Okay, last chapter in wave and the second chapter of my double update! Read this. Enjoy this. I own none of this.
Naruto looked down from the branches of the tree he was in and watched the two men approach the household. Tsunami was inside preparing lunch for Inari to take to his grandfather, and Naruto was on full alert when the two men came strolling by. They were obviously thugs, hired off the street with no training but plenty of muscle.
Naruto didn't kill them outright because he had to make sure they were actually guilty. Well, that and the fact that Kakashi gave him orders to fight to subdue anyone that wasn't an immediate threat.
The first thug knocked on the door of the house, hiding his crude club behind his back. The second did likewise, the blade of his sword laid flat against the back of his dirty shirt. Naruto saw the door open, and Tsunami stood there with a cautious smile on her face.
"Oh! Hello, gentlemen, is there something I can help you with today?" behind her Naruto could see Inari inching away behind the door.
The man that opened the door spoke. "Yea, how's about you comin wit' us, huh? Make a good little hostage for da boss?"
Tsunami looked around, likely for Naruto, as she backed away and tried to close the door. That was all the proof Naruto needed.
A quick shunshin brought Naruto behind the second thug, and a quick chop to the neck was all that was necessary. Naruto grabbed the hair of the man in the doorway before he could react, and with his freehand Naruto grabbed and broke the man's wrist. The club fell as the thug yelled in pain.
"Who's 'da boss'?" Naruto asked plainly. Tsunami looked relieved and inari next to her seemed smug.
"I ain't tellin' you nothin, brat!" such a typical response.
"You could always break more bones. That always works."
"I could, but Inari's watching."
"Ah, true."
Naruto drew a kunai and silently rested the tip between the man's legs. "I mean, you don't HAVE to tell me or anything. I don't want to be pushy."
"F-fuck alright! Calm down there, kid! Gato! My boss is Gato!"
Naruto smirked and bashed the man's skull with the back of his kunai.
"Thank you, Naruto. Those two were so rude!" Tsunami exclaimed as she stepped over the body to hug the blond.
"Here," Naruto summoned a few clones. "Go with them and get to the village. I'd advise everyone to get indoors and armed until someone comes to tell them it's over. I gotta go help my team."
With Sasuke, Sakura, and Kaito
"Did you guys hear what Kakashi-sensei told Naruto the other night?" Sakura whispered as the trio of genin walked their end of the bridge.
"No. Why do you feel the need to eavesdrop?" Sasuke grunted.
"Sensei promised him that when we got back he'd ask the Hokage to let him 'put on the mask' one more time for an honor mission!" she seemed overly excited.
"That's dumb, Kakashi is always wearing his mask. Even when he eats, remember?" Kaito added.
"No, you idiot!" Sakura sighed. "Sensei used to be in ANBU. And the honor mission is probably to kill Gato since we promised Tazuna's family we'd take care of him!"
"How do you know that?" Sasuke asked, actually curious for once.
"Well, I hear it from Ino, who was told by Choji, and Choji heard his dad talking to Shikamaru's dad," Sakura started to explain.
"We get it," Kaito cut her off.
Suddenly, just as the group was getting towards the unfinished end of the bridge, a mist started to roll in.
Kakashi appeared next to the genin in a swirl of leaves. "Get the workers to the village. Now. Sakura, go get Naruto. Kaito, Sasuke, I'll need you two to keep an eye out for Zabuza's friend. He can't be much older than you, so work together and take him out. Go."
The group of hard hat wearing men left with Sakura to get back to their families. Tazuna stayed so that the enemies wouldn't target the village, just like Kakashi told him 'just in case' days prior.
Soon enough, the bridge was shrouded in the unnatural mist. Kakashi stood stock still, with Kaito and Sasuke not too far behind him.
"I think it's about damn time we got to our rematch, Kakashi."
Zabuza's voice echoed around the Konoha nin just like last time. This time Naruto wasn't there to clear the mist. Kakashi already had his Sharingan out and blazing.
