Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.
Chapter 12 - Clear Waters
"Yo," Kotero said looking at the blooded faces of Kakashi, Zabuza and Haku. "It's nice to see a friend after a few months, isn't that right, Kakashi."
Kakashi was bewildered by the turn of the events. "Why are you here?" he asked. It was the first question that popped into his mind.
Kotero smirked at the question. "Mission is complete. I was on my way back to Konoha, but I needed to do something for someone," he said vaguely. Kotero then eyed up Zabuza and Haku. Both were in shit condition, it was clear that this was a bloody encounter.
"Who the hell are you?" Zabuza asked gruffly, unfamiliar with the redhead.
Kotero just smiled. "Uzumaki Kotero. The Crimson Leaf," he said. "Pleased to meet you, Momochi Zabuza."
Zabuza's face turned to one of shock.
"Kakashi jump back a bit. I need to talk to these two," Kotero ordered.
"Kotero, he's dangerous. be careful," Kakashi told him before obliging to jump back.
Kotero smiled and looked back at the duo, he saw some blood coming from Haku's chest. "Shit… Some of Kakashi's jutsu got to you. How you feeling? Can you wait for treatment?" Kotero asked with a polite voice.
Haku just nodded a yes.
"Now… Zabuza-san. Stand down," Kotero demanded.
Zabuza chuckled lightly. "You think you can just order me around?" he said as he gripped his sword and swung at Kotero.
Kotero reacted by drawing out his sword and blocking the much longer and thicker sword in its path. "Now, now Zabuza. Don't think you can kill me that easily. Anyway, I have important business with you. How would you like to go back to your village?" he asked with a smile.
Naruto looked up to see the gathering of people. "Kotero-nii… he's really there," Naruto under his breath, he couldn't believe his eyes. He then saw Kotero holding up Zabuza's blade with his own sword. "That bastard!" he said loud enough for Kotero and Kakashi to notice his position.
"Naruto! You stay there and watch," Kakashi ordered.
Sakura hears the voices of her team. "Naruto? Naruto! You're okay! Where's Sasuke-kun? Where's Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked loudly to Naruto.
Naruto bit his lower lip, remembering his shortcomings in protecting his teammate. Sakura then saw the lying body of Sasuke beyond Naruto.
"Sakura," Kakashi said glumly.
"I'll go with you. That way, you won't break your Sensei's orders," Tazuna offered.
"Okay…" Sakura said as she shakily gripped Tazuna's bigger hand and ran towards where Sasuke was. They passed Naruto.
"Sasuke…" Naruto gritted out sadly.
The others became quiet to let the girl have her moment. It was obvious she needed this. Kakashi couldn't move his body to go help her, he was paralysed from his own demons.
Kotero watched as the girl walked to the limp body of Sasuke. Something felt odd, but he didn't want to cause a scene. This was also not what he wanted at all. The three young ninja were supposed to be great friends already, but now one is dead.
Sakura stood beside the body of Sasuke, his body covered with Senbon needles and scratches. His face having no emotion. Blood that leaked from his mouth was drying up.
Tazuna grinded his teeth and looked at the young girl beside him. Sakura's face was going through hundreds of emotions, worry, grief, sadness, frustration and many more. She knelt and put her hand on Sasuke's face.
"He's cold… this isn't an illusion… right?" she told herself in a shaky voice.
"You don't have to hold back just because I'm here," Tazuna told Sakura. "You should cry at a time like this."
"I always got a hundred percent on the tests at the ninja academy. I know the one hundred rules that a ninja should follow and always wrote the answers proudly. One day this problem came up… 'Answer the twenty-fifth clause of the Ninja rules.' And I wrote down the answer as usual. 'A ninja must not show any emotion in any situation. A ninja must put the mission first and have a heart that will allow him not to cry.' Sasuke-kun…," Sakura struggled to say as she stroked Sasuke's hair and then broke down in tears and laid on his chest.
"T-This is what a ninja is… this is too cruel," Tazuna said with heavy eyes.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried out as she broke into more tears and wept more and more, getting louder and louder.
"Now she finally realises that the ninja world is full of death and deceit," Kotero said grimly, watching the scene. He sighs and turns his head.
"Now Zabuza and… company. You can return to your village. You'll just have to wait for some people," Kotero said as he sheathed his sword.
Zabuza mirrored the actions. "Why should I take you for your word? Like you said there, the ninja world is full of deceit. You could kill me if I have my back turned," Zabuza said, having a critical eye on Kotero.
Kotero was about to speak up until he heard a heavy footstep. Everyone else heard it too apart from Sakura who was still mourning the loss of Sasuke. "Oh… Looks like you got beaten pretty badly. I'm disappointed, Zabuza," A short ugly man with a cane said, he had a cast over his left arm. He was in front of a small army comprised of bandits.
Kotero squinted his eyes. "Who the hell is that?" he asked quietly.
"Gatō, why are you here?" Zabuza asked, looking at the short man. The mist cleared up revealing how large the group was behind Gatō. "And what's with those subordinates?"
"Hehe, we had a little change in plans. I'm sorry Zabuza, but you're going to die here," Gatō said with a large evil grin.
Every ninja's eyes widened slightly. "What?" Zabuza gasped.
Gatō chuckled. "If I rented an official ninja, it would cost a lot of money. So, I rented an exiled ninja like yourself. If you ninja killed each other, it would have saved me trouble and money. And you call yourself the Demon of the Hidden Mist? You're just a cute little fairy if you ask me," Gatō said with confidence, all his subordinates behind him laughed at the bad joke.
"Kakashi… the battle ends here. Since I don't have a reason to kill Tazuna, I lost the reason to fight you," Zabuza said.
Kakashi relaxed and covered his sharingan. "I know," Kakashi replied.
Gatō walked up slightly with a snarl plastered on his face. "You!" he pointed at Haku, "I want your head you little shit. Breaking my precious arm. It will be the worst mistake of your life," he shouted out in anger.
The men roared and started to run down the bridge, weapons in hand. Spears and swords up in the air. They were ready for battle.
"This doesn't look good," Kakashi stated.
Kotero moved forward until he was beside Naruto. "No it doesn't but… we don't need to worry. Naruto and I are here," he said with a cheery voice. Gatō's men were closing down on them.
"Wait!" Zabuza said moving between Naruto and Kotero. Both looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Gatō betrayed me. I want his head," he stated with anger in his eyes.
Kotero looked at him for one second. "Go ahead. I'd say go through the crowd and take him out. You're tired though. I need you alive or else my balls will get melted."
Zabuza stood there for a mere moment after he heard the strange words. He quickly nodded and ran towards the bandit army.
"Do you think you can take us all by yourself?" A bandit smugly said before getting slashed by Zabuza's sword, his top half of his body nearly sliced in half.
Zabuza skipped through most of the crowd, killing those who only got in his way. Gatō was at the very edge of the bridge, seeing that Zabuza was there, he was scared for his life and was about to jump onto the boat that was docked beside the bridge. He already had his arm broken, he felt that breaking another limb was fine as long as he lived.
"Where do you think you're going… BOSS?" Zabuza said with a scary voice, the cloths covering his face were ripped so his jagged teeth were showing their whole mark. In Gatō's eyes, he swore he saw the image of a bull demon in Zabuza.
Zabuza swung his large sword and cleaved Gatō's head right off his body. The head flew off the bridge and it landed on the boat.
The men were now spooked that the man's head flew off. Zabuza, using his speed, dashed his way back to Kakashi, Kotero and Naruto.
"Shit Zabuza… I can see why they call you the Demon of the Hidden Mist. Stuff you do can scare anybody," Kotero said while amused.
Zabuza struggled to laugh at the comment. His and Kakashi's fight made him fatigued.
"Oi, oi!" a bandit said, banging the bottom of his spear on the ground. "You guys are feeling too safe," he yelled at them.
"Damn ninja, you killed our source of money!" another bandit shouted.
"Oh no! Now we must attack the town and steal all the valuables," the new leader of the bandit gang said. The group cheered and wooed.
"Let's go," the bandit leader said, as he and the small army ran down the bridge once again. A shine in the light made them all stop. A cross-bow bolt landed in the bridge, one of the bandits would have died if they didn't stop.
Everyone looked behind and saw Inari, Tsunami and the rest of the town, all armed with makeshift weapons and using construction site gear as armour.
"Anyone who gets any closer to this island will die facing the force of this nation!" one of the townspeople said loudly. The rest of the townspeople raised their pic-axes, shovels and forks and cheered, rallying with a united voice.
Kotero looked at Naruto and smiled cheekily. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked Naruto. Naruto looked at his older brother, his eyes widened, and he got a cheeky smile.
"YES!"
Both Uzumaki brothers made the cross-hand seal. 'Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu,' both thought. Hundreds of Narutos and Koteros appeared in front of the Bandit crowd.
"What you going to do now?" all the Narutos taunted at the same time, all with a smug smirk.
The bandits freaked out and jumped off the bridge, only a few got to go down the rope ladder to the boat.
The townspeople cheered as the rein of Gatō has ended and their country wasn't in his grip anymore. All the clones dispersed. "Naruto. Good work. I'll talk to you tonight. Meet me in the centre of town at ten o'clock," Kotero said.
He then walked over to Zabuza and Haku. "Why don't we go somewhere private. Things are too crowded here," Kotero said. He touched the shoulders of both. They all body-flickered away from the bridge.
Naruto's expression turned into a depressing one, even though the mission was a great success, he only saw his older brother for less than five minutes.
'Did I die?'
"Sasuke-kun," a feminine whimper was heard.
'Sakura? I… I'm,' Sasuke thought moving his head slightly up. "Sakura… you're really heavy," he groaned out.
"Sasuke-kun? Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled to the stars as she hugged Sasuke tightly.
"Sakura… that really hurts," Sasuke complained, still in terrible pain.
Tazuna sniffled and wiped his nose. 'You must be happy, Sakura,' he thought with joy.
"Don't stand up," Sakura told Sasuke.
"Where's Naruto? And what happened to that masked guy?" Sasuke asked.
"Naruto's fine. And that masked guy… I don't know," Sakura answered.
"Did Naruto kill him?" Sasuke asked, the first conclusion that came into his mind.
"No… At least I don't think so. You have to ask Naruto or Kakashi-sensei. I believed in you. You must have dodged the serious attacks to avoid serious damage," Sakura squealed happily.
'He must have done it on purpose from the beginning,' Sasuke thought depressingly.
"Naruto!" Sakura shouted out, getting the attention of Naruto and Kakashi. "Sasuke-kun is okay. He's alive!" She yelled happily at the top of her lungs.
Naruto looked at the standing but limp body of Sasuke. Sasuke put his left hand up to show that he was okay. Naruto smiled with joy and gave him a hearty thumbs up.
Coast
"Zabuza. Give me some space. I want to heal your friend," Kotero said at the side of a hill, the three ninja were covered by trees.
Zabuza just huffed and went off in the distance.
Kotero sighed and looked at Haku with kind eyes. "I believe you haven't given me your name," he said with a small smile.
"Your Naruto-kun's older brother!" Haku said, still not giving a name.
Kotero just smiled and nodded. "Sure am. How you know… I don't know. But you must have made a big impression on him if he was talking about me," he told Haku.
"Why?" she asked.
"Ah, it's just that Naruto had a very, very tough life when he was growing up, until I came along. I say he is greedy, he wants me all to himself," Kotero said.
Haku giggled. "Haku… Yuki Haku," she said looking at Kotero.
Kotero raised an eye-brow. A small smile forms on his lips. "You mean the Yuki clan that were meant to be extinct? Wow, it's great that there's a survivor. Now Haku, I'm going to heal those electrical burns that Kakashi gave you. If I didn't stop him in that millisecond, you would have died. Yes, he's that good! Now, it'll only take a second," Kotero said as he used some chakra to form one chakra scalpel and he cut part of Haku's top off.
