Gatou had to be killed was solely not for what he was doing in Nami, but the fact that he used the same methods to ruin the lives of thousands and smuggle drugs, kill or use people simply because of his insatiable greed for money.
Naruto looked at Kenjurou who hadn't yet touched his food. His eyebrow rose in curiosity, "Why haven't you touched your food yet?"
"I can't. I can't sit here and eat this while other kids are out there starving." The youth muttered with his head low and his eyes looking forlornly.
Naruto shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly at that, "That's your choice to do but you're going to have to eat something or you will starve" Naruto said with a slight coldness in his tone while glaring into the distance, "Show some gratitude and try to enjoy the food and worry about that later" he said while his gaze never left the surface of the upper boundary of the small stand.
He watched as the boy hesitantly picked up his chopsticks and began eating the bowl of ramen he had ordered, slurping up the ramen and inhaling the smell with his nose. Naruto had ordered ramen for them knowing that most of the stores didn't have much to sell and it also sort of reminded him of Ayame and Teuchi and he also knew that with ramen, two bowls would be able to fill them up until tomorrow. It made him sad how he had almost forgot about the two during the four years he had been on his own and he wished he could see them again, but the chances of that happening were very slim considering how he had left. Another reason he had chosen Ramen was because he also didn't have money to splash around and even with the money he had found in Uzushiogakure, he had only taken enough to get him through a few months, before he could find a way to earn some money. The only way to help them was to take out Gatou.
Naruto raised the flaps to the stand before he walked out and took a stroll through the village. He still needed to find a place to stay for the night and the day was slowly edging to a close and with how side-tracked he got, he hadn't even had time to do so and he didn't even know where to begin. He walked around asking here and there for an Inn or any place where he could rent a room with people pointing him further down the village, toward the coastal region of Nami before eventually he found himself before a relatively well-built house. It looked moderate on the outside but Naruto could care less if they had offered tents for sleeping, he just needed somewhere to lay his head while he figures out what to do. Opening the door and drawing a jingling sound out of it, he went in, and looked around on the inside. It was fairly decent with creamy white-painted walls, creamy yellow curtains with the rare flowery decorations here and there and what looked like family decorations; in pictures which included a man with shaggy brown hair which was greying and dark eyes. Standing in front of the man and smiling brightly was a young girl with long brown hair and brown eyes and at the end was a woman with black hair whom Naruto assumed would be the mother. Her arm was wrapped around the youth.
Naruto noticed that some of the pictures were of the couple from when they were young as the girl was not in them while some depicted them in their elder days.
Naruto walked up to the reception desk where he could see an old woman lazily knitting a skirt with fluid movements that would put weaving Jutsu handseals to shame. She had chin length shaggy grey hair and wore a tan hat on her head and a brown cardigan jacket over a grey shirt.
Like many other shops in Nami, it was empty. There were no signs of any people who rented the place.
Naruto smiled as he called out to the lady once he had stopped near the desk "Good afternoon"
The aged woman stopped her knitting to look at Naruto "Good afternoon young lad. How may I help?" she asked, plastering a warm smile on her face, something which surprised Naruto slightly. Not so much the smile, but the fact that it was genuine through and through. It wasn't something he expected from a citizen of Nami.
He scratched the back of his head before he responded "I need a room, for a week…maybe more" he looked at her expectantly and watched as he hummed in thought.
"Alright just wait here." she stood up, walking toward a rack which held had hundreds of keys hanging off it. She caressed them with her hands, shuffling around before she found what she was looking for and returned.
"Here, will you like to pay now or after your stay?" she asked as she handed him the keys.
Naruto's eyes lit up in contemplation as he gave that notion a thought, "Um, well since I'm not sure how long I'll stay I'll pay now just in case." he said as he shuffled into his money sack and pulling out some money much to the woman's concealed delight. "How much will it be?" he asked as he looked up at her.
"10 000 ryo." she responded.
"Alright….here you go." Naruto said as he handed her the money which she gladly took, gazing at it almost as if simply touching it was a rare experience in itself. "Where can I find my room?"
That snapped her out of her daze and she looked back at Naruto, "Oh yes, just go up the stairs, take the first turn on your left and head down the hallway, it is number…18." She said to the blond after flipping through a large book. With a nod Naruto began his ascent up the stairway before he was stopped by the woman's voice as it reached his ears. "Oh and thank you."
"The pleasure is all mine." He said before he continued on his way. After walking for a few more seconds, he found himself before the room number 18 and he inserted his key in before pushing the door open and entering the room. It was fairly simple, a neatly made bed and headboard with a broken lamp lying on the headboard.
Naruto plopped himself on the bed gently and soon lost himself to unconsciousness.
(Two days later)
Naruto was sat upon his bed, a thoughtful glint in his rippled eyes as they roamed over a map of Nami no Kuni's topography. He was trying to puzzle out the pattern to Gatou's shipping and possibly infer an outline of when the next shipping would be so that he could find out about Gatou's location. He had been doing some investigations and asking the people for where Gatou lived but most just shivered at the question while some were tight-lipped about it or didn't know and merely feared the consequences of even revealing even minor information about the man. It also seemed that the short statured business magnate was smart as well, as no one in Nami no Kuni seemed to know of his true location or place of residence due to how meticulously he covered his tracks. He only oversaw some of the shipments and mostly sent his thugs to do the job. What made Naruto angry was that, the man practically had the country in the palm of his calloused hand yet he still added to the people's suffering by forcefully abducting teenage girls and selling them off to slavers and selling drugs and other contrabands to various buyers.
The man's greed and love for money was insatiable it seemed but Naruto hoped to put an end to all of that very soon.
This meant that he had to do some old school espionage, an aspect of being a Shinobi he never had any love for.
Naruto wrapped his red scarf on his face, its long tails flowing down his chest as he brushed his messy blond hair, making it spikier and wilder. He looked at himself on the mirror, marvelling at how his hair now fell over his eyes in large bangs and fringes, obscuring his eyes from view and how he now resembled that…man. It also reached to his shoulders now, and the blond briefly toyed with the idea of cutting it but decided against it. If he was to stay out of sight, he needed to appear unrecognizable to Konoha. Speaking of which, Naruto was surprised that Hi no Kuni and Konoha hadn't done anything or made any attempts to intervene with wave, considering that the small island country supposedly had good ties with Fire country.
As such, one would expect that Hi no Kuni would come out guns blazing when a minor country near their territory undergone a similar ordeal to that of Nami no Kuni's. He just assumed that the reason Konoha or any other hidden village were not helping was merely because they chose to remain muted and ignorant to the situation in Nami, as they did with Uzu no Kuni.
He wasn't certain and perhaps he was being prejudiced toward Konoha and Hi no Kuni because of his bad history with them. There was always a niggling thought in his head, driving him against the wall in frustration with the same whispered thoughts of 'It's still your home' a fate which while he despised and despaired to think about, was inescapable.
Naruto usually dismissed it with a violent shake of his head. Everything about Konoha was not his home, regardless of the fact that he was born there and the fact that it was home to him, his father, a thought he had always repressed and one which caused a bitter feeling to crawl up his throat.