"I have no qualms about beating you a second time, Zabuza. I'll be sure to kill you myself this time."
There was an icy wind, and then a cold explosion at the feet of the two genin. They were sent hurtling down the bridge, tumbling head over heels. Kakashi turned to help them, but the Executioner's Blade slammed into the concrete to block his way. Zabuza stood holding the handle.
"Ah ah, let's let our students have some fun while we have ours, yeah?" the question had only one answer to it, and Kakashi was glad that water clones didn't relay memories as shadow clones did. Otherwise, Zabuza wouldn't risk his student going up against Naruto.
Sasuke stood groggily and held his head. That icy explosion had been powerful, and he had smashed his skull more than once on the tumbling trip down the bridge. He looked down and Saw Kaito also shuffling to his feet, and Sasuke honestly felt relieved that he was okay. He would never say it, but his team was growing on him much more than he ever thought they would.
"Holy hell, that was crazy. Who started an explosive snowball fight?" Kaito asked as he too held his head.
"That would be me," the distorted voice of the fake hunter-nin surprised both boys.
"Hey man," Kaito looked at him, "fuck you."
Sasuke wasted no time talking and flew straight at his enemy. Kaito wouldn't be much help further than a distraction in this fight. It would be on him.
Sasuke started the fight with taijutsu. He had sparred with Naruto over the last few weeks and opened with a strike that almost landed on Naruto. A wide easily blocked haymaker followed by a fast, roundhouse kick. Unfortunately for Sasuke, the ninja he was engaged in combat with copied Naruto and easily ducked the foot. Sasuke saw the fist coming at his gut and barely managed to twist out of its way, but he wasn't prepared for the weird throw after it. The ninja grabbed Sasuke's arm and twisted his whole body, flinging Sasuke towards the rail of the bridge.
Before Sasuke could reorient himself, he felt a strong pair of arms catch his legs and spin him back around. It was Kaito, trying the same move that worked against Zabuza.
Sasuke had to tell Kaito to stop throwing him around after this.
Sasuke planted a foot during his flight back towards the ice user, and he used chakra to stick o the ground. Spinning on that singular foot, he attempted another kick aimed at his opponent's stomach. The kick was blocked, but Sasuke jumped and landed a falling ax kick to the ninja's head. His heel hit mask, though, and his enemy seemed no worse for the wear. Sasuke dove back in with a flurry of combination punches, but only a handful landed. Sasuke kept the tempo up enough to eliminate the possibility of a counter attack, and after a particularly vicious punch to the stomach, the opposing ninja had had enough. The ninja jumped to the side and hurled senbon at Sasuke, trying to form some distance. A few shuriken from Kaito stopped the majority of the projectiles, but Sasuke still felt two enter his left leg.
Kaito engaged next, allowing Sasuke time to pull out the senbon. It was painful, but they were in a weird spot that numbed his leg. Sasuke watched Kaito as he tried to rub feeling into his deadened limb. Kaito wasn't nearly as fast as Sasuke, but he was probably physically stronger.
Kaito took a sharp kick to his ribs but trapped the leg with his arm. Kaito used what strength he had to trip the enemy ninja and then straddle his downed adversary. Kaito dropped a hard right punch to the mask the fake hunter-nin was wearing. Instead of a sharp crack of wood, there was the loud pop of bones.
Kaito drew his hand back sharply, the knuckles displaced and starting to immediately swell. Kaito drew a kunai in his left hand but wasn't fast enough to land a blow before the ice user bucked him off. A quick spinning kick sent Kaito tumbling away.
"You two are not bad with your taijutsu. Unfortunately, it is not my specialty, so we will move on to ninjutsu now."
Sasuke grunted as he finally got use of his leg back. He hurried to Kaito's side and helped him up. Sasuke saw their enemy blow through a few hand signs and take a deep breath, and Sasuke was worried that it would be something akin to Naruto's Great Breakthrough.