Kotero pulled back, tilted his head and looked at Haku's chest. Something was clearly wrong. It then hit Kotero like a ton of bricks.
"Oh… you're a girl. Shit, you have your chest bindings wrapped so tightly, that's not good for your breast tissue Haku. Are you masquerading as a boy, or is this your usual outfit?" he said with some disgust. He clearly did not like the outfit.
Haku had some embarrassment shown on her face. "I pretended to be a boy because…" she said was cut off by Kotero.
"Don't worry. I completely understand. Some men… even women, use the others without their consent. Not going to lie, it happens less to men. You're a smart kid though. Too bad your face is too feminine to really pull it off," Kotero pointed out as he started to flow medical chakra onto Haku's wounds that were over her now free chest, only covered by loose bandages.
The wounds were healing quickly. "What did you think of my little brother? Handsome, right?" Kotero teased as he wrapped a bandage over the now healed wound.
Haku had a pink tint on her cheeks. "Yes," she said quietly.
Kotero laughed. "That's good. The girls in Konoha don't know what they're missing, they should snatch him up as soon as possible. Handsome, strong, kind, funny and he possesses one of the strongest wills I have ever seen. He's a one-in-a-million kid who will change the world. I know it," Kotero said confidence.
Haku was listening intently and could see the happiness from the redhead's body language and face to see that he truly loved Naruto.
"Zabuza! Come back here! Haku is healed up," Kotero shouted.
Zabuza came back from the woods.
"Took you long enough… Now, what is it that you need to talk to us for?" Zabuza asked. His aura has changed, it wasn't hostile anymore.
Kotero clapped his hands, leaned forward and smiled. "By the orders of the Godaime Mizukage. You two are welcomed back to Kirigakure. Zabuza, the Mizukage wants you to come back. The ninja population over there needs strong ninja like yourself," he said. Kotero took out a scroll with the kanji of Water on it and gave it to Zabuza.
"Who is the new Mizukage?" Zabuza asked before taking the scroll.
"You know the person quite well. Terumī Mei," Kotero droned out. His experience with the woman was a bothersome one. He shivered from the scary yet delightful memories of the woman.
Zabuza was shocked and he opened the scroll to read it. It was legitimate. "So, the bloodshed has ended. The Yondaime Mizukage died," Zabuza said with… happiness in his voice. "I never that Mei would have taken the mantle."
Kotero nodded a yes to answer the question.
"But Zabuza-san, wasn't it your dream to become Mizukage?" Haku asked.
Zabuza nodded, "It was. I wanted the pointless killing to end. I wanted to stop killing my comrades. In the past it was fun. Lot's of fun. But I wanted to change that a few years ago. Now I don't need to. What happens next?" Zabuza asked.
Kotero looked at the swordsman. "You have to meet your old comrade Ao tonight or tomorrow morning. Location should be on the scroll," Kotero said.
"Zabuza-san, what is your dream now?" Haku asked.
"I don't have one right now Haku. I'll have to wait. Maybe I won't need one," Zabuza answered Haku.
Kotero smiled and closed his eyes. "You should take care of Haku, she's a good kid," he said as he turned around and walked away.
"Mei said she'll come down to Konoha's upcoming Chūnin exams. She wants to make an alliance and set up a trade deal with Konoha and the Land of Fire. It would be nice if you two came down with her. Especially you Haku, Naruto already considers you a friend," Kotero said as he vanished, leaving the duo behind.
"That guy is the blond kid's big brother? I can see it now," Zabuza said with amusement.
'I'll see you soon then Naruto-kun,' Haku thought with a smile.
Tazuna's House
Hours later that day, Team seven, Tazuna and his family returned to Tazuna's house. Once they got onto the wooden docks they discovered the dead bodies of Gatō's men.
"What happened?" Sakura asked, looking horrified from the corpses.
Kakashi moved forward and inspected the bodies, seeing their cause of death. "Clean stabs in each. One stab wound each, both in vital spots. This was done by a trained ninja," Kakashi stated.
Tazuna, Sakura and Sasuke were a little surprised from the piece of news. "So, is there another ninja around Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked worryingly.
Naruto moved forward and stood beside Kakashi. "I did this," Naruto said.
Kakashi looked at Naruto. He then patted Naruto's shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it Naruto? The first time is always the hardest," Kakashi said with a caring voice.
Naruto shook his head side-to-side. "No. They were going to kill Inari use Tsunami-chan as a hostage then use her afterwards. I had to do it," Naruto said.
"Yes," Kakashi told Naruto. "Yes, you did. And you saved two lives Naruto. I'm proud of you."
Sakura and Sasuke were shocked that their teammate, Naruto, had killed two people. However, both were exhausted from the day, so they had no overdramatic reaction. "I'll clean this up. You guys go inside. Naruto take a shower, you're still covered in blood," Kakashi ordered.
The group silently followed the orders, and everyone went inside the house and left Kakashi to do the nasty business of getting rid of the bodies. Naruto went to the bathroom after getting a fresh set of clothes. He locked the door and turned on the shower to hot.
The water showered into the bath tub unit while Naruto undressed. Steam was rising, a fully naked Naruto entered the shower and closed the shower curtain. Naruto saw the dried blood and fecal matter from his infiltration and fights slide off his short body.
Naruto sighed and put his hands on the wall, this whole mission has been very stressful for the young Uzumaki. Naruto only stayed in the shower for less than ten minutes, he didn't want to waste water for the others. The putrid smell that he carried since morning has vanished.
Naruto turned off the water and jumped out. He dried himself thoroughly with the warm towel resting on the nearby radiator. His body was now crisp. Naruto went to the mirror that hanged over the sink. He looked at his face. It was tired from the exhausting day, having never experienced so much bloodshed in his life. It was an essential experience for a ninja, yet a horrible one.
Naruto yawned and dressed himself in his fresh clothes, it was the same outfit as before. Wrapping the bandages on his lower legs, tightly around the calves. Naruto put on his black shinobi sandals and left the bathroom with his dirty clothes in hand.
Naruto felt the temperature difference as he left the room. Goosebumps came all over his body. Naruto shivered and entered his bedroom. He took out a storage scroll and put away his dirty clothes. He would wait till he got home to Konoha to properly clean them, to save Tsunami the trouble.
Naruto stretched his body and left the bedroom. He went down the stairs to find the tired bodies of the remaining Team seven, Tazuna, Tsunami and Inari around the kitchen table. "What time is it?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi perked up when he heard Naruto's voice. "It's eight o'clock Naruto. Tsunami-san is making dinner for us," Kakashi told him.
Naruto nodded in thanks and took his place beside Kakashi and Sakura. He couldn't help but not notice Sasuke and Inari staring at him. "Is there something wrong?" Naruto asked, not in the best moods at that moment.
Sasuke looked at him for another three seconds before resting his forehead on his arms. Inari had stars in his eyes when he was looking at Naruto.
"One of you two should have a shower now," Kakashi said, reading his Icha-Icha book.
Sasuke nodded and left the rest and went upstairs. Naruto put his head into his arms while they rested on the table. However, he couldn't help but feel a pair of eyes were looking at him still. He looked up and saw Sakura was now looking at him. "You ok Sakura?" Naruto asked with a yawn.
Sakura played with her fingers before she found her voice. "Did you really kill those two?" she asked, she found it hard to believe her teammate actually took a life.
Naruto could understand where her question originated from, he found it hard to believe how often a ninja had to kill someone. "Yes," Naruto admitted.
Sakura was taken back by the seriousness that followed Naruto's calm answer. "How did it feel?" she asked, being someone who hasn't killed someone herself.
Naruto had to ponder on the question. Kakashi also listened in, seeing if Naruto needed some comfort. "I haven't thought to much about it really. It didn't feel too weird honestly," Naruto said.
He closed his eyes. "My body moved by itself by instinct and it just happened. It was over in less than five seconds," Naruto told her.
Sakura kept silent and left Naruto alone. She didn't want to poke the bear with her questions.
Minutes later, after the team all cleaned up, dinner was ready.
Tsunami served up a feast of food, using most of her pantry for her tired guests, despite the shortage of food, she felt it was necessary to feed them buckets of food. Naruto dug into his food, losing himself in the meal in front of him. He was starving.
Naruto and the company ate in silence. They enjoyed their meal, but they were so tired that conversation seemed too much of a task at the moment.
The feast was cleared, and Naruto was full. A small smile crept on his face. Naruto yawned after he ate so much. "I'm going for a walk," Naruto said. He got up from his chair and went to the door.
"Naruto, be careful, danger might still be lurking around," Kakashi warned.
Naruto nodded and opened the door. Leaving the house and closing the door behind him, he looked out to the view in front of him. It was a dark night however there were no clouds in the sky. Naruto looked up, his vision was littered with the white dots that were the stars. He couldn't help but feel slightly insignificant at that moment.
Thinking about all the things happening all around the world and everything happening outside the world. Naruto looked at the moon which was high up, it had a crescent shape, indicating it was the first quarter of the month. Naruto was memorized by the moon's shape. He never knew why but he always liked the moon however he felt that it didn't fit him right. As in it couldn't represent him in any way.
Naruto thought it could be the fact that Kotero always called him his little ball of sunshine. Naruto shook his head and walked towards the town where he was going to meet Kotero.
'I can't be thinking like that at a time like this,' he thought while putting his hands in his pockets, keeping them warm from the chilly night.
Naruto walked at a steady pace, keeping his breathing under smooth control. Taking in all the nature around him. Naruto saw the district lights ahead of him and sighed contently. Another five minutes he entered the large town that was essentially the Capital of the Land of Waves. He went through the streets, the people were cheering and were partying, alcohol and food was being dished out at rapid rates from the bars and homes around the town.
The locals saw Naruto's forehead protector and knew he was one of the ninja to help bring them hope and salvation. They all gathered around him, lifting him up in the air and cheering for his name. Somehow his deeds spread through the town like wildfire. The children he feed, preventing them from dying from malnourishment told the whole public who saved them and what he looked like. The people connected the dots and were overjoyed when they saw the blond ninja, their hero appeared in front of them.
Naruto couldn't help but laugh at their actions, he felt like a hero. The townspeople finally put him down and had nothing but great things to say to Naruto. Naruto just replied with handshakes and hugs to the villagers who wanted to thank him personally with actions. Weary men, poor old women, sick and skinny children.
They all had one thing in common, a shine in their eyes to show their total joy and gratitude to Naruto. Naruto's face just smiled, the impact he put on these people lifted his heart and completely made him forget about his previous burdens. The kills he made only hours ago completely disappeared from his thoughts.
The townspeople let him through, they didn't want to make him annoyed and wanted to go back to partying. Naruto thanked them all for the space and trudged through the large crowds, receiving pats on the shoulder from the citizens around him.
The gratitude made him feel like a billion ryó, the only thing he wished now was that his own village would look at him at a similar light, even if it was only one percent of the positive attitude that he was receiving here.
Naruto made it to the centre of town. He looked around for any sign of his big brother. He desperately wanted to see him. "Excuse me?" a familiar voice came behind Naruto. "I'm looking for the Hero of the Wave. Do you know him? He's supposed to have blond hair, one of the most handsome men to walk the lands and is super powerful," the voice continued to say.
Naruto turned around to see Kotero with a proud smile plastered on his face. His eyes had joy deep within the purple. Naruto smirked and crossed his arms and looked up to Kotero's eyes. "Yeah I do. I'm him," Naruto said before losing control and jumping into his brother's arms.
Both brothers hugged each other fiercely. It's been too long for both.
Kotero put Naruto down and looked straight into his eyes. "Words cannot describe how proud I am to be your big brother," hesaid with a soft smile. "My brother is the Hero of the Wave. How cool is that!" his words showed his pride was oozing out of him.