So would anyone truly blame him for harbouring an apparent dislike, a strong one that is, for a village that betrayed his brethren, casting aside whatever alliance or agreement they had and settling for sitting and merely watching them being slaughtered, not even bothering to lift a finger because it wouldn't harm them in the long run? Nonetheless, he didn't know why but getting involved with a country's internal affairs somehow bothered him but what was he to do? If it was the right thing to do, then it had to be done, right?
He was also quite perplexed by the fact that none of the other four great Shinobi nations, especially those who bore a bitter hatred for Konoha hadn't decided to take advantage of Konoha's negligence to seize Nami no Kuni for their own and he wondered if they somehow saw the small island country as insignificant or a lost cause. Regardless this just went to show that depending on the great nations was while advantageous, greatly inadvisable. A prime example of that was Uzu no Kuni, their alliance with Konoha had all just amounted to bullshit and worthlessly empty promises made and not fulfilled. For instance, where had Konoha been when Kiri, Kumo and Iwa laid to waste the Uzumaki and their village? He surmised they had probably decided against helping because they were more concerned about the losses they would suffer in a very 'ambitious' attempt to fulfil their alliance. After all, they already had their Jinchuuriki who would breed for them future Jinchuurikis within Konoha. So in essence, Uzushiogakure and the Uzumaki clan's usefulness was over lived and no longer needed. He figured that this was one of those reasons that had made his grandfather bitter at the thought of Konoha. As for him, if there was one thing he greatly despised was those who went back on their promises, to him it was unforgivable. However with that thought in mind, it suddenly dawned on him that he had made and broken promises as well, he was no better. He had vowed to protect Hotaru and Higure but that had all been empty words on his account as well, and recently he had promised Kenjurou, the young girl called Ageha and those other kids that he wouldn't let anyone hurt them anymore. So would he break that as well, by sitting around wondering about the consequences of helping Nami? If the consequences would be negative for him and positive for those homeless kids, then would he mind?
'Certainly not I guess' he thought with a sigh, using his hand to brush the hair hanging off his face.
He strapped his sword to his back, putting on his long dark overcoat before he disappeared in a burst of fire.
Naruto surveyed the large warehouse of the Gatou corp branch in Nami. The building was fairly tall, with a simple square structure and architecture with triangular zinc roofing and great air vents on peaking atop the roof. Atop it was a large sign post with the words Gato Corporation. Armed guards roamed the place at every corner and Naruto swore there were around a hundred men casually patrolling around every entrance and all around the storehouse, their hands twitching to their swords with a well found paranoia. He stood behind a mass of crowded trees, using his Shinobi stealth training to slink into the shadows of the night to perfect precision.
Naruto gazed up into the darkened night skies, marvelling at the silver moon which hung above, its great twilight bathing the village in bright cool twilight. There was always something about the moonlight which just seemed attractive to the blond, almost like an irresistible charm that sought to pull him toward it and seemingly bathe him in its cool warmth. He sighed as he dispersed the melancholic thoughts with a soft shake of his head, it wouldn't do for him to get distracted while he still had a mission to complete would it? With noiseless movements, Naruto disappeared in a blur of motion as he swiftly ran, his movements barely rustling the leaves on the ground as he went past one of the guards without him noticing due to how fast the blond blurred pat him. The man just twitched his head up in curiosity as a brief breeze of light wind brushed past him before with a nonchalant shrug, he went back to his duties, carelessly whistling a jaunty tune and kicking his feet.
Naruto carefully snuck toward the building entrance with fluid movements, making sure not to alert the next guard who was dozing off a few feet away from him. After a while he found himself standing near the tall gate-like door, and as he scurried in, the distinctive smell of odour, evaporated sweat and a sharp disgusting smell that he wasn't quite familiar with invaded his covered nostrils through the tiny fabrics of his scarf. It was sharp and the blond felt that if not for his scarf he would be wildly coughing and consequently alert the guards to his presence, something he definitely didn't wish to have happen. After all if he wished to make them aware to his presence, he wouldn't have resorted to sneaking around, he would simply just walk out there and annihilate them all. This was purely espionage, no flashy Jutsu or shenanigans; he just merely wished to collect data and information about Gatou and his recent activities.
He supposed that to not alarm Gatou he had to go silently about things and also not kill any one as it might arouse suspicion within the man and cause him to suspect someone hired assassins or mercenaries to get rid of him. Settling himself, he took to absorbing the appearance of the insides of the building. The wide flooring was lined with various crack lines, with the upper part of the house lacking any true ceiling whatsoever. There was no paint and the walls were a dull grey colour and Naruto could see tiny blue-ish Chakra sources which he instantly took for rats as one rushed down a pipe when his gaze travelled toward it.
There were tall stacks of sealed goods on hundred odd large shelves, which formed countless mountains and created a means which helped create separate rooms or divisions within the tall structure. Naruto went toward the nearest shelf, pulling out a large box which he opened only to be met with several large bags containing a pure white powder. He punctured a hole in one of them and let the white matter spill into his hand, rubbing its fine texture before he frowned 'I guess it is true, he does sell drugs' he thought to himself with visible disgust lining his brow, which had furrowed deeply, creating a trench line on his temples.
'Well, let's see what he has in the containers then' Naruto walked toward a large shipping red freight container. For some reason this one was the largest of the countless ones which lay within the storage house and Naruto, out of caution more than anything sent Chakra to his eyes to see what lay within the container before he attempted to open it. As soon as he had done so his eyes picked up various Chakra signatures all stuffed inside and restrained by some means he still couldn't discern. He supressed the urge to growl in anger as he slowly strode toward it. He sent Chakra to his arms, activating his Asura path ability before with unbelievable strength he hauled the door right open, tearing it apart as if it was paper and immediately as he did so, he came face to face with the frightened visages of some children, mostly girls peeking into their late teens whom were all restrained with taping covering their mouths and ropes wrapped around their forms. They were also dressed in heavily revealing and similar black bondage clothing, a thought that disturbed Naruto to think about the meaning behind it. He looked at them, remarking in his head the fear written across their faces before a surprising loud childlike voice sounded out, catching him by surprise "Nii-san! I knew you would come"
Naruto's head snapped up as he immediately recognized the voice, glancing steadily toward the owner only to gape at the sight of the little girl from that day, the one whom had defended Kenjurou. Almost as if on brotherly instinct, her name came crushing back into his head and he frowned as he spoke to the little girl who was hugging him at the waste, shedding happy tears.
"Ageha?" Naruto queried with clear concern in his voice.
"Nii-san, I was so scared. I thought that…that the bad people would take me away" The petite girl continued sobbing into his shirt, her warm tears wetting the blonde's black shirt and her actions leading Naruto to sigh with narrowed eyes as he regarded her with a soft stare, temporarily forgetting about the dozens of barely clad teenage girls now staring up at him in confusion. Naruto was half listening to the small girl, as some of the thoughts floating in his mind were of where were the other kids who were with her four days ago? He worried that something terrible might have happened to them "But Nii-san is here to save me right" she said innocently while she refused to let go of his waist, her voice snapping the blond out of his musings.