"Kaito, wall!" Sasuke shouted.
Kaito obliged as quickly as he could, and the two took cover behind the stone wall just as a blast of water pounded into it. Sasuke completed his own signs and took a breath. Once the water stopped, he jumped up above the wall and released a barrage of tiny fireballs. His Phoenix Flower jutsu was better suited to this attack than his Great Fireball jutsu since he didn't know exactly where his enemy was and it covered a larger area.
The masked ninja was indeed not where Sasuke expected, but still within the range of the fire jutsu. Two of the fireballs clipped him, and Sasuke felt a surge of premature pride. Kaito released his jutsu and let the wall crumble.
"Was that bit of water your best attack?" Sasuke called out.
"That wasn't my attack."
Fuck. This might be why Naruto told them not to talk unless necessary in a fight.
The water surrounding them began to rise up in an encompassing wall. Sasuke focused intently on the hand signs of the masked ninja, but since he didn't have his Sharingan awakened he couldn't tell what was going on.
And then the water was gone. Replaced by ice. Large, pristine mirrors of ice. The slabs floated in place, leaving almost no gaps of light between them. "This, I'm afraid, is where you will die," and the ice user stepped into a mirror. Sasuke was dumbfounded, and it only got worse when he saw reflections of the enemy in every mirror. He stood back to back with Kaito, and he prepared for the worst.
"Sasuke," Kaito whispered. A grunt was his response. "Dude we are so screwed."
And then the senbon came. Usually from only one direction, but sometimes two. For the most part, they weren't that hard to avoid. For Sasuke. Sasuke saw Kaito take at least one senbon from every volley while Sasuke took one every other round, and he was starting to grow desperate. Sasuke stopped jumping around, threw some signs out, and released the biggest fireball of his life. The heat from it made his face sweat, and the size of it took up most of the upper part of the dome. Sasuke kept feeding the jutsu for a few seconds, but then he heard a thud behind him.
Sasuke cut the fire and saw that it didn't even melt the mirrors. When Sasuke turned around, he saw Kaito laying on his side, facing him. There were half a dozen senbon sticking out of his back, like a cruel joke of a pincushion. Sasuke's vision swirled, and his sight became clearer, more vivid. He could faintly see Kaito's chest moving with breath, and he knew what must have happened.
He was attacked from behind while he held the jutsu. Kaito saw this and jumped into the line of fire for him. Like a true teammate would. Like a brother would. Sasuke's eyes teared up, blurring his vision again as he fell to his knees.
"That attack was not meant for your friend. Had he not interfered, they would have only knocked you out. It was never truly my intent to kill you," the masked ninja emerged from a mirror.
Sasuke spun his head and screamed. "He's not dead! And you won't… take anyone else from me…" Sasuke's eye's narrowed as he stood once more.
There was a great, resounding crash. A single mirror shattered under some great force, and suddenly Naruto stood in its place holding an outstretched palm. "Sorry I'm late, Sakura should catch up soon…" Naruto saw a distraught Sasuke kneeling next to a seemingly dead Kaito. "Kaito…?"
Sasuke looked directly at Naruto and said with all the authority in the world, "He's not dead. I see his breath."
That was when Naruto noticed his eyes. Red, one with two tomoe and the other with a single.
"The Uchiha has awoken his eyes. That is good for him. I suggest getting Kaito to Sakura though. Most of those senbon are in paralysis points, and only one is in a semi-lethal spot. He will be okay."
"Thank you for the assurance, Kurama."
"Get Kaito to Sakura, Kurama says he'll be fine," Naruto ordered Sasuke.
"I'm afraid I can't allow you to leave until Zabuza finishes the mission," the masked ninja said.
Naruto's demeanor immediately changed. His eyes narrowed in barely concealed anger, and his presence leaked out as intense hatred. The air chilled even further, surpassing the effects of the surrounding ice. "I take it you are the one responsible for the senbon?" Naruto asked with a cold calm.