Naruto blushed and scratched the back of his head, he closed his eyes and his lips formed a huge grin. "Yeah. Bet you're jealous huh?" Naruto said, his grin never fading.
Kotero laughed, laughed very hard. "Not one bit," he said.
Grabbing Naruto's shoulder, he body-flickered them to the outskirts of town and to the local beachfront. Kotero stopped and laid on the overgrown grass, he patted a spot beside him, indicating Naruto to do the same. Naruto followed suit and laid beside his older brother.
"You want to tell me what happened over your mission? I didn't expect you to have your first C-ranked mission so soon. Jiji trusted you would do well. I'm glad that you proved his trust was right," Kotero said looking up at the stars. The night was clear and calm, unlike the events that happened earlier today.
Naruto listened to his words carefully. "I complained after we caught the Daimyō's wife's cat. I couldn't do one more D-rank mission, so I complained and asked for a harder one. I'm glad I did," he chuckled out, also star-gazing.
Kotero laughed at Naruto's answer. 'That's so like you,' he thought while looking at Naruto.
"What happened after you left Konoha. You were never supposed to go against a ninja on the level of Momochi Zabuza. I told how dangerous he was. What happened?" Kotero asked, Naruto knew by the way he said it, it meant he wanted all the details.
Naruto sighed. "Tazuna-ossan lied in the mission request. Kakashi-sensei said this was an expensive B-rank mission after we encountered two missing nin from Kirigakure ttebayo. It turned to an A-rank when Zabuza came into it," he told his older brother.
Kotero hummed and nodded his head. "Did you fight them or did Kakashi?" he asked. His eyebrow was raised.
Naruto's face was neutral. "Sasuke and I did. Kakashi used a substitution, a log. He then hid in the bushes, watching the fight," Naruto said.
Kotero furrowed his eyebrows only slightly. "Really? He put the client and you three in danger. Why? Ah, that bastard. Making you fight to see who the real target was. I'm going to smack him silly when you guys return!" he said fiercely.
Naruto was shocked, "How did you know?" he asked with awe.
Kotero put on a thinking face. "I only thought of it because it would seem like something Kakashi would do. I worked with him enough to know how he thinks in those types of situations. He must have known the enemies were there beforehand. If it was an ambush that took him completely by surprise, he would protect all of you guys in a blink of an eye," he explained.
Naruto took in the information, he was still trying to figure out how Kakashi functioned himself. "There was a genjutsu. Kakashi and I noticed it. It was a dumb one as well. It didn't rain for ages but there was a deep blue puddle," he revealed.
Kotero smiled, his brother's skills have proven that he was a capable ninja. "So, how did you and Sasuke perform?" he asked.
Naruto smiled. "After they dealt with Sensei, they tried taking me down, but I kicked them in the air. Sasuke used a shuriken and a kunai to put their chain, which was connected to both of their wrists into a nearby tree. We dealt with them afterwards when Sensei came out of the woods," he explained a shortened version of the fight.
"What about Sakura?" Kotero asked with curiosity.
Naruto sighed. "She protected Tazuna-ossan," he replied briefly.
Kotero tapped on his chest. "So… Zabuza? You going to explain that one to me, yeah?" Kotero said looking at Naruto.
Naruto told Kotero what happened during their first encounter with the Kiri swordsman. How he battled with Kakashi and his team. The water prison jutsu and the other jutsu that were displayed in the fight. Naruto also mentioned Kakashi revealed his Sharingan and how he used it to trick and battle Zabuza. Naruto then told about how Zabuza "died" by the senbon needles thrown by Haku.
"Hm, seems like Kakashi is getting rusty with a Genin team under his wing. I'm glad you remembered some of our lessons. You guys could have died if you didn't point that out," Kotero stated.
Naruto grinned, he knew his brother would be impressed with that observation. "Too bad it only came after the fight ttebayo. If I said it during the fight. None of this would have happened," Naruto said.
Kotero's face scrunched up slightly. "It's for the best. If you pointed it out then, Zabuza would be dead. Gatō would have hired another rouge ninja by that time. Your familiarity with Zabuza and his partner Haku made the fight easier, and that bastard even said so himself he would have killed Zabuza afterwards to avoid payment. With your late deduction. One very evil man died, and two Kiri ninja returned to their own village," he explained.
"Nii-chan, why are you here anyway?" Naruto asked, it has been on his mind ever since he saw his older brother.
Kotero chuckled and sat up slightly. "I was asked by the Godaime Mizukage to give Momochi Zabuza a message. He was last sighted in the Land of Waves, so I came here. I was gathering information on his whereabouts. Until I felt the that chakra, the Kyūbi's chakra," he told Naruto.
Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "So, that's what happened. My mind went hazy after I thought Sasuke died," he admitted.
Kotero nodded. "Your intense emotions must have allowed the Kyūbi to flow more of his chakra into your system. I'm not surprised that he would do that. If I was stuck in your gut for twelve years, and in another's for more than a few decades, I would do anything to get out," Kotero admitted, shocking Naruto.
"You're not mad at me?" Naruto questioned.
Kotero looked at Naruto with a questioning look. "Mad? Why would I be mad? It's not like you knew what it even was. The only thing I'm worried about is your chakra coils and chakra pathways. A Bijū's chakra is denser, it can be volatile. I doubt there is any damage, but you are getting a check-up once you come home to Konoha," Kotero said.
Naruto groaned, he hated getting check-ups. "I killed two people," Naruto told his older brother, telling the story made him remember what transpired today.
Kotero stared into Naruto's eyes again. "Why? And how do you feel about?" he asked seriously.
Naruto gulped. "They were trying to kill Inari, Tazuna-ossan's grandson and take Tsunami-chan as a hostage. They were even talking about using her afterwards. I killed them to protect those two. I feel ok, is that normal? I thought I should be vomiting or something?" Naruto said.
Kotero nodded and a smile appeared on his face. "Everyone experiences death and the act of killing differently. As long as you don't go psycho with it and tell me or Kakashi if you have any problems, everything will be fine. I'm glad you protected those two. You made the right choice. Killing children, raping a woman. It's barbaric. I'm proud of you Naruto," Kotero said.
Naruto nodded solemnly. "You know what already happened on the bridge right? What happened to Zabuza and Haku-chan?" Naruto asked.
"Haku-chan? You knew she was a girl?" Kotero asked. He never expected Naruto to figure it out. Haku did hide her true identity, and she certainly fooled the majority.
Naruto had a shaky smile. "I met her when Kakashi-sensei was recovering. I did training in the night and fell asleep in the forest. I think she hesitated to kill me. It turned out she was getting herbs for Zabuza's burns," Naruto admitted while scratching the back of his head.
Kotero chuckled. "The stuff you get away with Naruto. She could have easily killed you. So, you found that scroll after I left huh? I'll see how much progress you made once we're home, but you still haven't answered how you knew she was a girl," Kotero pointed out with a sly grin.
Naruto's face turned red. "I grappled her and was about to arm-bar her, on instinct. I saw her face, she looked like a civilian, so I apologised and helped her back up. When I grappled her, her and I were on the ground. My knee was on her crotch and I didn't feel anything there," Naruto stuttered out. His embarrassment was growing each second.
Kotero just laughed at his little brother's innocence. "Naruto, you always seem to crack me up. She dressed up as a boy for obvious reasons. You're becoming a very observant ninja. Despite all that, she thinks you're handsome," Kotero teased.
Naruto became flustered. "No way! You're making that up," Naruto declared.
Kotero shook his head. "Nope. Asked her myself. I think she's fifteen or something as well Naruto. And she's quite the catch," he teased again, he added a sly wink to add to Naruto's torment.
"I don't believe it," Naruto said loudly.
"So, you think she's ugly Naruto?" Kotero asked.
Naruto's facial expressions went all over the place. "NO! It's just that I can't see her liking me in that way!" he tried to say convincingly.
"Oh ok. But I already arranged the marriage," Kotero said with seriousness in his voice.
Naruto's whole body went into shock. "WHAT!? Marriage, but I'm only twelve?" Naruto shouted in fear. 'I'm too young to be thinking of any of that!' he thought.
Kotero tilted his head to the right. "It's a political marriage between Konoha and Kirigakure. Jiji will do the ceremony!" Kotero said with excitement. Naruto's face paled and he started to breathe rapidly, almost hyperventilating.
Kotero bursted into a fit of laughter. Naruto watched his brother with a confused look on his face. Kotero calmed down and looked at Naruto with a soft smile. "I'm kidding. You are so easy to rile up Naruto," Kotero said, still laughing.
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. "Good! Now, tell me about your mission. Jiji barely told me anything while you were gone," he demanded, still not happy with the joke.
Kotero put himself in a more comfortable position. "I say you deserve to know more than anyone to be honest. I worked under Terumī Mei. She was a very… unique woman. Very flirty, but she is very strong. She is one of the strongest kunoichi I have had the pleasure of meeting so far. She's now the Godaime Mizukage.
This bracelet was given to me just before I left. She said it will show I'll always be a friend to the Mist… unless we go to war with them, then they'll try to kill me," Kotero explained with some hand gestures. He displayed a silver bracelet with the kanji of Water on it.
Naruto was listening intently. "So… you are friends with two Kage," he said bluntly.
The elder Uzumaki sighed and nodded his head. "Yes, essentially, I'm friends with two of some of the most powerful ninja in the world today," Kotero admitted while scratching his chin. "Lucky me, right?
Naruto went wide-eyed at the statement. "Wow… What was the action like?" Naruto asked, he knew he didn't talk to this Mei person for over two months.
Kotero sighed again. 'Action seems like the only thing Naruto and his friends are interested in when I talk about my missions,' he thought.
He rolled to his side to face Naruto fully. Naruto followed suit, rolling over so they face each other. "A lot of it was standard guerrilla warfare stuff. A lot of quick and small attacks at the same time stuff. But, I'll tell you of the last battle we faced. It was a massive battle, the ones you hear in the history books.
The whole rebel army versus the majority of the Yondaime Mizukage's forces just outside their hidden village's walls. It was gruesome, and many died. But the rebels won, and now peace is in the Land of Water," Kotero said.
Naruto wasn't satisfied with the answer. "I want the full version," Naruto demanded.
Kotero groaned. "Fine. But it'll take a while," Kotero said as he began to tell the tale of the huge battle, the fight of hope and internal peace for the mist.
~ A week earlier, The Land of Water's Rebirth ~
Few days prior, in the rebel's underground hideout.
Kotero was currently preparing himself for the next battle. Mei had announced how the missions done over the last year, especially the last two months since the Kotero joined their forces has damaged the Yondaime Mizukage's forces and infrastructure to so much of an extent that they were ready for a full-on battle.
Kotero was a bit nervous if he was completely honest, the numbers did not scale well in their favour. He would need to ask Ao for more details, being a former head of the hunter-nin department, he was the rebel army's best spy. Kotero put his pouches all around his hips and strapped his swords over his Jōnin flak jacket.
"The day to decide everything, has finally come," Kotero whispered under his breath.
Kotero left his room and closed the door behind him. He was told that he was needed to be at the mess hall for the mission briefing detailing on the final battle to come. He could sense all the chakra signatures ahead of him, it seemed that they were already gathered. Kotero walked through the deep earth corridors, closing in to the mess hall. He walked into the hall and everyone saw him.
Their faces lit up seeing the Uzumaki, he has been a godsend to their cause, helping them exponentially since his arrival. Kotero saw that they set up a wooden stage at the back, against the wall.
'It's more professional than jumping on the tables,' Kotero thought. Kotero saw that they were still setting up. He had questions, so he left the hall and went to the mission briefing room.