Naruto nodded with a comforting smile on his face "Yeah, I'll get you out of here and then I will buy you a hot bowl of ramen alright" he ruffled at her messy black hair to add more meaning and affection to the gesture.
The young girl's lips quivered at that as tears welled inside her innocent big blue eyes "R-really, and this time Nii-san would eat with Ageha-chan?" she asked as she stared up at him with a look that utterly melted his heart, a dangerous Chakra-less Jutsu which he knew very well was irresistible and hard to fight against, luckily, it was especially harder for women than men.
"Yeah, I promise" Naruto responded with a beaming smile on his face. He didn't wish to ask the still traumatized girl about the fate of her friends and figured he could ask some of the girls who are here. He didn't want to add further trauma to what she was already suffering or must have gone through. He turned around, horning his gaze on the group of teenage females before he forced a smile on his face "Alright girls, please don't panic. I'm getting you out of here okay" he said to which they all nodded their heads since they were stripped off of their voices with the tape covering their mouths. Naruto brought his hand into the cross handseal, and three distinctive puffs of smoke erupted around him, revealing three solid copies of the blond whom hastily got to work on untying the captives while Naruto held Ageha by her hand.
After a while his clones dispelled, signalling that they had completed their duties and Naruto who was on guard looking at whether anyone was approaching their position.
'Well, I guess there goes my first espionage mission.' Naruto thought to himself dryly. He was aware that to accommodate the people he had now rescued, he would have to alter the category of his mission from espionage to rescue mission and those weren't exactly subtle or clean. He knew that to safely escape with all the girls he was with, he would have to 'pave a path', meaning killing yet again. He didn't revel in taking the life of another person, but if the situation called for it then he would have no regrets about it. What he was afraid of was showing that side of himself to the girl beside him. He didn't want her to think him a monster or some sort of psychopathic killer because for some reason her approval mattered to him more than anything else. He felt this compelling inclination toward protecting her, and he couldn't show her that side of himself. She was so full of innocence, full of dreams that she reminded him of himself and Naruto knew he couldn't afford to taint her soul like his had already been with the horrors of Shinobi life. With that thought in mind, he reached a decision. He brought his hands into a cross handseal yet again and two Kage Bunshin exploded into action before him.
Naruto stared at them both over his shoulder as his eyes narrowed "You know what to do" they both nodded at that as their hands went to their respective swords as they grasped them before they gave him sharp nods of their heads. Naruto felt a sagging weight settle over his shoulders as he uttered the next words "Good and don't make a mess" they nodded as they understood the command from the real blond before they burst into action, speeding toward the outside where Gatou's guards were.
Matoko Sanji was just your regular bodyguard. Brown hair, teal eyes, a bored look about him and short beard, with a tall structure. He was a man in his early 30's and with nothing truly extraordinary going on in his life. He woke up every single day and came to his job without a hassle. Life for him was vain, and the strong always won. As such, being one of the sufferers of Gatou's reign of terror in Nami no Kuni, he knew that there was no going back and that the only way to get by was to befriend the very monster whom had imprisoned the country. His saying being 'if you can't beat them then you should join them', as such he did his bidding without complains and didn't bother with any other person. The people of Nami in his opinion were very foolish not to recognize the potential of having Gatou Company could bring to them. He had joined Gatou's cause and he was now reaping the rewards.
He was the only one in his opinion smart enough to see the benefits of allying oneself with the business magnate and he didn't care who got hurt, as long as at the end of the day he got his pay check, then all was peachy. He was so engrossed in his thoughts while he lazily toyed with a golden watch on his wrist that he didn't notice as the fellow night patrol guard near him was pulled into the darkness before a low squelch, muffled grunting and gurgling was heard, that went unheard by the man.
'Ah, life is good' he thought to himself with a smile on his face before the gleam of steel caught his gaze and he snapped his eyes up to look at what it was only to come face to face with blond hair, red scarf and that would be the last thing he would see as with a flash of steel, his head was severed from his neck.
Naruto looked at the man before with a sigh, he picked him by his leg, dragging him across the hard ground as he moved him out of view.
(Back Inside Warehouse)
The real Naruto's rippled eyes sedately parted open as he felt the excess memories of his two Kage Bunshin filter into his mind, displaying to him new knowledge and the events his doppelgangers had just went through or rather, created. He sighed as he fixated his gaze on the young girl beside him who was clutching at his hand with a vice grip. How he wished to be young, innocent and oblivious.
"Alright, the coast is clear. Let's go…" Naruto said, his strained and weary voice demanding the attention of the girls as they all nodded their heads.
Naruto picked up Ageha by her waste gently, before settling her on his back in a piggyback position and started striding intently toward the entrance. He stopped when he saw that not all of them were moving and looked behind him with a raised eyebrow "What's wrong?" honestly Naruto felt tired and drained. The weight of killing so many people in one night rested and weighed heavily on his conscience and he certainly had no time to deal with moody and temperamental teenagers.
"Um, she can't walk. She was injured when they brought us here" a girl with bright orange hair and dark eyes said as her gaze struggled to meet Naruto's, the ground seemingly becoming very interesting for her as she drew lines on it with her eyes.
Naruto shook his head with a tired sigh before without any physical command and handseal, a clone suddenly exploded out of nowhere, the large smoke displaying how much Chakra the blond had put into it, clearly out of annoyance. The Kage Bunshin moved near the injured girl who had light shaded blond hair, brown eyes and plumb lips. She appeared to be shy, at least that was what Naruto deduced from her quite demeanour and her face lit up with a furious scarlet colour as Naruto's shadow clone hoisted her up, nestling her into a comfortable position as it carried her bridal style. She shamelessly snuggled into the clone's chest, her actions seeming to bring angry glares out of her fellow females, whom Naruto had noticed had been giving him the glad eye ever since his appearance.
"Anyone else who needs to be carried?" Naruto inquired with a hint of irritation and miff in his voice, they all looked down as if contemplating whether to answer or not before Naruto began walking away, with the dozen or so girls following after him, while Ageha rode on his back contently. He felt her go lax on his back as she suddenly lost the battle to stay awake as exhaustion warped her into blissful rest. Naruto heard her mutter one last thing in contentment "Thank you…Naruto-niisan" she sighed out deeply with a soft tone awhile her hands were wrapped around his waist tightly as she fell asleep.
Somehow hearing her words seemed to ease the guilt resting on Naruto's heart and he felt that his actions had at least saved someone innocent from a tragic fate. He picked up his speed as he wished to just leave the area before any more negative thoughts were triggered by the gloomy and depressing atmosphere of Gatou's warehouse.
Today he had just taken a daring first step in his desire to save Nami. No doubt Gatou would be alarmed now and he might react unpredictably but he would ensure he was ready for whatever onslaught he might send his way, but Naruto doubted that would happen. Men like Gatou hated spending money, even if it would be beneficial. Thus Naruto extremely doubted he would send any mercenaries after him.