"Yes, but it wasn't my intent to—"
The masked ninja's body was replaced by Naruto's. Naruto stood with an outstretched fist, having moved too fast for anyone but Sasuke and his Sharingan to see to punch the opposing ninja.
Said enemy had been launched into a mirror, cracking its surface since he could not mold the chakra required to enter it. He rose, and his mask fell away in pieces. "You hit hard. These mirrors are as hard to break as this mask."
"Maybe I'll put some chakra into my next one," Naruto bantered.
"Don't get baited into a conversation. End the fight and get to Kakashi. Wait, we know this ninja!"
Naruto looked again at the newly revealed face. Sasuke had already left with Kaito to reach an approaching Sakura, so the following conversation would be private. "Haku?"
"I'm sorry, Naruto. I can't disobey Zabuza. He's just trying to make a living and our mission puts us against you. I didn't mean to hurt your friend. My senbon would have simply put Sasuke into a deathlike state, but Kaito jumped in the way. I promise you."
"I see that you would work even for someone like Gato. I also apologize for having to subdue you."
"Naruto, you don't understand the capabilities of this jutsu," Haku started. The mask was no longer distorting her voice, and Naruto recognized it easily.
A clone popped into existence in front of each mirror and slammed a Rasengan into each one. The resounding shattering sound captured everyone's attention as shards rained down. Naruto's gaze never left Haku's now horrified one.
Kakashi stood in front of an immobilized Zabuza. The powerful jaws of Kakashi's fiercest dogs held him in place. "Oh, and Naruto's here. That battle is finished up too."
"That… kid… shattered Haku's ice mirrors?" Zabuza panted out.
"Zabuza that 'kid' could probably kill you if I let him cut loose."
"Heh… bullshit. Just fucking kill me already."
"Actually, I think I'll hold off. I don't take it you requested backup from a band of trash, so we'll see what that boat of thugs has to say. Pakkun, go tell Naruto to keep Haku alive and bring everyone over here."
"Backup? Fucking… Gato must be trying to cross me. If he's with them, Kakashi, consider our battle over. I'll have no reason to kill you."
"Smart move."
"Kakashi, I had Sakura stay back to heal Kaito. He suffered debilitating injuries and required immediate attention. Sasuke refused to leave his teammates. I will be sufficient for whatever purpose you had for your team." Naruto reported as he dropped the still body of Haku off his shoulder. The girl was beaten up a fair bit and restrained with Ninja wire.
"Understood. We have company I want Zabuza to meet," Kakashi motioned to the unfinished side of the bridge where a band of thugs and bandits were amassing.
Zabuza managed to turn his head just enough to see a short, stocky man speak up. "Beaten by a single ninja and a bunch of kids. Some Demon you turned out to be!" the men behind the speaker all laughed.
"What is this, Gato? Are you crossing me?" Zabuza called out with the image of his usual strength in his voice. Haku had also sat up to see the exchange.
"I wasn't going to pay your insane fee anyways! These perfectly good men behind me cost half as much as you did!" Gato sneered. "Luckily Konoha did the dirty work already."
"Okay, Kakashi," Zabuza groaned as the dogs released him. "That's the end of our differences. Let me kill off these losers and I'll be on my way."
"Zabuza, you can hardly stand, allow me," Haku asked as Naruto also released her.
Sakura and Sasuke walked up, each supporting an arm of Kaito. "What did we miss? Why are we letting them go?" Sasuke asked. His Sharingan blazed at Haku in his anger.
"We're on the same side now. Their employers turned on them, and now our other enemy is in front of us," Naruto said as he pressed a calming hand to Haku and Zabuza's shoulders.
Naruto spoke again, "Kakashi, by your order I will eliminate the last threat to our mission. I will also complete your previous order in the mission of 'training my friends until the missions end' by presenting them the last step of training. I will also bring Zabuza Gato to finish as a sign of goodwill between us."