Kotero walked past some of the rebels, they saluted him as they went by him. They see him as Mei's Ace, an ultimate trump card. Kotero nodded in their direction as he went by. He was surprised when they started the formalities, he was just grateful they didn't call his name with "sama" at the end like they did with Mei and Ao.
Kotero continued on his path until he reached the mission briefing room, where he saw the leader and her second in command having a heated discussion, most likely about the battle plan.
"We're outnumbered! It's suicide!" Ao nearly yelled at her.
Mei looked fierce after Ao said that. "This is the only chance we got! We need to strike when the iron is hot. Yagura will bring his forces back to the village and then we will have no chance to take the village back. This is a risk I'm willing to take!" she said with authority.
Kotero walked over to them to make himself known. "How much are we outnumbered by?" he asked them. He was hoping their little argument would break up with his interference.
Both saw the redhead and sighed in unison. "They have ten thousand ninja, we only have four thousand," Ao stated bluntly.
Kotero nodded and put his knuckles under his chin. "So essentially, the ratio is five to two. Not good. But you have me… I'm worth what? Ten thousand?" Kotero said with a cheeky smile, trying to lighten the mood.
It did not go down well as Mei furrowed her eyebrows at him. "I wish!" she spat out before huffing and puffing. She then looked at the map of the village and the geography around it. She was staring intently at it.
"Is Yagura going to make an appearance? He must be furious of the progress the rebels have accomplished, especially in the last three months," Kotero asked.
Ao looked at him with a paled look. "We received information that he will be spearheading his forces. They know we are doing something big," Ao stated with some worry.
Mei looked up as well. "I don't know how we will deal with him. Especially if he lets his Bijū loose," she stated grimly.
Kotero chuckled slightly, making the two pairs of eyes fall on him. "I can deal with him," he said seriously with total confidence.
The two went wide-eyed at the statement. "How can you say that!? I know you're a strong ninja, no doubt in hell about that. But this is a Jinchūriki with full control of his Bijū. Hundreds of our men would get slaughtered if we fought it directly," Ao shouted out.
Kotero looked at him. "I still haven't shown you two all I got. I've been training since I came here. I know how to deal with him. I have something very special under my sleeve. The Yondaime Hokage dealt with the Kyūbi all by himself. I'm sure we can handle the Sanbi. Trust me," he told them in a serious voice.
They could only stare at him with awe, going against a tailed beast was almost suicide. "I can't let you do that Kotero-kun," Mei said with concern in her voice.
Kotero waved her off. "I'm the only one who has the ability to even deal with it if it is released. Now, how are you going to deal with the bigger numbers?" Kotero asked eyeing the two up.
"I don't know. Skill and a good plan will always beat bigger numbers, but with this scale, I can't see us winning with most of our men intact," Mei stated, crossing her arms under her chest.
Ao could only nod, he didn't need to verbally agree that this was a tough predicament. "Let's hope that our men are better than theirs. Now what's the plan?" Kotero asked.
Ao turned his head to Kotero. "We will have four divisions, separating the forces in eight hundred men each. I will lead those forces and have lieutenants under me to help organise. Mei-sama wanted to have the rest of the forces, our strongest men and women to lead. She also wanted you to help her fight," Ao told him.
Kotero wasn't surprised with the plan so far. "Okay… Where and when will we attack. It's six in the morning now. The village is only three hours away if I were to run it. Five hours if we brought the whole army with supplies," Kotero stated.
Mei nodded. "You're right. We will be leaving in three hours. The army will arrive at the north gates by two o'clock in the afternoon. Today there is high humidity and there is a dense fog surrounding the village. Hopefully this will just about clear up after we initiate the attack. The north gates of the village are the biggest and the walls around the gate would be the weakest out of all of them. This will help if we needed to fight inside the village," she said.
Kotero liked the sound of the plan so far. "I take it each division have their own set of instructions and objectives," Kotero said.
Ao nodded. "Division one and two will be our assault squads, division three will be support and medical, division four will our supply run making sure our medics have enough blood and bandages and resupplying our ninja with kunai and other tools," Ao told Kotero.
"Will they be fighting the majority of the Yondaime's force?" Kotero asked.
"Yes. Mei wants to draw attention from Yagura so most of the forces wouldn't need to deal with him," Ao said with grim lips.
"What about the villagers inside? We can't harm them or the children," Kotero said fiercely. He even poked on the map which was on a stone table hard to emphasise his point.
"Of course. They will know where to evacuate. The majority of the villagers hate Yagura's rule but cannot do anything unless they want to die. Don't worry about them," Mei said reassuringly.
Kotero sighed and rubbed his temples. "The plan sounds good. When are you going to tell the men to move out," Kotero asked looking at Mei.
She rested her weight on her right hip and looked at Kotero. "As soon all the preparations are complete. Hopefully I make a speech to increase morale once we reach the outskirts of the village," she told him.
"I'll be waiting in the mess hall then," Kotero said and then departed from the two. Kotero left the mission briefing room and returned to the mess hall. Kotero leaned against the wall near the stage and kept quiet.
'I have improved my skills with the constant fighting and battling. I'm stronger now than I was before I left Konoha. My clan's scrolls really helped me out with my chains. Let's see if they will be good enough for what's to come,' he thought. 'Nearly everyday we had to fight, put our lives on the line. These three months, this whole experience has improved all my skills.'
Kotero looked at the ninja in front of his eyes. He saw some with their legs shaking, some kunoichi were counselling each other with hugs. Kotero didn't feel as nervous as they were. 'Maybe it's because I still have a home to return to after all this,' he thought sadly as he crossed his arms.
Kotero waited in that spot for two hours, sometimes going over to a table to get some water. Mei, Ao and some of her most trusted shinobi came and went on the stage. They went over the battle plan once more, only give brief descriptions of each division's job. They already knew what they were doing, they were just being reminded.
At nine o'clock on the dot. Everyone left with their respective groups out of the base and moved to their destination, Kirigakure, the village hidden in the mist.
Kotero went after Mei since he was in her group. She leads the group into the forest and ran ahead. Kotero sighed and flashed through the forest to catch up to her.
"You're nervous," Kotero said as he ran beside her after reaching her position.
"Of course I am… But this needs to be done," Mei said, biting her lower lip slightly.
Kotero hummed in agreement. "Don't worry. They'll be writing songs about you and making statues to your figure," he said with a grin.
It worked as she smiled. "If they do. They better make all my assets look correct. I don't want small breasts or a flat ass on my statue," she said with a newly formed smirk, looking straight at Kotero.
Kotero laughed. "I would have to agree. But the sculptor would have to do a lot of work to actually make you look good!" Kotero teased.
Mei narrowed her eyes and clenched her fist. "Ouch! That hurt Mei!" Kotero complained after receiving a punch on his left arm.
"Then don't insult me," Mei said.
Kotero and Mei kept their banter up for a while before focusing on their journey. The other divisions were following them intently. Nearly five hours have past and they were only miles away from the Village. Kotero stopped Mei by putting his left hand up. "There's a massive group of different chakra signatures ahead of us," he stated, eyes still looking ahead.
She stopped and used hand signs to signal everyone else to stop. All the ninja gathered around her to listen to her words. "My people, the time has come," Mei shouted to the group. "We fought on the seas and oceans. We fought the enemy for what they have done, whatever the cost was. We shall fight on the walls, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills, but we shall never surrender," Mei said, Kotero saw the people's morale was improving.
"They think we cannot beat them. It will not be easy. It will be a long job, this is a terrible war, but in the end, we shall march through terror to triumph. FOR THE MIST!" Mei shouted out the rest, her voice was amplified with chakra.
"FOR THE MIST!" all the rebels shouted in unison. Adrenaline already pumping in their bodies.
Mei jumped down from her and Kotero followed, both landing on the grass. "That was a good speech. Short and sweet. They look ready to fight," Kotero told her.
"I know. Me too," Mei said before dashing ahead. Their plan was commencing.
Kotero kept up with her. He looked behind and saw Mei's squad, followed by division one and two. 'The battle will begin soon!' Kotero thought with a grin, his excitement levels were going through the roof. His blood was pumping.
They travelled for only a few minutes until they saw a flat plain with many trenches in the far distance, filled with enemy ninja. "Damn, it looks like nearly all of the forces are outside the village," Kotero said.
Mei bit her lip. "I see that. And they built defences, fresh ones too. Seems like they knew we were coming today," she pointed out. "This will be harder than predicted… Shit!"
Kotero looked ahead and then to the rebel leader, her facial expression showed one of worry. "They will overpower us if we attack head-on. We need change plans," Kotero told her as they slowed down.
"Change plans!?" Mei shouted. "We have our whole army here, we can't tell everyone that the plan is screwed!"
"Look Mei! The shit has hit the fan and if we don't something miraculous quick, we're dead meat! Now, let's just use a jutsu or something that everyone can perform and use that as an initial attack. A four-thousand strong attack will strike wonders against the enemy!" Kotero suggested.
"There's no way we can coordinate something like that. We're the vanguard. The others are still behind us," Mei said.
Kotero ran his hands through his crimson hair. "Shit, shit, SHIT! Looks like this is all or nothing. If we kill Yagura straight away. The enemy lines will break apart and disband. We will win then. One of us has to find him and kill him!" Kotero shouted. "It's either you or me Mei!"
Mei sighed and rubbed her temples in frustration. Their battle plans have completely fell apart and they haven't even started to fight.
"I got a plan," Mei said.
"What do we do?" Kotero asked.
"Myself and my squad will be taking out Yagura's top officials and supporting the main battle. You said that you're the only one that can take out Yagura by himself if he changed form. I'm putting my faith in you. This is the turning point for Kirigakure and this country. We can't lose," she told Kotero.
"I understand. I'll shoot a red flair if I need support. Good luck Mei," Kotero said with a soft smile.
"You too Kotero-kun," she replied and turned to her remaining ninja. "Men on me!" she shouted and moved with speed. The men immediately followed.
Kotero knew it was his turn now, he sprinted to the walls of the village. A minute of running he reached the edge and immediately started to climb up.
Using his hands with chakra to grip on the smooth and vertical surface, he pulled himself up and launched himself up. Kotero grasped the edge of the wall and climbed himself up. There were already a two Kiri ninja waiting for him.
"Life can't be easy, can it?" Kotero mumbled under his breath.
Kotero unsheathed his sword, Ruby, and got into his kenjutsu stance, the Kiri ninja came at him with kunai in hand. The first attack came, a large arc that would cut Kotero's left shoulder and chest swung with a kunai. Kotero parried the kunai with Ruby in his right and then elbowed the man in the gut with his left elbow, making him double-over.
A second attack came from behind, a Kiri kunoichi flew towards Kotero with her kunai ready to stab the back of his heart. Kotero could sense the danger and swung Ruby in a horizontal arc. The blade wisped through the air and cut the kunoichi's throat, blood sprayed as the artery was sliced. She died in an instant.
Kotero kept the sword moving, as his right arm was going close to a hundred and eighty degrees in his swing, he reversed gripped his katana and moved his arm beyond. The sword stabbed the Kiri ninja who was incapacitated in the right side of the head. The sword pierced through the skull and the tip could be seen on the other side. Kotero pulled out his sword from the dead body of the male ninja he just killed.
Kotero looked to his ahead and saw retreating ninja going deep into the village. "Where the hell are they going?" he asked out loud.
Kotero kept his eyes peeled for the Mizukage but he didn't know where to find Yagura. "He's a Jinchūriki and a Kage level ninja. He would have massive chakra reserves. However, I doubt that he wouldn't try and suppress it. I'll try and sense him out," Kotero said.
Kotero stopped in his tracks and focused his chakra to find the huge chakra reserve that could only belong to a Kage level ninja that had a Bijū inside of them. He put his right index and middle finger onto the ground and made a one-hand ram seal with his left to improve his focus.