(Next Day)
Naruto awoke with a start the next morning. Dawn had not yet broke through when he was already outside, aimlessly strolling around the streets and waiting on the sun to rise. He supposed it was his body having grown accustomed to waking up very early as he usually did during his training in Uzu no Kuni. His worries had been rested the previous night as he discovered that Kenjurou and the rest of his crew had not been hurt or whatsoever. He hadn't slept soundly though and attributed his waking up early to that as well, after all how could you when nightmares of bloody black blades, terrible screams and death plagued your mind.
Naruto swore he was no longer sane sometimes. The Shinobi profession was one for insane people or those with very strong hearts. A fragile and very sensitive person wouldn't make it a day as a Ninja, not as one of those Genin, but as a true Ninja. It was no wonder many who were Shinobi were often paranoid, and were driven insane or to giving in to the temptation of suicide by their not so savoury deeds.
Naruto just sighed as he walked down the streets of Nami with calm steps as he banished his thoughts. Higure had told him all there was to know about the hardships and life of Shinobi but still it didn't make it better though. At first he had to admit he had thought he could face all that ever came his way and protect his family, however it took their death to disillusionize him of that naïve thought. He momentarily halted his musings as his eyes caught movement out of the corner of his eyes from the opposite street, making him stop. His eyes narrowed as he saw two Genin wearing two Konohagakure headbands. There were two of them, a girl and a boy. The girl had striking pink hair and wore a red outfit while the boy was clad in white shorts, a dark blue shirt and had raven coloured hair. He somehow seemed annoyed for some reason Naruto couldn't fathom while the girl kept sending him disturbing glances.
He was just about to leave when the girl of the duo called out to him, her loud voice assaulting his senses "Hello," Naruto pretended as if he hadn't heard as he carried on walking. That though, only served to make the girl hurry her steps to catch up with him while her teammate simply sauntered and trailed back slowly with an air of arrogance emanating from him as he had his hands in his pockets. She slowed down after getting level with him while he persisted with his calm gait, fixing him with a stare of forest green eyes as she spoke "Excuse me, would you happen to know where we can find clothes around here. You see our idiot teammate tore most of his clothes off and now he has nothing else" she asked innocently, giving an explanation at the end as she smiled sincerely at Naruto.
Naruto pulled his scarf up to his nose, an action he noted out of the corner of his eye seemed to intrigue the ravenhead boy and make his eyes narrow as he edged closer to them "I'm afraid I won't be able to help you with that Konoha Ninja-san, I am new around here as well" Naruto spoke with a voice laced with some measure of contempt, struggling to banish the onslaught of bad memories at seeing her face and Hitai-ate. In the end he settled for ending the conversation there as his answer brought her to a dull halt while Naruto slowly increased the distance between them again. However she ran after him again and Naruto decided to stop and merely tolerate her for a little while longer.
His patience was wearing thin, what little he had of it.
"Oh, are you a traveller then?" she inquired with the disappointed look from earlier vanished from her visage. Her question was met with a flat look and she faltered and planted an uneasy smile on her face "O-oh, um never mind. Well thank you for your help" she said as she bowed to Naruto who merely looked at her curiously.
Naruto felt slightly bad for being rude and responded "I apologize for not being of much help. You can ask around, I'm sure someone would lend you a hand" Naruto said somewhat softly.
She seemed to light up at his change of demeanour as she smiled again "Alright thank you again for your hel-"the girl was interrupted as her previously quiet teammate strode forward, stopping in front of Naruto and glaring at him with his onyx coloured eyes.
"Who are you and why do you look familiar?" the boy asked suddenly with a demanding tone, driven and enforced by a haughty visage. His apparent rudeness did not surprise Naruto however, nor did his antagonistic conduct.
Naruto just remained quiet and regarded the two with a scrutinizing stare with his barely visible eyes. The girl looked slightly interested and nervous all the same as she fidgeted while the boy was exuding an aura of hostility from him. Without anything else to say, Naruto swivelled around to walk away, however a hand clasped his shoulder tightly, drawing Naruto to halt his movements. Naruto glanced back over his shoulder to see the same ravenhead boy looking at him intensely with a furrow on his eyebrows. Naruto shifted his gaze to the boy's hand which was on his shoulder as he gazed curiously at it, almost as if it was a stain or a bug that he felt the urge to rid himself of or crush.
Suddenly the air grew heavy and grim and Naruto's eyes narrowed threateningly as the bangs hanging off Naruto's face, hiding his eyes from view slowly parted as if by some work of a magician to reveal cold, piercing purple ringed eyes which roamed over the ravenhead with a shiver inspiring hardness.
Naruto's Chakra flared slightly as his eyes grew glacial cold, a dull frosty gleam appearing within them and making the Konoha Genins both flinch and cower slightly at his cold stare "It would do you good to let go. You see I'm not very fond of Konoha Shinobi" Naruto let the obvious threat linger in the air as his cold ripple-eyed stare seemed to drive daggers through the young ravenhead, drawing a faltering expression out of him.
The dark haired youth's eyes widened as his gaze met that of Naruto's rippled-eyed gaze. He felt himself remove his hand from Naruto's hand thoughtlessly, an action which surprised him, almost as if his natural, survival instinct were trying to ward him from an impending danger. 'That look in his eyes. Almost like…' the ravenhead thought worriedly.
"Excuse me" Naruto said as he swivelled around on his feet and began treading away from the Konoha duo with calm steps, leaving them standing in the middle of the dirt street.
The two remained standing on the street where the blond left them, unmoving and struggling to form any words. Sakura was trembling at the cold feeling that had washed over her when the blond had glared at Sasuke. She was extremely wary of that guy; even Sasuke seemed affected if the shaking of his hands were anything to go by. It disturbed her how much the blond mystery had shook her crush with just a stare and no impressive amount of blunt threats of death and what made her queasy even more was how he seemed as if he was about their age. Kakashi had told them that there were Ninja younger than him, who could possibly rival him in strength and that hunter-nin had been one of those, but the strange blond they had just met felt…she didn't know how to phrase it but if she had to dig deep within herself to think up an answer, she would say even stronger than Zabuza and way more terrifying due to how unassuming he seemed.
"Sa…Sasuke-kun" she finally managed to utter with her breathing sounding laboured and strained as she stared her equally, if not visibly shaken ravenhead teammate.
The ravenhead's fist was clenched and was quivering with great vibrations of muscles while his brows were furrowed with an emotion he couldn't quite discern, an emotion no other person was able to evoke out of him except that man. He had never before felt fear at facing an opponent, but back then, when his gaze had met that other boy's, he had felt it. A chilling aura that just warranted his slow and painful death and the blond boy's eyes held emotion Sasuke understood well enough, a dark past lingered behind those strange rippled eyes but that was never enough to unnerve the Uchiha. So what was it about the strange blond that just rang alarm bells within his head? His eyes had obviously shown that he could follow up on his threat with a brutal efficiency and that it wouldn't disturb him to kill at all. There were a myriad of questions rampaging through Sasuke's head, such as whether the blond was a Shinobi but Sasuke knew that from the scathing killing intent he had conjured up, that he had to be, no questions asked and a very dangerous one at that.