Kakashi stood in thought as Gato continued spewing insults. He knew what Naruto wanted to do. He wanted Team 7 to take their first kill here, and it was honestly a good plan. This also saved Kakashi the Mission of Honor he had planned for later to kill Gato.
"Granted. Proceed in any way you wish."
Naruto rose and took two steps towards Gato's mob. Gato laughed aloud and was joined by his men. "You send a child to his death before me? I have no issue with that!"
Naruto looked back at Zabuza and smiled slyly. "Wanna see a real Demon?"
"Oh yeah!"
"Oh no," Kakashi muttered. Naruto was within his bounds to use the Kyuubi's chakra. Oh well.
Naruto faced the mob smiling. And before everyone's eyes, three tails sprouted behind him. Red tails of pure chakra and a layer of red surrounded him in a cloak. Naruto flexed his hands, now tipped with long, deadly claws, and said, "No jutsu, no tricks, just chakra."
Zabuza's jaw dropped as Naruto flickered and reappeared behind the mob. He may just be exhausted from his beating, but he still didn't see the kid move. The leftmost men all yelled in sudden pain, clutching at the gaping triangular cuts where their hearts should be.
Before the crowd could even finish turning around, the first few me in the back met their end. Within the span of four seconds after the initial movement, only four thugs stood alongside Gato. The rest had fallen either cut in half, headless, or holding their own various organs that had been plucked out by the yellow menace.
"GODDAMN, it feels good to fight like that! Naruto, I know you hate killing this way, so thank you for humoring me."
"You're lucky I feel desensitized when I'm in your cloak."
"Fucking jinchuriki," Zabuza muttered as the kids all stared on in shock.
Naruto's cloak dissipated, and he stood on the opposite side of the five men with his arms crossed. The remaining men dropped their weapons, but it did them no good. A clone appeared at the side of each, and with a single swipe cut both hamstrings per man. The screams of pain were drowned out by their vomiting when Naruto brought them to the group via Shunshin.
"Zabuza, here is your former contractor," Naruto dropped the crying small man at Zabuza's feet along. "Sasuke, Sakura, Kaito. This is the ugly side of being a ninja. The last of your training will be to take your first life of a defenseless man."
Sakura immediately leaned to the side and threw up.
"Sensei… is this for real?" Kaito whispered, beginning to get a bit of his strength back.
"It is generally custom for a new genin to take a life before their first big mission, so it is a bit late I guess," Kakashi told them.
"This will be the hardest kill you make," Naruto started over the whimpering of the men, "Some teachers prefer to have students fight to the death with bandits that stand no chance. But this way, you have to take the life of someone who is already defeated. Someone who you could very well capture, but deserves and would receive death later anyway. This is what my sensei did for me, although I had to do the 'beating' myself. After this, you will hopefully never have to kill a defenseless person again."
Sakura shook visibly, Kaito couldn't bring his gaze up, and Sasuke no longer had his trademark brooding face on.
"The kid's right. I had been trying to make Haku do it for years. He took his first only two months ago. Watch, it's actually simple," Zabuza grabbed the Kunai Naruto left him and immediately sank it into Gato's screaming skull with his one good arm.
"Don't use a jutsu. That makes it less personal. You have to feel the pain, know the agony so you know what you are doing every time you kill," Kakashi added.
Sasuke was the first. He drew a kunai, walked up to the first bandit, and plunged it into his throat and out the back of his neck. Sasuke held the knife there, his Sharingan active and capturing every detail of the kill. Hot blood rushed over his knuckles and hand. Sasuke's one eye spun as it gained a new tomoe, bringing both eyes to two. Sasuke wavered and stepped back, wiping his blade on the man's clothes. It was something he would have to do to his brother one day, might as well get used to it.
Naruto had taken the fourth man for himself in case his teammates needed the push, but since he was useless, Naruto simply snapped his neck and tossed him to the side.