"Damn, nothing! I'll have to find someone to interrogate or pass by him," Kotero deduced.
Kotero jumped off the wall and into the village itself. There was barely any life inside apart from the growing trees and other vegetation. All the buildings had a blue tint and their roofs had mosaic stones. The bigger buildings had dome shaped roofs. If there wasn't so much bloodshed, Kotero would have stopped and appreciate the pretty picture.
Kotero knew he couldn't take in the scenery, he jumped onto the rooftops to get a better vantage point in the deserted village. He ran across the roof tops in a zig-zag pattern, as he had no idea where he should go or where any one else was. Frustrated that he couldn't find anyone, he calmed and focused his chakra for any chakra signatures.
"Got one!" Kotero said gleefully.
Kotero ran west of the village and saw a pair of kunoichi moving to the gates.
'Most likely messengers,' Kotero thought as he closed in.
Kotero kicked the first kunoichi who had long flowing black hair in the head. The other kunoichi, who had brown hair, was surprised and turned around to see the Uzumaki already coming at her. She reacted by throwing a punch aimed for Kotero's face.
Kotero tilted his head slightly and kept going forward, letting the punch pass him and move above his left shoulder. He then grabbed her throat and then moved to a nearby building, he pushed her into the wall. The kunoichi's body was forced into the wall and dug in deep. Cracks appeared around her and tiles fell off the wall face.
Her body was in immense pain, being held up by one hand, his right hand, her throat muscles felt like there were closing in.
"I don't want to kill you. Tell me where Yagura is and I'll let you live," Kotero demanded.
The kunoichi looked at Kotero with a frightened expression. Kotero sighed after heard a loud explosion coming from the outside of the walls. Gurgled screams of pain echoed the area.
Kotero let his face soften. "You hate Yagura's rule, right? You hate the pointless bloodshed. Help me to stop him. I promise you won't die," Kotero told her. The kunoichi stared into his eyes and saw that he was serious. She nodded her head. Kotero let her go and took one step back.
She dropped to the ground and her breathing was ragged but was calming down. Her long brown hair covered her back. She looked up and saw Kotero staring down at her.
"Thanks," she said after a deep breath.
Kotero crossed his arms. "You better start talking. Your friend is sleeping like a baby, you and she could die in two seconds if you don't start telling me where the leader is," Kotero threatened, his patience was wearing thin.
She nodded again and looked terrified, she knew his threat wasn't empty. "He's coming to hit the rebels from behind. Hoping to kill them in a surprise attack," The kunoichi told Kotero in a scared tone.
Kotero knelt down. "Thanks, now go to your friend and take care of her. If we win. No more internal bloodshed. If we lose, well your life will still be shitty," he said sweetly before fleeting away from the girl who watched him from afar.
'Shit! If he's attacking from behind, that means Mei, Ao and the rest of the army will be squashed in a surprise attack if he released the Sanbi. I need to hurry and stop Yagura,' Kotero thought as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop.
He gritted his teeth in frustration, he was on the west side of the village, Yagura was going to attack the army from the east outside the village walls.
As Kotero was in the centre of the village, there were new chakra signatures. An ambush. Three kiri ninja jumped in his path. A fourth used a water jutsu and launched a water projectile at Kotero. Kotero stopped in his tracks and bent backwards to dodge the water bullet aimed for his chest.
"Shit! That was close," he said as he bent back up, eyeing up the ninja that want to slow him down.
"What do you want?" Kotero asked the ninja. He didn't care for the answer at all, he just needed time to think of a plan to dispatch them.
"Your head!" one of the kiri ninja said under a porcelain mask that ANBU wear to hide their identities. "You breached the wall and invaded our territory. This is an act of war Konoha-nin!" the same ANBU ninja said.
Kotero looked from the three in front and the one on his left. They all wore similar designed masks. 'Fish? So, they're a school of killer fish. Wolves or dogs would have been better, a pack sounds more menacing,' Kotero thought in amusement, already having a plan to deal with his new enemies.
Kotero made the cross hand seal. "Shadow Clone jutsu," he said under his breath, as four Kotero clones appeared. They all jumped into the four ANBU's personal space and started a taijutsu bout. The original jumped into the air and positioned his body to the three ANBU guards that were getting clustered together by his clones, unbeknownst to the ANBU.
Kotero made the hand seals Horse-Snake-Tiger-Bird and then stretched his right arm forward, 'Water release: Water arrows,' Kotero thought as three water shaped arrows formed over his right arm. He aimed his right arm over the three ANBU that were still fighting his clones and launched them. They flew and impacted the ANBU, the arrows pierced through their heads and broke their masks. The shattered pieces fell onto the ground as the ANBU collapsed, their blood sprayed everywhere.
Kotero became an image of a demon to those who were still alive. From head to toe, blood soaked to his skin. His cold purple eyes were the focal point of fear.
The remaining ANBU guard was shocked and his defence became wide open. The clone grabbed the man and restricted his movement by putting him flat on the rooftop and putting his arms behind his back, applying pressure to keep him still. The three other clones puffed out of existence the original came over with a kunai in his grip. Kotero positioned the kunai beside the ANBU's jugular vein.
"Where is Yagura?" Kotero demanded from his hostage. He needed to be positive that the kunoichi's information was correct.
"Like I would tell you. Yagura-sama is going to kill you and the rest of the rebel army!" the Loyal ANBU said under his mask.
Kotero groaned and threw the kunai into the man's head. The man's body slumped and became lifeless.
"At least he will be attacking the army. That makes the information more reliable," he stated. Kotero jumped from the scene and ran to the east again.
Kotero kept up the pace until he reached the eastern section of the wall. He scanned the surroundings past the tall concrete structure. He looked down and saw the rebels fighting the loyal Kiri ninja to Yagura.
"Seems like they are pushing them into a corner, good. But that won't last long. Now where are you Yagura?" Kotero asked himself once again.
Kotero was getting frustrated from the lack of one Yondaime Mizukage. He bit his lower lip, contemplating if he should fight with Mei and her comrades. After a minute of waiting, he lost his patience and jumped down.
Kotero used his feet and chakra to skid down the wall at a reasonable pace, rather than jumping the full height. He looked to his right and saw the rebels fighting. Kotero jumped onto a nearby tree, there were very few as the area as he peeked to the left.
There Kotero saw a short man. 'That's him!' Kotero thought immediately.
He jumped in the path of the short man, only metres in front of him to stop his movement. Kotero finally got a good look at him. 'Grey hair, pupil-less pink eyes, vertical stitched scar under his left eye. Turquoise and grey attire with mesh armour. This is the man,' Kotero thought.
"Stop right there Yagura," Kotero said in his most serious voice.
The two guards by Yagura's side were appalled at the way Kotero spoke to their leader. "You should speak to the Mizukage with respect boy!" the guard on the left of Yagura hissed out.
Kotero looked at the man, he was an older man with grey hair and a Kiri forehead protector on his forehead. A bastard sword was on his back. Clearly a veteran stuck in his own ways. Kotero looked at the other man who was completely covered in cloths.
It was similar to desert style burial wraps. No possible way of recognizing any facial details of the man. He was bulky and had a katana on his hip.
"Yagura isn't a man I respect. I know he's strong, but his beliefs and actions make him cruel and an idiot. I have been sent here to kill him. It would be good for you two to leave us," Kotero stated to the other party, he didn't want to fight two more ninja before fighting a Jinchūriki.
The older man was going to respond to Kotero before Yagura put his left hand up. "Kill him," he ordered quietly. The older man smiled, he and the man covered in cloths unsheathed their swords.
Kotero groaned, he then unsheathed Ruby and Sapphire together. He waited for his targets to come to him. Kotero did a "Come here" hand gesture with his left hand.
"Cocky little shit! I'll you slice up!" the older man shouted as he ran towards Kotero, both his hands on the large sword's hilt, ready to chop Kotero up. The clothed man also ran but in silence with his right hand handling his katanna.
Kotero focused on the two approaching men. The older man swung his sword vertically downwards, ready to split the Uzumaki in half. Kotero brought up Ruby, which was in his right hand's grip, up and parried the blow.
The clothed man used Kotero's open side and did a horizontal slash, aiming for Kotero's ribcage. Kotero paled at the incoming sword. He brought Sapphire to his right side, under his right arm and blocked the slash from hitting him. The swords clanged loudly and Kotero sighed a quick breath of relief. Kotero saw that he couldn't attack now, he pushed the swords off his own and jumped back, sheathing them away.
Kotero, in the air, went through the hand seals Hare-Bird-Tiger. 'Water release: Water Dragon Bullet technique,' Kotero thought as a water dragon formed around Kotero and launched itself at the two guards.
The two guards were shocked that the jutsu was performed in the air and so quickly, with no body of water nearby. The dragon closed in on them. Yagura the Mizukage jumped in front of the two and swung his long black club with a green and yellow flower at the end in a circle.
A water mirror appeared and an exact replica of Kotero's water dragon came out of the mirror and crashed into the original one. The dragon's collapsed as they crashed into each other head-on. Kotero was extremely annoyed but yet impressed by the jutsu.
"Son of a bitch! But, what do you expect from a kage?" Kotero whispered. His stance was rigid, waiting for the next attack.
The clothed man moved towards Kotero once more, sword ready.
"Thank you Mizukage-sama!" the older guard said as he followed suit. The clothed man swung his sword multiple times at Kotero, Kotero parried each swing, trying to get a read on the ninja ahead of him. Kotero had to jump back from the barrage of attacks as the older guard swung his sword where Kotero was. The force behind the heavy sword sent a heavy and large crack in the ground. Kotero's eyes widened slightly, he didn't think the old man would pack so much power.
The two guards came after him once again. Kotero knew a water jutsu would get reflected back at him if he tried one. He gripped his swords tighter and closed the distance, with speed faster than both the guards shown so far.
Kotero channelled wind chakra down both his blades. A thick green glow shrouded both Ruby and Sapphire. It was quick, the thick shroud transformed, becoming super thin and sharp. Kotero moved between the guards and let them initiate their strikes.
Both guards swung their respective swords. Kotero grinned and swung his swords. Ruby and Sapphire carved through their swords as if they were butter.
The cut pieces of metal left the rest of the blades and dropped towards the ground. Kotero didn't stop his swings, the swords sliced into both guards, cutting them in half.
The wind chakra from the swords made a wind current follow each respective slice. The bodies flew away from Kotero, while blood flowed from their bodies, staining the grassy plain.
Kotero looked up and saw the stoic face of Yagura. "Do you not care that your men were killed in front of your own eyes?" Kotero asked as he flicked the blood off his swords. He then stepped three steps closer to the Mizukage, his stern gaze never letting up.
"No," Yagura replied blankly, as if he was a doll. "You shall die a pointless death Konoha-nin," Yagura said as he got into Kotero's space and swung his club at Kotero.
Kotero sheathed his swords after he dodged the club swing. He then jumped back while throwing some kunai at the short man to create more distance.
Yagura simply twirled his club in front of him, the kunai hit the spinning club and were deflected into the ground. Kotero bit his lower lip in annoyance. Kotero landed and ran through the hand seals of Ram-Horse-Snake-Dragon-Rat-Bird-Dog.
'Wind release: Wind dragon bullet technique,' he thought as he inhaled a massive amount of air, his chest and stomach expanded and then he started blowing it out straight at Yagura. The wind was thick, strong and powerful. The wind took form of a dragon head with grey eyes. It moved to its target, Yagura, at greater speeds compared to the water dragon.
Yagura did the same trick with his club in creating a water mirror. A mirror image of Kotero's wind dragon came and impacted the original. The winds collided and produced a pseudo-hurricane. The force was so strong that the Mizukage and Kotero had to cover their faces.
The winds settled and Kotero looked at the scene in front of him. The line between him and Yagura had deep cuts that were extremely thin, as if they grated the ground into thin slices.