Sasuke tore his gaze from the direction the blond had melted toward to gaze at the hysteric pink-haired beside him "Sakura, we…we should get to Kakashi now. Something's fishy about that guy." he said with a slightly trembling voice as his breathing had not yet fully composed enough. She nodded and the two were soon on their way as they turned from street to street, moving with visibly hurried steps.
Naruto was fuming as he calmly strode down the opposite street, his tense posture and cold demeanour frightening ordinary civilians who did all they could to pull themselves out of the way of the blond. Everything around him was a blur and he couldn't even make out any of the people or heads or tails of his surroundings. All he was thinking about was what that Genin said. As always with people from Konoha, the ravenheaded boy just demanded something of him. They just demand things of him as if they run his life, he had been mere seconds from bashing in that Genin's skull, regardless of the fact that he recalled he had went to the academy with him.
He remembered the boy clearly; after all he had spent most of his short days in Konoha's academy trying to prove he was better than him. He was sort of surprised to see that he was a Genin now and wondered if he would be one too had he stayed in Konoha, an action which drew a bitter scowl out of him.
He was so lost in his musings that he failed to notice a figure emerge from the next corner before they bumped into him and Naruto fell on top of them in a very compromising position. Naruto opened his eyes and was immediately met with chocolate-brown which stared at him calmly although he could see that on their face the person was lightly blushing. Naruto took in the appearance of the person underneath him, she was a girl obviously from her shapely face, moist lips and pale skin with long dark brown hair that went to her waist. She was wearing a pink, sleeveless kimono with pale red edges and decorated with small plum-coloured swirls, that went to her ankles and on her neck she had some kind of dark leash-like choker. She had a slender frame from what he could feel…
She blinked up at him as the two couldn't find words to say. Naruto stood up first before offering her a hand which she reluctantly took and he hoisted her up to his level. Naruto stared up at her, or rather her Chakra coils and suppressed a frown. This girl was obviously a Shinobi and she was good if how well she was suppressing her Chakra was anything to go by. It seemed that something was going down in Nami what with all the Shinobi he had encountered but he wasn't yet aware of it.
"Are you alright" Naruto asked as he dusted himself off, keeping his gaze on the figure before him.
She nodded her head in concurrence as she picked up her small basket which had fallen over and spilled all kinds of green plants and medicinal herbs "Yes I am; forgive me. I wasn't watching my step" she said with an apologetic bow of her head and a very tranquil tone.
"It is no trouble, I wasn't watching mine either and I spilled all of your herbs as a result"
"It is no matter, I can just pick new ones" she said, waving off his apology with a smile "You're not from around here are you?" she observed calmly.
Naruto shrugged as he answered, "Yeah, and so are you" her Chakra flared as she supressed a flinch. Naruto had grown well in reading people's reactions. When a person flinched or tensed in unease and when they lied their Chakra flared somewhat. "Anyway, because I knocked down and spoiled all your herbs, I'll help you pick new ones" he proclaimed and she nodded with a smile that Naruto could see was clearly forced.
She began walking and Naruto followed after "What is your name?" Naruto suddenly asked. He knew that somehow had probably come out rudely but he was still feeling the adrenaline of the anger from earlier circulating through his veins, his boiling blood still flowing with agitation.
"Haku..." she responded coolly and flatly, "and you are?" she looked at him curiously with her brown eyes, her gaze going to the scarf he had on his face, almost as if trying to peer through it.
Naruto gave a thin smile behind his bulgy cloth covering his face as he spoke "Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you Haku-san"
She acknowledged with a nod "And I you Naruto-san" she responded and returned to staring absently ahead with an unreadable expression on her face.
Naruto looked at her curiously "So who are you picking herbs for Haku-san?" Naruto questioned with a well found interest.
She gave a half a smile as her lips twitched with the makings of a smile, surprise coming to Naruto's face at how genuine it seemed. "For a friend of mine, they were injured very recently" she responded simply, as she let her hidden gaze scope the area around them with a paranoid glint within her eye that Naruto picked up fairly easily.
"Oh, that is very sweet of you" Naruto said with a kind smile of his own. Haku couldn't detect any traces of deception on his face although he did give her this feeling that he wasn't normal. His eyes were proof enough of that and Haku didn't want to think that he was sent here on a mission to eliminate her and Zabuza.
She was vulnerable, but she still could defend herself if anything hostile aroused. She still had her weapons however, not as many as she would've wanted or to her satisfaction. "So where are you from Naruto-san?" she asked the question that had been on her mind ever since she bumped into the blond. It was not so much because of curiosity, but just to try to gauge the blonde's reaction to it. She was good at picking up lies, but she wasn't sure if she could see through this strange enigma. After all, there were also some people who were very good at lying and lying was an art in itself for some.
"Formerly Konoha…" Naruto said without missing a beat with a slightly colder tone and noted how she visibly tensed once more.
That answer seemed to ignite a brief spark in her eyes before it disappeared as if it was never there. "Is Naruto-san a Shinobi or just a traveller?" Naruto stopped on the middle of the street, regarding Haku with an unreadable stare.
Naruto chuckled dryly. "You know, you ask a lot of questions Haku-san." He said as he shifted his gaze to stare at the brunette.
"I apologize, I'm just an inquisitive person and you interest Me." she said absently before she blushed as she caught up with what she had said.
"Its fine, I'm formerly from Konoha, I do not live there. I have received Shinobi training and I don't know whether I am a traveller or a wanderer but I think wanderer sounds better" Naruto said after a brief moment of thought, his apparent disregard for Haku's recent statement bringing a relieved sigh out of her.
Naruto rubbed at his right elbow with his hand as they continued walking calmly "What about you Haku-san? Have you received trainingin the Shinobi arts?" Naruto asked while the two were standing in the middle of the street they had been walking down.
After a few seconds of silence Haku found her voice, speaking with her eyes narrowed at how easily Naruto was egging her on into answering his questions truthfully. "I am from Mizu no kuni but now I travel from place to place with my friend and yes I have received Shinobi training…" she paused "Although it was only enough for self-defence" she said as she rubbed at her elbow with her palm.
"I see…" And with that they continued on in uncomfortable silence with Naruto now leading her while she trailed back to collect her raging thoughts.
Haku didn't know how but she was a little nervous. Her conversation with Naruto had unsettled her greatly and she was now feeling a tense pressure settling over her. Although on the outside she was perfectly calm, her thoughts and heart were raging on the inside. Her head was swirling with thoughts and doubts, she somehow didn't want to go any further into the forest with Naruto. The way he read her so easily could only mean trouble, his gaze peered right through her as she spoke, almost seeming to spot her lies a mile away with the sharp gaze of a marksman. She didn't know if he was a Hunter-nin working for the Mizukage or if he was leading her toward somewhere where his team was so that they could ambush her but he certainly had made an impression, an unsettling one that is. Now she was merely following so not to raise his suspicion, she felt it wouldn't be good to blow her cover and as such she supressed her paranoia.