Kaito repeated Sasuke's actions, and then fell to his rear and started sobbing quietly. Kakashi laid a hand on the top of his head. Kaito was still weak from his fight, and it likely took all of his energy to make the simple kill.
Sakura was last. She stood trembling with the kunai, the man in front of her on his knees and resigned to his fate. "Go on, girl. I've made my peace, I'm ready to follow my friends."
Sakura let out a single sob, grasped the back of the man's head, and plunged her weapon into his throat. She cried aloud as she felt the blood washing over her hand, the gurgling of the now dead man getting drowned out by her crying.
She moved back near Sasuke and Kaito and quieted down. Haku formed a pool of water for everyone to wash the blood off of their arms, and Naruto actually jumped in last since he was covered in it.
Kakashi walked his students back towards Tazuna'a, and Naruto sent clones to the village as he sat with Haku and Zabuza.
"Why did you agree to work for him?" Naruto asked the large ninja.
"I needed the money. Simple."
"No shit. But for what?" Naruto pestered.
Zabuza looked at him and sighed. "I… I needed it to fund the rebellion in Kirigakure. It was the best paying job available to missing-nin."
Naruto was puzzled at that. "You're still loyal to your village?"
Zabuza laughed aloud, "Ha! After what I've seen? Hell no. I just wanted to help the rebels kill my old friend Yagura."
"You're friends with the Mizukage, and you want him dead?" Naruto asked, understandably confused.
"He WAS my friend. Something's possessed him, and he had me tried for treason when I tried to snap him out of it. My friend is gone, I just wanted to free his body of whatever's controlling it."
Naruto sat in thought and then had an idea. "You know, since that was your only real crime, I could eventually give you two sanction if you're tired of living on the run."
"Pfft. Haku, maybe. I've got a long, bloody list of crimes starting even before I left. Haku's clean though."
"Zabuza, I'm not leaving you."
"I think you should. You're too soft to be much more help to me, and I don't need you getting in my way."
"No! I owe you everything! I live to serve you!" Haku started to sound desperate.
"Then I order you to go live a fluffy, happy life in Konoha. How would you even do that kid?"
"Well, after the chunin exams I plan to come into… a bit of land. I'll need people to help me if I want to ever restart a clan so…"
"Got the hots for Haku? How'd you know he's a she?"
"Oh, that's a good one!" Kurama's laughter rang out in Naruto's head. Haku blushed and looked away, both angry and embarrassed.
"No, I'm just saying that to rebuild the Uzumaki clan I'll need powerful allies. I thought you could be like our master sword trainer or something."
"You're an Uzumaki?" Zabuza's voice rose with the question.
"Well, yeah," Naruto didn't mention his second name.
"Haku, go with this kid. Have his children if you can convince him."
"ZABUZA!" Haku punched his injured shoulder.
"I'm spoken for, sorry," Naruto said sheepishly. He was, right?
"Damn. You Uzumaki bunch are strong as shit. Live forever too. Makes sense on why they put the fucking nine tails in your gut," Zabuza mumbled the last bit.
"I owe quite a bit to your family, actually. Haku, go with him. Once I finish my business, we'll see if your offer still stands."
Haku conceded and looked at Naruto. "We aren't having sexI'm not sleeping with him."
Naruto coughed violently and turned beet red. "Kami, no! I just thought you'd like to not be on the road all the time! Jeez!"
"What's your plan, kid?"
"Haku, come and watch the final of the chunin exams. I can claim you under my protection once I'm chunin."
Zabuza was about to comment on how sure he sounded, but then remembered what he literally just saw him do.
"Fine. I will see you then, Naruto."
And with that, the pair left, and Naruto sat alone thinking about the choice he just made.
"You aren't even dating and she's moving in? What will Hinata think…"
"Oh gods, I have to talk to her and fix things."
Whew! That was a lot of writing. Hopefully, it was a lot of good writing but I'll leave that up to you guys! As always, thanks so much for sticking around for this. Peace!