The grass around them was cut to a short height, some parts of the plain was ripped off revealing the earth beneath the grass. Kotero saw more blood around. The bodies of the two dead guards got caught in the storm and were sliced up even further, the remains were bloody pieces of flesh. No resemblance to their original forms.
'God fucking damnit! I thought that water mirror jutsu only affected water ninjutsu, not everything. Shit! This is tougher than I thought,' Kotero thought. He eyed up Yagura once again, who wore a face devoid of any emotion. 'His demeanour is freaking me out a bit,' he thought afterwards.
Kotero made a cross hand seal and created a shadow clone. Both he and the clone went in different directions.
Yagura stuck his club into the ground and formed a Tiger hand seal. Water rose up from the ground and transformed into the image of Yagura.
The shadow clone closed in the water clone while Kotero moved to the back of Yagura. The shadow clone used his katana to cut Yagura after it dodged a club swing. The clone broke and reverted back to water.
'Seems like my clone is stronger than yours Yagura,' Kotero thought with a small smirk.
Kotero and his clone then went after Yagura who hasn't moved yet. Both swung their swords at him but Yagura blocked both with his club with great skill. Kotero's clone puffed away, confusing the Mizukage.
The original Kotero, balanced on his right foot and kicked Yagura with a super-strength kick, using chakra to tense the muscles in his quads, hamstrings and calves to release a powerful left high-kick, launching the small man to the main battle field.
Yagura flew to the main battlefield, Kotero was quick on his tail. Yagura used his club to slow down and stand up. As soon as he pierced the ground to stop, Kotero came at him at unimaginable speeds and punched him square in the face. The angle of the punch was aimed to the ground. Yagura flew back again but was tumbling in the ground backwards.
Kotero watched the rolling body who was still holding tightly onto his large club, much to the Uzumaki's surprise. Yagura slowed down considerably, finally he stopped fifty metres away from the redhead. He stood up and rubbed his nose.
Yagura scrunched his face, then proceeding to fix the nose on the spot by twisting it back.
'Seems like self-regeneration isn't completely unique to Naruto, but Naruto's cuts and bruises heal incredibly fast. I wish I could compare the two but too bad this guy wants to beat me to a bloody pulp,' Kotero thought as he closed the distance between the two, so they were only ten metres apart.
Both stared at each other for a short time, there was no silence as clashing jutsu, screams and the clanging of weapons could be heard in the background. This fight has been going on for some time.
"Seems like the normal means of killing won't work on a ninja of your calibre," Yagura said, still in a monotone voice.
Kotero tilted his head only slightly, he wasn't expecting such a compliment, but a compliment nonetheless. "Thank you, Mizukage-sama. How will you kill me then?" Kotero asked in a cynical tone. There was no verbal response as Yagura dug his club into the ground and bent forward.
'What is he doing?' Kotero thought with some worry.
Yagura put his hands onto the ground and yelled out. His whole body covered with a deep red chakra, it oozed power. Yagura took a new form, a large red turtle with three tails.
'Damn! He's transforming! I know I can get chakra poisoning if he wounds me directly with any part of his body, shit!' Kotero thought anxiously, his first battle with a Jinchūriki using its Bijū's chakra.
Kotero immediately jumped back with his speed. The new Yagura pursued him. Kotero freaked, the new Yagura reached him, he had a dramatic speed increase, Kotero was underestimating the Jinchūriki.
Kotero flowed chakra to his legs and feet. Using his chakra enhanced legs, he leapt high into the air, dodging a large swipe from the angry giant turtle. Kotero looked at the damage. Yagura in his new form demolished the ground as his thick hand smashed into the ground. Cold sweat dripped down from Kotero's forehead. Kotero landed far enough from Yagura and ran through a set of hand seals.
'Wind release: Wind dragon bullet technique,' he thought as he inhaled air.
Kotero released the jutsu in Yagura's direction, hoping it would incapacitate the Jinchūriki. The wind dragon hit its mark and Yagura was put under a wind storm. Large cuts and slashes appeared all over the Jinchūriki's body.
Yagura howled in pain. The air formed in Kotero's body was now empty and he took a deep breathe. He saw the damage he caused Yagura and smiled.
'Looks like a Jinchūriki in a transformed state can't use hand seals or any type of jutsu. That limits them to close combat… Unless they have something else to fire at me,' Kotero thought as he analysed what happened in front of him.
Yagura stared at Kotero with his new white eyes. He then howled at the Uzumaki again, digging its hands into the ground. Kotero jumped back, sensing that Yagura was pulling out all the stops now.
Kotero was correct, Yagura's new form started to form a darker red colour. The Jinchūriki started to grow exponentially. Only after ten seconds, Yagura became a gigantic sea turtle. So large in fact that Kotero knew this was the true form of the Sanbi, the Bijū sealed in Yagura.
The Sanbi had a grey shell and purple underneath. Three huge tails were waving at its end. Kotero saw the face of the massive creature. One eye was shown whilst the other was closed shut. The Bijū in front of him was taller than the Hokage tower in Konoha and longer than some streets.
Kotero looked at the Sanbi once again, it was a hybrid of a turtle and crap with shrimp-like tails. One thing those three animals have in common, an extremely tough shell. From that, Kotero already knew that the Sanbi in front of him as an extremely hard shell.
'Armour stronger than steel and chainmail I bet,' Kotero thought with slight worry.
Kotero looked to the battlefield and saw that all the forces, both the rebels and the loyalists were staring in awe to the massive creature. Kotero couldn't blame them himself, he was getting more and more nervous by the second.
The Sanbi was looking down at the Uzumaki. Then suddenly, the Sanbi curled into a ball and started to roll towards Kotero with incredible rotational speeds. Kotero was spooked and ran as fast as he could away from the large turtle.
The Sanbi went by, Kotero skidded across the plain and made a one-hand Ram seal.
"KAI!" he shouted, fully disabling all his gravity weight training seals. The streaks and intricate patterns glowed blue on Kotero's body before disappearing, indicating they are in fact deactivated. The Sanbi never stopped rolling, it turned and rolled at even faster speeds to Kotero's location in mere seconds, covering hundreds of metres.
Kotero dodged the roll, thankful that he deactivated his seals just in time.
'How the hell can I defeat a Bijū one-on-one? I only planned if he used some of the Bijū's chakra not fully transform. No wonder the rebel army was so hesitant going against him. What can I do?' Kotero internally planned as he kept dodging the incoming and repeated rolls.
Some of the rebels on the outskirts of the battlefield couldn't help but watch the fight between the Bijū and Kotero. Gasping in awe on how Kotero is even able to stand more than a few seconds against such a terrifying beast.
The Sanbi jumped while rolling, launching itself high into the air. Kotero looked up and saw the large grey creature flying through the sky and it became bigger and bigger to his eyes. It was coming straight for his head.
"OH SHIT!" Kotero screamed as he jumped away from his spot. The Sanbi hit the ground, causing it to shake and break. Cracks appeared everywhere, stones and pieces of earth were flung into the air. An earthquake was sent all around the landscape, causing everyone to stumble.
Kotero was becoming exhausted from the constant dodging. This has been going for far too long.
The Sanbi stopped and uncurled itself. Kotero was confused but bent forward. He was ready for the next attack.
The Sanbi opened its mouth. Blue and red orbs of chakra formed in the front of its mouth. A swirling pattern like a whirlpool. A purple ball of condensed chakra was pooling up in front of its mouth.
"What the hell is that!?" Kotero said. His hands were shaking from the power that was radiating from the ball. It was so dense, filled with overwhelming power.
"Calm the hell down. You can do this!" Kotero encouraged himself.
The Sanbi released the ball of immense energy straight at Kotero. The velocity of it was quick.
Kotero sidestepped and dashed to the left. His own speed was enough to dodge the attack.
The Sanbi's attack kept going and going. It eventually stopped in a large patch of forest. An explosion occurred. The ground shook violently. A shockwave travelled all around.
Kotero was amazed from the sight. There was a mushroom cloud of dust travelling up to the sky from where the attack landed.
"That must be the famed Bijūdama. Fuck me, that thing is really strong," Kotero said with a wry smile.
Kotero turned his body back to the Sanbi. The Sanbi curled back into a ball. The Sanbi began to roll again and it came straight to Kotero.
Kotero dodged the Sanbi again and launched a wind dragon bullet at it. It did no damage, it was protecting itself with its rolling.
'THINK! There has to be a way to beat and kill the bastard!' Kotero thought hastily, watching the Sanbi move out again.
'I was stupid not to try and kill Yagura straight away. His human form was so much easier to deal with… THAT'S IT!' Kotero thought with a deadly smirk. His body rejuvenated with new energy, the confidence in his plan gave him the courage to fight. Kotero moved closer to the Bijū, the ninja nearby thought it was suicide.
Kotero made the Snake hand seal and stood his ground. He gritted his teeth hard as his Uzumaki Adamanatine Sealing chakra chains shot out of his back and wrapped themselves around the colossal figure.
The golden chains covered most of the Sanbi's body and the chakra chains went further beyond the body of the Sanbi, the chain heads digging into the ground to make the large turtle secured into place.
The Sanbi stopped rolling. The Sanbi was restricted by the chains.
"I knew it… these chains can supress Bijū chakra. No wonder Aunt Kushina was the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi. My Aunt sure was an amazing woman!" Kotero said as he kept his ground.
Kotero felt the Sanbi trying to pull itself out of the chakra chains that were constricting it. Kotero felt the force behind its actions, thankful that the chains were keeping the Sanbi in place.
Kotero took a deep breath and relaxed his body and chakra. He flowed through the hand seals Tiger-Monkey-Ram-Monkey-Bird-Dog-Boar then clapping his hands together, the kanji of "Suppress" appeared on the back of both his hands.
"This better fucking work! Hidden Uzumaki jutsu: Celestial Chains," Kotero shouted as seal scriptures appeared the chain links.
The chains that were wrapped around the Sanbi grew thicker, they tightened and dug into its body. The chains turned pure white in colour. The seals that were written on the chains blended in with the chains.
The Sanbi howled in pain, its chakra was being forcibly pushed back into the seal where it resided. Kotero kept his focus on the process. His concentration was being tested, he has never had to deal with any kind of challenge like this before.
The Sanbi's size was getting smaller, and its body was returning to its former stage of being a dark red colour, the Bijū's chakra shrouding Yagura's body was returning back to its seal.
Kotero kept up his focus, the chains were continually gripping Yagura's augmented body. If there was one loose chain, the Mizukage could break out and wreak havoc, the Jinchūriki could easily kill Kotero if he got out at that stage. this was something Kotero did not want to happen whatsoever
After three full minutes of Kotero's concentration, his jutsu completed the suppression of the Sanbi back into its seal. Kotero looked at the body of Yagura, completely restricted by his white chains. Kotero breathed heavily.
'That took so much of my chakra. Fuck me…' he thought while a smile manifested on his face. Kotero saw the tired and dull look on Yagura's face.
"This is the end of your rein Yagura," Kotero said as he removed his hands form their clapped position. His face had a tired smile. The chains returned to their original golden colour. Kotero kept the chains up as he unsheathed Sapphire. Kotero readied his sword.
Blood trickled down Yagura's chest. The ancient and deadly sword of the Uzumaki's was resting in his chest. Yagura looked at Kotero with a soft smile.
"Thank you…" he whispered out, getting a slightly shocked expression from Kotero. "I wanted to die years ago. Now I'm free," he said as his eyes dulled and his body slumped against Kotero's chakra chains.
Kotero took out his sword and removed his chains from the dead body, they returned into his body. He laid the body of the former Mizukage on the ground. Then, a loud chakra explosion came from where the seal was located on Yagura's body.