She was somehow relieved when as if reading her thoughts or her inner turmoil again, Naruto beckoned for them to stop. They had stopped at a clearing which was open to view and not away from the village by much, and for some reason she felt safer that way. It was very uncharacteristic of her and something she was sure her master would rebuke her over out of disappointment, but for some reason this…man made her feel very vulnerable and exposed.
"Ah, this seems like a nice spot. What do you think Haku-san?" Naruto asked casually.
She nodded her head while her eyes travelled to his, locking his eyes in a questioning stare "Yes, but why did you pick this one Naruto-san?" she asked as she slowly spread her sharp senses, taking in the fresh fragrance and murky smell of nature all around her as birds jauntily chirped the day away.
Naruto slowly crossed his hands across his chest as he gave her a questioning look "Well I just couldn't lead you all the way into the forest with me being a stranger and all could I?"
"I suppose that is correct and thoughtful of you…" she said as she knelt down tucking her Kimono under her gently as she picked a small plant, looking at it with a curious and examining stare while her other eye roamed Naruto.
Naruto knelt down beside her, his close proximity slightly unsettling her "Can you show me which ones I should pick?" he asked softly trying to rest her worries and alleviate the tense atmosphere surrounding her, knowing he was partly responsible for her setting up a barrier of sorts between them.
She glanced at him before pointing to a small green plant which grew taller than the other small weedy plants on the green covered plain "Oh, they are these ones." She pointed him to his obstacle and the blond began his own picking.
"Alright…" Naruto said as he began picking and carefully throwing the small medicinal plants into the basket.
The two knelt down and began picking the small medicinal plants in some uncomfortable silence. After a while they were finished, with Haku's basket containing more than it had earlier, which had been spilled.
"Thank you again Naruto-san"
Naruto flashed her a small thin smile "It's the least I could do after making you spill your previous basket." Naruto said quietly, his soft a few shades softer than before.
"Hai but with your help I got more" Naruto just gave a small shrug of his shoulders.
"Will you be picking more tomorrow?" he asked, his statement drawing some measure of surprise out of her as her eyebrow rose, only for her eyes to return back to normal a heartbeat later.
"Not tomorrow I won't. These will last a few days, did Naruto-san have something important planned for tomorrow" she said softly. Her mind was being assaulted with thoughts and suspicions. What did this boy want with her? What motive lay behind his actions? Had he ran across her on pure instinct or was it planned? Regardless of the answers, she felt a nagging suspicion and distrust toward him.
"No nothing important, I was just hoping to see you again" Naruto said with an awkward tone in his voice.
She gave him an apologetic look "Oh, I'm afraid I won't have much time tomorrow. Maybe another time" she said apologetically as she stood up, dusting herself off.
"Yes…another time" Naruto whispered softly in response as she walked away. He wasn't sure if she heard him or not.
Naruto watched as Haku disappeared into the distance. The thing that intrigued him greatly was her eyes. They were familiar, eyes that knew of loneliness, isolation, rejection. They were eyes like…his. When he looked at Haku's eyes it had been as if he was looking at a mirror reflection of his own during his time in Konoha or four years ago when Higure and Hotaru died. He knew deep down she was a Shinobi and he was hoping to get to know her better but she was obviously tense and uneasy around him. Maybe it was because of what he had said; he had clearly been prying into her life and making her uncomfortable with his questions and statements. Years of isolation and training seemed to have dulled his social skills and he had just scared a potential friend away.
'Real smooth Naruto, real smooth' he thought to himself dryly as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked back into the village.
(Hidden location ~ Zabuza's Hideout)
"Zabuza-sama" Haku said as she entered the hideout, glancing toward the bedridden man as she made her greeting. Zabuza was a man of pale dark skin, spiky black hair that was short and dark eyes that were framed by short eyebrows. He wore a headband on his head with the sign for "Kiri" and his face was wrapped up in bandages in a manner similar to a face mask.
The man didn't even turn his head to regard the female youth as he just stared at the ceiling with contemplative eyes "Haku, what took you so long?" the black haired man who lay underneath some blankets said in a very gruff voice, his tone carrying a peeved tint to it.
"I was side-tracked by….someone" she said simply as she put the small basket of herbs gently on the ground, moving toward the masked man.
"Was it one of Hatake's Genin and I thought that no one would recognize you in that disguise?" Zabuza shifted himself into a sitting position, much to the brunette's disapproval if the slight look of worry in her eyes was anything to go by.
She shook her head as she gave the man a glass of water "No but, there is something about this one. Something dangerous." She said with narrowed eyes "His Chakra reserves, the way he held himself and his physique speaks of one who has undergone harsh training" she surmised quietly with a look of worry.
"Is he with the Konoha ninja?" Zabuza asked while he stared absently at the walls of the hideout room.
"I'm not sure. He stated he is formerly of Konoha and that he is now merely a wanderer. He was wearing no Shinobi headband."
"Hmm, he could be one of Yagura's hunter-nin. I want you to keep an eye on him and if possible, get rid of him." His face hardened even more than it already was as his palm balled into a tight fist "When I face Kakashi once more I don't want any interferences"
"Hai…" Haku nodded as she stood up, brushing the wrinkles on her pink Kimono before she left the man to his thoughts.
Zabuza frowned deeply once the girl was out of his line of sight. If Yagura sent his hunter-nin division after him then things might get chaotic. Another thing he was worried about was Gatou, his begrudging employer. He had a hunch the man was plotting to betray him but he still couldn't put heads or tails to how he hoped to do so. However if the short fool thought he could outsmart him, then he was in for a sad, and painful awakening. He was no one's little puppet. He hadn't been Yagura's puppet, or even Kirigakure's, he was a shark on his own, a cold, ruthless Assassin Ninja.
That thought of puppets drew an irony clad grunt out of him. Who was he fooling here? He was no better himself, controlling and manipulating an innocent teenage girl who thought the world of him. Weaponizing her mere existence and raising her to be a tool that would serve him till its use was no longer of significance to which he would discard her. Perhaps he truly was evil, something that he had never thought himself to be despite his more than savoury associations and record. Was he now no better than Yagura then? He had a reputation, after all being labelled a demon had to amount to something but Zabuza himself was somewhat confused by his personality despite the transparency of it. In the end, he scoffed his thoughts away, he was Zabuza Momochi and he had a rematch to settle with Kakashi. He would figure himself out later.
He was also surprised to hear that one of Gatou's warehouse was attacked, all of the guards and thugs on patrol killed with the mark and precision of an assassin. Apparently Gatou suspected the copy ninja as he was the only one capable of the feat after his defeat of Zabuza but Zabuza was a Shinobi who knew how Ninja operated, and so he knew the man couldn't be responsible. This person seemed to be after Gatou and also Kakashi had his mission orders to follow and couldn't leave the old bridge builder's side as that wasn't within his mission parameters.
This just meant someone else was lurking at large in Nami. He just hoped that Haku would take care of it before it slowly morphed into something ugly.
(Tazuna's house)
A man with spiky, gravity defying silver hair, clad in Konohagakure's Jonin attire and with a bored look about him sat perched lazily on a stool within the kitchen of a moderate house. A ravenhead woman hummed happily as she shuffled with dishes and pots a few metres away from the man, obviously preparing something to eat. Kakashi was trying very hard to engross himself in his book but it was very difficult to do so what with all that had happened so far. The next battle with Zabuza was slowly edging closer and he wasn't sure all his Genin were adequately prepared enough, bar perhaps Sai who was around high Chuunin due to his circumstances as the only remaining member of Danzo's ROOT who had been left in Konoha. The boy's seal had disappeared which had drew them to the conclusion that Danzo was dead, possibly killed by Naruto or Uzumaki Higure.
The runaway blond was another constant within Kakashi's mind, in fact he was all the man could think about save for his teammates and Sensei. The legendary Jounin always put his efforts into hoping that the blond was safe, but hoping could only go so far. Naruto had been gone for four years now, and had more than once ran into trouble. Kakashi was just afraid of what the boy might become should something bad along the line happen to pave him down the wrong direction.
"Kakashi!" the sudden voice hauled him out of his sea of thoughts and he looked over his book to see Sasuke and sakura standing before him, looking obviously shaken, not physically but emotionally.
"Hmmm?" Kakashi made a questioning hum as he observed both of them before returning to his book.
"Do you think it's possible that Zabuza may bring reinforcements?" Sasuke said while he stared at the man with an irritated glare at how he just seemed to pretend as if they weren't there.
The man sighed as he closed his book to regard his two students, his third student Sai was out on bodyguard duty today for the bridge builder, and so it was only him and these two. "It's highly unlikely. One thing I know about a guy like Zabuza is that pride matters more to him than his life. So I doubt he would do that, the last battle wounded his pride a lot. He wants to defeat me himself." he said before looking at the Uchiha who still looked grim and tense "Why do you ask anyway, did something happen?"
It was Sakura who answered "We met this strange guy, maybe around mine and Sasuke-kun's age or older. There was something disturbing about him Sensei" she said, shivering as she recalled the look in Naruto's eyes.
"How so?" Kakashi asked, becoming curious even though his mind was telling him it had to be nothing serious. However his rational side and his heart told him that if it was enough to trouble and ruffle Sasuke's uncaring demeanour then it had to be something.
"He just gave off this aura about him. It's even more terrifying than Zabuza's…" she said again and a look of contemplation entered Kakashi's eyes.
"What did he look like?" the silver-haired man queried while he rubbed at his nose, his single visible eye examining his students expectantly.
It was strangely Sasuke who had remained quiet after his initial speech who moved to answer "It was very hard to discern because he had his face covered with a red scarf and his hair also hung over his eyes. From what we were able to gather is that he has long spiky blond hair, strange purple eyes with multiple circular rings in them, almost like some sort of Doujutsu." Kakashi supressed a flinch of surprise at that, making Sasuke's eyes narrow but he put it off for the sake of continuing "He stood around 5. feet, 8 inch tall but the thing that struck me about him is how familiar he felt. It also seemed as if he didn't want us to see his face" he finished with narrowed eyes, his eyes staring accusingly at the Jounin.
"Thank you for telling me this Sasuke, Sakura." the man said with voice serious tone as he struggled to his feet with his single crutch, an air of urgency about him and a clearly hopeful look in his eyes.
Sasuke however wasn't pleased as he stood before the man, his eyes obviously demanding answers. "What are you hiding from us? Who is this guy?"
Kakashi gave the Uchiha a stern glare "Let it go Sasuke, it doesn't concern you. When I feel you're ready to know, I'll tell you I will" he said sternly, making the Genin grit his teeth in anger before he grunted in understanding that whatever it was, it was a matter that Genin couldn't know of.
Kakashi exited the house as he walked with his crutch creating soft thumps against the ground. He disappeared into the woods before stopping near a secluded clearing. He looked around to ensure that he wasn't being followed before he ran through a set of handseals "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
A puff of smoke later, a small brown Ninken stood before the man with a lazy look about its eyes "Pakkun, I have an urgent mission for you"
"What is it?" the small brown-furred canine summon asked at seeing the look of great urgency on Kakashi's face. The summon also noticed the slight hopeful glint within the man's lone eye, something which perplexed it greatly but which it could question later.
"Go to Hokage-sama right now and tell him this…" he began and the dog summon held its breath as it waited for its orders.
Kakashi's eye seemed to glow as he said his next words. He knew that from the description it had to be him. The fact that Sasuke, who ignored everybody, somehow felt that this person was familiar had to only mean one thing… "We have found Naruto!"
Sarutobi was calmly reclining behind his desk, shuffling through a pile of paperwork and Genin entry forms from various villages for the Chuunin exams to be held in Konoha. The stacks of paperwork were staggering and the old Kage kept chanting an 'I simply can't get a break can I?' mantra in thought repeatedly in his head as he stamped and signed form after form. Not only that, but team Kakashi had ran into some trouble on their mission to Nami no Kuni and he had to dish out another mission to a team of ANBU to collect two captured Chuunin from Kirigakure after Kakashi sent a message letting him know of the events and of the enemy duo's capture and location.
His problems only seemed to mount and with the exams edging closer, he had this unnerving feeling that something bad was going to happen. He just hoped that Jiraiya would've found Naruto by then because without him, the village was simply open for invasion. His mere presence alone would be enough to dissuade other countries from trying anything and that was why they had to find him. It was not just about Konoha, but also to protect him. Dangerous people were lurking out there and Naruto had to be in Konoha, where he would be safe.
A puff of smoke alerted him to a new presence and he directed his line of vision toward his window to see one of Kakashi's ninken standing on it. He felt a short wave of fear wash over him, fearing the death of one of team 7's members and the possibility of a failed mission.
The small canine made its way down the large window sill, before stopping before the aged Hokage with a sort of serious atmosphere about it.
"How may I help you Pakkun"
"I have a message from Kakashi, a very important message." It said seriously.
Sarutobi reached for his pipe, slowly igniting the contents within it before taking a long drag of the contents and letting it all out in a relaxing sigh. He nodded his head in a beckoning sign for the summon to tell whatever it was that it was sent for, terribly hoping it wouldn't be something which would have him drowning deep in more stress.
The small brown canine nodded at seeing the Hokage composed enough to receive the news. "He told me to tell you, he's found him." He said to which he saw the aged lines on the man's visage threaten to disappear.
Sarutobi didn't need to be told twice as he closed his eyes and looked at the canine summon "Is he certain that it is Naruto?" he asked still feeling and fearing uncertainty and a false alarm.
"Hai, he is in Nami no Kuni. Kakashi will be waiting for the team there."
"Alright then, I will send three ANBU squads led by Tenzou there. Tell Kakashi to wait for them at a designated spot and scope the area for him, they will arrive in two days to begin the search."
With a sharp nod and acknowledging grunt Pakkun dispersed in a cloud of smoke.
Sarutobi felt hope slowly crawling into his heart as he ruthlessly began stamping at documents. Just maybe, maybe this time they would finally bring Naruto back.