Kotero was pushed back far as the massive quantities of chakra soared into the sky and dissipated into the air and nature around him. He had to cough afterwards from the sudden impact.
Kotero returned to the body of Yagura and saw he had a soft smile still on his face. "I freed you? What do you mean Yagura?" Kotero asked but knew he would get no response.
"Let's hope you find salvation in the afterlife. Maybe you will be able to traverse to the Pure Land if the spirits still have a heart for you," Kotero said glumly and he moved away from the smiling body, leaving Yagura's club beside him.
Kotero walked out of the pit that the Sanbi created in their fight. Kotero looked to the horizon and saw that almost all the fighting has stopped, the night sky has come. He chuckled and sat down on the ground, knowing his job was done. He took out a watch and saw that hours had passed since the battle begun.
Kotero took out one of his sealed scrolls and opened it. He flowed some chakra onto one of the sealing patterns. An energy protein bar and a bottle of water appeared in a puff of smoke. He didn't hesitate to dig into his bar and drink, they vanished in seconds.
Kotero was resting his eyes and letting his body recover from the toughest fight he has ever had. He only noticed now how damaged his clothing was. Rips were evident throughout his outfit. His legs had many small cuts from the pelting rocks that came courtesy of Yagura.
Kotero touched the side of his torso. It stung in pain. He must have broken a rib from one of the Sanbi's attacks. He sighed happily, he was glad he wasn't the one to die. Kotero used some of his medical ninjutsu and flowed his medical chakra all over his legs and arms. Healing the wounds that he received in his battles.
"Adrenaline didn't let me notice them coming or even the pain. Shit! My legs and arms are stinging all over," Kotero complained as he finished up his first aid. He will need proper treatment later.
Kotero just watched the rest of the battle from his spot. It was the rebels organising on entering the village and weeding out the most loyal ninja to Yagura. He saw that since their leader has died, the loyalists have lost their spirit and stopped putting up a fight. He was glad that the bloodshed has ended now.
"I'll be able to go home… Finally," he whispered to himself. Kotero stood up and dusted himself of. He walked slowly to where there was a large gathering in the rebel forces. They were all cheering on their victory. The rebels saw him and lifted him on his shoulders, despite his protests.
After finally letting him down, he was tackled by a blue and auburn blur. Mei latched herself into a hug on Kotero. She hugged him tighter and then gave Kotero a kiss on the side of his right cheek.
Kotero grinned at the action and pulled her off him. "You happy now, Hime-sama?" he asked with a happy tone.
Mei smirked and put her hands on her hips. "More than you know," she said while twirling around and moving away.
Kotero shook his head. "So what now? Godaime Mizukage?" Kotero asked.
Mei smiled. "Everyone needs to have a rest inside the village. I'm grateful that none of the interior was damaged during the whole battle," she said gleefully as she started to skip.
"I know. That was much tougher than I thought it would have been," Kotero admitted in a serious voice.
"We couldn't have done it without you. You played a big part in this. I'll see that you and Konoha are rewarded for your generosity," Mei said honestly, thankfully for Kotero she didn't say one sexual innuendo in the conversation.
"The world needs peace and stability. Hopefully this will be a stepping stone for our two great villages and nations," Kotero said as he looked at the cheering ninja who started to celebrate.
Mei giggled at her ninja, she then looked to Kotero with weary eyes. "I have one more favour to ask of you, Kotero-kun."
Kotero looked to her with interest. "You're really are grinding me to the ground with these jobs. Now, what is it?" he asked. "I suppose I could do one more thing for you."
Mei crossed her arms under her chest and giggled again. "No, it can wait. I think you need a rest. But, all I need you to do is find someone for me. He's very important for my plans. Ao will give you more details later. Let's forget about it now and eat ourselves a feast!"
~ o0o ~
Coast
"Then I went to bed after getting treated by a lovely young woman. Had an okay breakfast the next morning. Mei got inaugurated to Mizukage in the morning after. I told her I had to leave as soon as I could. Then she asked me to find Zabuza as she wanted the seven-ninja swordsman back and he was last sighted in Wave, which was on the way home. And now we're here," Kotero explained the full story.
Naruto kept quiet throughout the whole story and listened intently on every single word. "Wow…" he said. He was awestricken.
Kotero grinned and looked at Naruto. "I know, pretty crazy huh?" he said with smile on his face.
"Pretty crazy would be an understatement Nii-chan… How're you so strong?" Naruto asked.
"Why do you ask?" Kotero asked Naruto, deflecting the question.
Naruto sighed. "That story sounded something you would hear the Shodai Hokage doing. With his Mokuton, he did all sorts of crazy things ttebayo. He was called 'The God of Shinobi' for a reason," Naruto said.
Kotero raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm lying?" he asked. "And Senju Hashirama. I'm not close to his level at all. Not even close enough."
Naruto shook his head. "That doesn't matter… it's just amazing the amount of strength you have Nii-chan," Naruto told him.
Kotero sighed. "I never want people to die because I was too weak. I'll tell you a quick story that happened sometime in the last year. This will help you with your own reflection on your actions," Kotero said.
Naruto tilted his head. "What's this story about?" he asked.
"It's what happens when you are misinformed, and you are too weak not to stop the incoming trouble. It's what happens when you can't stop the evil from doing their deeds," Kotero said throughout gritted teeth. His voice was filled with sorrow.
"What happened?" Naruto asked. His curiosity was peaked.
"Konoha received reports that there were mass murders happening North-West of the Land of Fire. Near the Land of Hot Springs. The Daimyō wanted it to get checked out before it spread down into his country. Jiji sent me down to investigate. The last mass murder event happened around a week before the reports came in, and the one before that happened a week before that. By the time I was going to arrive there, it would be the day of the event."
"So, you stopped them, right?" Naruto asked.
Kotero shook his head solemnly. "Nope. Not even a hope of making it. The Daimyō's messenger forgot some details when he sent the message to Konoha.
When I arrived in the area. There was a smell of blood lingering in the air. Lots of it. Like a warzone. The same smell when I was a small child, when the third Great Shinobi War was on. I ran to the town and found out why. The mass murderers were there. They killed all the towns people and nailed them onto the walls and pinned them to the ground. They were in a triangle which was inside a circle. They were Jashinists," Kotero told Naruto.
"Jashinists?"
"Yeah. Insane worshipers who worship an insane deity. You have to kill someone to praise him. It's horrible. The Jashinists killed all of the villagers in the end. Men, women, children. Most were already dead when I got there with the samurai behind me. There was nothing I could do. All those mutilated bodies. Some of the children were still awake, but they were limbless. I couldn't stop their pain, their screaming.
The samurai and I fought with the crazed worshippers. We killed almost all of them. Only one escaped," Kotero said.
"One? How did he escape you?" Naruto asked.
"This particular guy was truly insane and insanely strong. He was weird though. He was always screaming in joy whenever a samurai slashed him. It was like he was always in a state of ecstasy. There are three details I will always remember about him though. He had grey hair, a giant three-pronged scythe and his body was covered with black and white stripes.
He must have legged it once he saw that all the other worshippers were getting slaughtered. I'm scared what the son of the bitch is doing right now. He's like a wild dog right now," Kotero spat out.
"What happened then Nii-chan?"
"It was a complete failure, the whole mission. We found out who was doing the killings, but we didn't prevent the death of a town and some of the samurai died with them. I went back to Konoha straight after and told Jiji everything. He was livid, but didn't show it. He let me off for the week. So, I could collect my thoughts. That was a really shit day."
"Is that why you didn't tell me, Shikamaru or Chōji on what happened back then?"
"Yeah. It was just too gruesome, even for a shinobi's standards. I told Shikaku and we're both worried for the future. That one loose end, that bastard, will bite us in the ass. A real heart stabber.
So, what would have happened if I was stronger or faster? Would I have saved them? What if I had all the information at the start? Could I have prevented this from happening? These thoughts were racing through my mind that day."
"That's a lot to think about Nii-chan. And that's a lot of pressure."
Kotero nodded. "That is what you will think like when you become a competent Chūnin and Jōnin. It will become even worse when you become the Hokage. Instead of just a mission, it will be the whole village and the Land of Fire. There will be a lot served on your plate."
Naruto played with his fingers. "I don't know if I can do that," he said.
"Yeah. You can't. You're only twelve Naruto. You're too young to become a Hokage yet. Namikaze Minato was the youngest to become Hokage. Twenty-three years old when Jiji gave him the hat. I was surprised that Jiji took the position again. Yet, when he told me that his students weren't up for the position and there was no other option. He had to. Jiraiya was spying and grieving the death of his student. Tsunade was still on her gambling trip. And Orochimaru deserted the village."
"Jiraiya? Tsunade? Orochimaru? I'm sure I heard them before."
"Jeez. Naruto come on. They're legends in Konoha. The Legendary Sannin. They're famous for being Jiji's students and their summons. I have a load of Tsunade's medical notes at home."
"You said Orochimaru deserted. Why did he do that?" Naruto asked.
Kotero scratched the back of his head. "Well, there were many reasons. From what I read and what Jiji has told me. He has done many bad things. He experimented on many people. He kidnapped many children during the shinobi wars and used them for his experimentations. He was a power-hungry ninja who wanted the position of Hokage. There were a few more things but I'm sure you will find out soon enough. I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted me to be on his operating table one day.
The most dangerous thing about him though is that he is a genius. Through and through. He knows a huge library of ninjutsu. He has his snake summons. Jiji suspects he has a sacred artefact. Naruto, you should not mess with him until you reach at least the rank of Jōnin. Then, we can be sure that you have a good fighting chance to beat him," Kotero said.
"Is he really that strong?"
"He's rumoured to be the strongest fighter out of the three of them in terms of overall skill. I wouldn't like to fight the snake but who knows. I might get to some time," Kotero said. "Ah yes. I was told to give you this. You idiot," Kotero said as he took out a small envelope.
Naruto received the envelope and opened it. There was a thick stack of Ryó in it. "What's this?" he asked.
"Your reward. For helping that man. For going into a base and planting a bomb. That's your reward," Kotero said with anger lingering in his voice.
Naruto paled. This must mean…
"How did you know?" Naruto asked.
"How did I know? Ah, what do you do when you need information about someone that keeps in the shadows. Oh! I know, you ask one of the shadiest men in the Mainland about him. You pay him some money and he dishes out the info. That's the job of information broker. What happens when that information broker is also a drug lord? You try to avoid making deals with him. Sounds smart enough, right? Then what happens when he gives you an envelope and says, 'Say thanks to your little brother for me,' huh?
Naruto, please in God's name, explain to me how and why you went to Spades for information on Gatō? That is possibly the most dangerous and stupidest thing you have ever done," Kotero said with disappointment. His eyes were still angry.
Naruto paled even more. Kotero knew everything. "I didn't know what to do Nii-chan! Everyone in that town were dying and were hopeless. Kakashi-Sensei and the others were in danger. I needed to do something," Naruto explained himself.
Kotero nodded. "I understand that. But just remember that every action leads to a new one. An action has an equal but opposite reaction. A butterfly effect can occur from this. You might have done the best thing for the Wave, but another country might suffer because of this," Kotero said.
Naruto gasped. "Are you sure? What could happen?"
BOOM!
The Uzumaki brothers look in the far distance and see large smoke clouds rise up from the forest.
Kotero turned his head to Naruto, and saw the latter ignoring his gaze.
"Maybe a world war can come from that explosion. I don't know, I can't see into the future. We just have to hope that your actions help Konoha and the Land of Fire. Naruto, the role of Shinobi is to be the sword of their village. We must take responsibility for every action we take," Kotero said. "Being reckless like that and planting a bomb in a drug factory is bad news! You have to think things through."
"Sorry about that hehe. But, does every Jōnin think like that?" Naruto asked.