Naruto closed the door to the Inn where he was staying as he exited. He was wearing his usual attire and his scarf was covering his face as always as he walked down the street. It was a beautiful morning, the sun was smiling down on him in bright rays and Naruto was soaking it up with contentment on his face.
As he walked he felt a very familiar and well-hidden Chakra signature trailing behind him, hiding somewhere in the bushes. The person's level of stealth was nothing to scoff at, ANBU level if Naruto's sensory skills were up to par as he thought they were. Naruto smiled as he determined the identity of the presence stalking him, their Chakra was a give-away, two natures, wind and water, there was only one person he knew of that had those characteristics.
He changed directions, walking into the lush forest with a sedate pace. The person's Chakra disappeared as Naruto disappeared into the forest and he sighed.
After walking for a few more minutes he found himself on a wide clearing with soft green grass. He plopped himself to the ground and looked up.
"You can come out now" Naruto said abruptly.
When his statement was met with stark silence he sighed "I won't hurt you Haku" he repressed a smile when he felt the presence's Chakra flare up violently.
A few scant seconds later, Haku emerged from her hiding place. She was clad in a dark brown pinstriped outfit which went to her knees and over it she wore a Haori which seemed like a mixture of blue and green tied with a long brown sash at the waist that tailed her back. She was also wearing a hunter-nin mask with small horizontal, curved slits for eye-holes and red flame like designs around the mouth. Startling enough but also serving as a measure of confirmation was the Kiri symbol etched to the hunter mask. Noticeably also to Naruto was her long hair, which was made into a bun, with two long locks of hair that framed her face and was bound with metal folds around it. At her feet, she wore light brown, high sandals with green-bluish straps.
From how she was dressed Naruto surmised it was to portray herself as a male, which somehow confused him.
Naruto's face held a repose expression on it but from the way his face was lightly stretched Haku assumed that he was smiling behind his scarf as she walked toward him. Naruto just kept the smile behind his mask even at the sight of the hidden Senbon needle under Haku's sleeve.
"Take a seat…" he motioned to the ground and watched as she did so ever so hesitantly. She lowered herself into a sitting position, which after she did so she stared at Naruto emotionlessly with her mask still on. "So, nice day huh" Naruto said casually.
Haku raised an eyebrow at the casual manner with which the blond spoke and what he spoke about. It was the last thing she was expecting him to say. She still kept her guard up though, for all she knew he could be egging her on with his friendliness to make her drop her guard. "Yes…" she responded tensely.
Naruto stared her up, his gaze lingering on her mask scrutinizingly and making her raise her hand to take it off. Naruto raised his own hand to stop her and immediately when he touched her arm, Haku reacted, unpredictably. With quick reflexes Naruto found himself pinned to the ground with Haku straddling him and a cold Senbon pressed to his neck and digging into his skin a little while Haku's remaining hand was holding him by his neck.
Her eyes had turned cold and she was glaring dangerously down at him. "Who are you? Who sent you and what are your intentions with me" she fired rapid questions up at him with a cold tone.
Naruto looked up at her, both of them still not quite registering the embarrassing position they were in due to how tense the air was. "I-I…have…none…" he heaved, his sentence coming out broken and barely hard to decipher with how hard she was choking him. She loosened her tight grip by a little margin to allow him to speak "I...I just simply want to get to know you." That response surprised Haku but she kept her Senbon pressed to Naruto's neck and maintained her firm grip on his neck.
'For what reason? What are you after?' she thought with utter confusion, but against her better judgement she didn't ask. The blond seemed sincere in his answers "If you are lying to me I will kill you right now." she said coldly, her icy tone proving how serious she was.
Naruto groaned in an effort to answer "If I ever meant to harm you I would've done so already, look under your chest" Haku did as he asked and shifted her eyes to her chest only for them to widen at the sight of a pointed mechanical arm holding a black blade to her stomach.
A short silence washed over the two as they stayed in the same position and Haku was surprised to hear feel the light pressure on her chest disappear and an odd look appear in Naruto's eyes as he turned his head away from her, gazing into the distance. She didn't know why but he seemed embarrassed for some reason.
"I know how it feels like" she gazed up at him confusedly ", to hide under a mask" he said softly, his statement making Haku's eyes widen before she narrowed them.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked with her eyes narrowed down at the blond oddly.
"Your eyes…" he said with a low tone as he returned his gaze to meet hers. "Eyes that show a hollow past, filled with loneliness and sadness." Haku looked at Naruto's face, being unable to detect any traces of lying or deception from him as she did so.
Haku's brown bangs fell over her face, casting a shadow over her eyes as it did so. Without speaking she withdrew the Senbon from Naruto's neck and stood up with an unrecognizable look in her eyes. "I don't know what you are talking about Naruto-san." she whispered slowly and quietly as she stowed away her Senbon needle.
The wind blew between the two, causing leaves to fly around them as Naruto stood up.
"Yes you do." He said somewhat strongly, drawing surprised look out of her again "You wear that mask to hide those eyes, to hide your loneliness, the pain and the rejection from the world. I can see it." He proclaimed boldly with a hypnotizing seriousness about him that surprised Haku and also made her resolve falter.
"What exactly do you want from me?" she asked coldly with her voice threatening to break up and frustration slowly building on her masked face.
She was surprised when she saw him gain a forlornly look in his eyes as he stared up into the skies. His hands went to his long scarf as he pulled it down, much to her concealed surprise before returning his eyes to hers with a determined look in them. "To be your friend" Naruto said warmly as he offered her his hand, a bright, warm smile spreading over on his face, one which he hadn't given in years.
To be continued…
Translations
Hirumaru - Money Leech (I came up with it myself, I'm bad huh. Not sure that's only what it means though)
This chapter was longer, 21 000+ words longer but I felt it would be better to cut it off right here and then turn it into two chapters. I don't like overly long chapters and they get tiring and monotonous even if they are good and I felt this one would be the same. I hope you understand…
Well, that's it; earnestly hope you enjoyed it (despite the lack of action) and that you will review.
Some of you have told me that there's honestly no problem at all with my writing and I am glad to hear that, but I still get that nagging feeling that it isn't good enough. I don't know if maybe I'm just being insecure and self-deprecating myself but well, I'm just that person. I'm never satisfied with everything I do and I often undervalue my work but the important thing is I do try.
I don't know when the next update will be (after I post the continuation of this chapter) cause my mind has a mind of its own (*ha that's funny*) and I could wake up in the middle of the night and start typing away furiously but don't check back until after two weeks, unless it's only to PM me or whatever. Also I have noticed that quite a high number of you check out my profile every day and I will try to put something of noteworthy there I hope, specifically tips.
Nonetheless, if you are dissatisfied with this chapter PM me and as I always say, "I respond lightning fast". If there is a similar issue raised by several people, I will answer it at the beginning of my next chapter to avoid having to type out the same message to everyone.
Anyway, please try out my other stories, and watch out for my next new one. I assure you it's going to be blast. My first crossover was published just less than 2 weeks ago and so far it has received startling praise and a horde of reviews and favs/follows, which make me wonder about the fans of this story and their love.
The immortal out…