Kotero shook his head. "No. Some are oblivious to it. Most think like this after a huge mission or after a failure. We ninja affect the world Naruto. Keep that in mind. We don't want to upset the balance and peace in the world. We fight in the shadows to protect the light."
There was silence between the brothers. The only sounds that could be heard were the crickets in the reeds on the coastline.
"I have to get stronger, so I can make the best choices for me, my family and my village," Naruto said with a clenched fist.
Kotero nodded. "That's a good mindset. Why am I strong? Well I train hard, I eat loads. I sleep like a baby. And I have a goal that will let me transcend any challenge that will come my way," he stated.
"I know. I won't die until I become Hokage," Naruto stated with confidence, his hand clenching over the image of the moon.
"Naruto," Kotero said, "I'm booking a room in the town. But I'm leaving as soon as possible cause Jiji will need to hear from me. Don't try to find me. We'll talk more at home," Kotero told him as he stood up and dusted his bum.
Naruto stood up quickly and hugged his brother tightly, Kotero returned the gesture. "So soon?" he asked.
"Yes. But don't worry, I'll be in Konoha. Jiji will give me a break since I've been gone for over two months. I'll see you when you return. And from the looks from the bridge it doesn't seem like it'll take that much time," Kotero said while ruffling Naruto's hair.
"Don't worry. I was just worried about you. I didn't mean to sound harsh. We'll talk properly after your mission," Kotero said. He then departed from Naruto and walked into the town.
Naruto sighed and walked back to Tazuna's house. The streets and forests were empty, it was well past midnight. He quickly returned to Tazuna's house. Naruto opened the front door as quietly as possible.
"It's way past your bedtime young man," Kakashi said as he sat on the chair facing the door.
Naruto groaned, making Kakashi laugh. "How long have you been there Sensei?" he asked.
Kakashi gasped at his blond student. "Not even a proper greeting?" he said with a high-pitched voice. Receiving a dead-pan look from Naruto, he coughed into his closed hand and looked at Naruto. "Only for twenty minutes," Kakashi answered.
"I'm sure your smut kept you entertained," Naruto said with a small laugh as he went past his Sensei.
Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed at the comment. "You hang too much around your brother. He doesn't understand why these books are so great. He can be too naïve at times," he said with a pout under his mask before moving to Naruto's side. "How is he?" he then asked seriously.
Naruto turned to face Kakashi. "He's really good but I can see that Kotero-nii is dead tired though. It must have been awful there. He needs a break," Naruto told Kakashi.
Kakashi nodded and started climbing the stairs. "Come Naruto, we need to get our rest as well," Kakashi ordered as he continued climbing. Naruto groaned but followed suit.
Two weeks later
"Inari pass me a nail," Tazuna shouted.
Inari brought over the boxes of nails to his grandfather. Tazuna nodded a thanks and started hammering a sign into concrete.
It took a minute. The new structure was stubborn.
Tazuna went down to the ground after he was finished and walked to his family, Tsunami and Inari. The other townsfolk were gathered there as well.
"The 'Great Naruto Bridge'. That sure is a great name," Tsunami said with a deep smile.
Tazuna nodded. "That boy showed us the true path. This bridge symbolises our country's hope. It's only fair that we name the bridge after our hero. Uzumaki Naruto."
Konoha
"Finally we're back," Sakura moaned out. She was exhausted from the long and tiring mission.
"Well, it was over three weeks' worth of a mission. Only ANBU are sent out for missions longer than a month, unless for very special circumstances. You three should be proud of yourselves. This trip has forced you to grow up," Kakashi said as he sighed Team Seven back into Konoha.
"Sasuke, what are you going to do now?" Naruto asked.
"Hn. I need to train. I wasn't good enough. You?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I need to check up on my bed ttebayo. I bet she missed me hehe," he said with a cheeky smile.
"HA! I need to tell Ino-pig that I got to spend three weeks with Sasuke-kun! She will be so jealous!" Sakura squealed.
The atmosphere was warm. Kakashi smiled under his mask. It seems that his team's rough start has been swept under the rug.
The air suddenly chilled. Kakashi turned around. His Genin looked at their Sensei with confused eyes.
An ANBU with the mask of a tiger appeared by a body-flicker. There was no noise or ruffle of leaves. The ANBU was skilled.
"What can I do for you Tenzō… I mean Tora-san?" Kakashi asked with a stifled laugh.
The ANBU groaned under his mask. He then coughs loudly. "Hokage-sama requests your audience immediately," he stated in an emotionless tone. A trademark of any ANBU member on duty.
Kakashi nodded. "Yes. I was just about to report to Hokage-sama about my mission with my team."
The ANBU stood up and put out his hand. "Sorry Kakashi-senpai. Hokage-sama requested specifically just for you," the ANBU said.
Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke narrowed their eyes on the scene. Naruto was about to open his mouth to protest but Kakashi raised his hand to stop him.
"Naruto. It's ok. You three can go home. You will have a week lay-off from missions. But training will resume in two days. Training Grounds Seven at eight sharp," Kakashi said.
The three Genin nodded hesitantly but went on their way. Naruto went on a separate path home towards west. Sasuke went towards his home in the Uchiha compound. Sakura was following his every footstep.
Kakashi sighed at the scene. He turned back to the ANBU. "Thank you Tenzō. I'll be there soon enough," he said.
Tenzó clenched his fist in slight anger, he lost his composure. "AH! Kakashi-senpai. Stop using my name when I'm on duty. You're were an ANBU black-op for goodness sake. You should know better!" Tenzó relented.
Kakashi waved his hand side-to-side. "Stop calling me Senpai then," he said. Kakashi then started to walk away.
Tenzó sighed behind his mask. He turned around quickly. "I forgot to tell you. Hokage-sama and Uzumaki-san are waiting for you and their patience are wearing thin. I don't want Uzumaki-san breaking another wall again with his fists," Tenzó warned.
Kakashi paled slightly and nodded. He didn't want to annoy two of the strongest ninja in Konoha right now. Actually, he didn't want to piss either of them off ever.
Kakashi then leaped and sprinted across the roof tops of Konoha before reaching the Hokage Tower. Used to the routine. Kakashi waved to the Chūnin door guards and entered inside, gave a friendly wave to the receptionist and climbed the stairs to the top floor. Turning left and walking down the hallway. He see's the Hokage's office doors.
Kakashi knocks twice. "Kakashi. Get in here already!" Kakashi heard from the other side.
"Looks like Kotero-chan is in a bad mood," Kakashi mumbled under his breath.
Kakashi walked inside and saw the Hokage and Kotero waiting for him. Hiruzen was sitting on his office chair. Fingers laced. His eyes were focused on Kakashi.
Kotero was standing in front of the windows, looking down on the village.
"Kakashi. Sit down."
"Yes Hokage-sama."
Kakashi walked forward and took the only seat available. The one right in front of the Hokage's desk.
"This sort of feels like an interrogation hehe," Kakashi said. He laughed slightly and scratched the side of his cheek. He was uncomfortable with the situation.
Hiruzen sighed deeply. He then packed his pipe with new tobacco. A flick of the finger lit it. The aroma of cinnamon filled the room.
"This is no interrogation. Don't worry. But there are some things we have to say to you. Some things have arisen in the last few months that are making us worried," Hiruzen said.
"Like what?"
Kotero turned around. "I say I should explain things from now on. With the ever-hidden Jiraiya's information and the intel I have picked up from my missions. There seems to a large number of events that… there are some that are crazy, and some make little sense honestly," Kotero said. He rubbed his temples. His demeaner showed annoyance.
"Make little sense? What do you mean Kotero?" Kakashi asked.
"The disappearance of notoriously dangerous ninja from all regions of the Mainland. The most recent is a ninja from the village of Hot Springs. He was connected to those mass murders some time ago. We got a confirmation of his name. Hidan. However, all reports of his whereabouts are just filled with empty results. He was rumoured to be an immortal. This is worrying news," Kotero explained.
"There is also the fact that the Land of Rice has opened up a new Hidden Village. It seemingly came out of nowhere. We recently found out that it is call Otogakure. We sent an ANBU squad to investigate so we can have some sort of no-war pact agreement. But, our ANBU squad couldn't find the village," Hiruzen said afterwards.
Kakashi nodded. He looked to Kotero to continue.
"Kirigakure has been recovering quickly with a new Mizukage in place, but it will be over a year before they can be considered a considerable strength. Mei has told me that she will be coming to Konoha to strike up an alliance with Konoha. No doubt in fear of the other Villages."
"Other villages? Has there been something going on since we left for that mission?" Kakashi asked.
Hiruzen nodded. "Kumogakure has been building their military strength for some time. Our sources tell us that they have the largest army now," he said.
Kakashi was shocked from the piece of news. "Are you serious? I thought Konoha was the strongest still," he said.
"Since the Kyūbi attack twelve years ago. We were really hampered on all fronts. Especially good ninja and medical ninja, they were scarce. The other villages didn't suffer anything from that attack, so we were really put in a disadvantage. I don't doubt for a second that our ninja is of a higher quality and calibre versus the other village's, but they have larger numbers. And then there's Iwagakure," Hiruzen said.
"If you didn't send me on that mission two years ago Jiji, this wouldn't have happened. Their economy boosted, and they got more missions, when it should have plummeted to rock-bottom. The quality of their ninja is improving. They also imported tonnes of wood from the Land of Trees. No doubt for military warfare," Kotero said.
"You think a war is brewing? But it's only been fourteen years since the end of the last one," Kakashi said.
"We know. The only major village that we aren't worried about now is Sunagakure. Their economy is in major decline. Their ninja population is the smallest. And their drought six years ago made their village struggle to grow. If they didn't have their underground reservoirs, the village would have perished," Hiruzen said.
Kotero clicked his fingers, gaining the attention of the room. "They have been very suspicious though. They are hostile towards us more than ever. And they hired a mystery mercenary group to do some dirty work instead of using their own ninja. Things aren't looking good," he said.
"What about the minor hidden villages?" Kakashi asked.
The Hokage shook his head. "The weak follow the strong. There has been no change in the actions of the minor villages apart from Amegakure. They have been even more reclusive than ever before. There must be some internal turmoil that they don't want us knowing about."
"Who knows," Kotero said. "It might benefit Konoha. Less to think about for now. But, there are more and more reports of bandit raids and gang attacks in all the different regions of the Mainland.
The Four Kings are making their moves, despite ninja and samurai around them. They don't care and take what they want. They are mainly focusing in the eastern continent where all the hidden villages are. The contries to the West are much poorer, but have untapped natural resources. Who knows what they will do in the future."
"The 'Four Kings'? Who are they?" Kakashi asked.
"It's their new names that they gave themselves. They're like Kage for the underworld. They name themselves after the suits of playing cards. Hearts, Spades, Clubs and Diamonds. They're all people that we don't want to mess around with," Kotero said. "They all seem to be preparing for something big in the future."
"The future?" Kakashi said.
"This is just bad timing. The Chūnin exams are coming up very soon. I wish I could put them off, so we can investigate everything," Hiruzen admitted. It all almost felt like a bad omen was coming for them and Konoha.
Kotero walked back to look out the window. He sees small children playing in the park. They were happy. Innocent. They had no idea the horror of war or the life of a ninja.
Kotero sighed. "We need strong ninja to help defend the civilians and protect Konoha. Having the current crop of Genin go through the exams will force them to grow and we will see who help keep peace in the village," he said. "All of this could be destroyed if we're not careful, Jiji."
"So, you also think it's a good idea to go through with them?" Hiruzen asked.
Kotero smiled and nodded. "The world is changing in many ways everyday and we don't know about it. There's no point worrying about what we don't know. We should be seeking the truth and keep going forward. We should prepare for the future Jiji. The Chūnin exams will only be the start of it!"
~ 0 ~
