DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, although I wish I did.
AN: No this won't be your regular wave arc mission (Also Naruto may talk, but it is only during fights at the moment.)
Legend:
"Humans talking"
'Thinking'
*Writing*
"Non-human talking"
'Non-human thinking'
Jutsu
Flashback, Time Skip
(Cough and thing like that)
Chapter 14: Crimson Wave
Naruto was waiting at the gate for the other team, his teacher, and for their client still wondering who he is as he didn't feel like reading who the client was, and merely skimmed the contents of the folder. The young boy had thoughts racing through his little twelve year old brain at enormous speeds.
The boy kept on thinking of where Ayame was as he still hadn't seen her since the accident with the fire. The boy looked up, and felt his heart drop when he thought next of Kyuubi. He still missed her, even though he knew in a day, or two she would wake up. Then he could talk to her to his heart's content.
The boy was suddenly brought out of his musings at the sound of yelling.
"Oh, come on Shino it was just a joke." shouted a boy with a dog on his head.
"A can of bug spray is no joke." spoke the boy with the color of his shirt covering his lower face in a serious tone. As he turned his head away from Kiba.
"Hinata-chan help me out here!" shouted the feral boy in exasperation.
"I told you not to wave the empty can around Shino." spoke Hinata shyly, but without stuttering.
"Oh, c'mon not you too. All I did was say he needed to pack a little for the trip, and it was a joke!" shouted the boy once more.
"That was a horrible joke then. I mean c'mon you could've at least used a full can!" shouted Hana berating him on his joke, along with her dog barking its approval.
"Hana-chan how can you encourage your brother?!" shouted a slightly angry Kurenai.
"No one got hurt, so its all good. Oh, hi Naruto-kun!" shouted Hana as the group walked over to the boy with Kiba, and Shin still arguing, well mostly Kiba as Shino was ignoring him.
"Naruto-san where is the bridge builder?" asked Kurenai as she walked over to the boy.
*I don't know.* wrote the boy as Kurenai nodded already informed of the talking or lack of talking situation from her discussion with Hana.
Flashback - two day ago
"Hey Kurenai-chan, Anko-chan, and Yugao-chan!" yelled the Inuzuka heiress as she ran at her friends with a look of urgency on her face, and in her tone of voice.
"What's up Hana-chan?" asked Anko out of worry as she also seemed to pick up on the blatant display of urgency.
"Naruto-kun isn't talking!"
"What do you mean he was talking to us just yesterday?" spoke Yugao with a confused expression on her face.
"I mean he isn't talking he's using a chalkboard to communicate." Hana stated this time a little quieter as not to alert someone else.
"Why?" asked Kurenai in a shocked tone.
"I think it has something to do with the place that got burned down three days ago." spoke Hana in a hushed tone of voice as the other three's eyes widened in realization.
"Ayame and Teuchi…" Anko, Kurenai, and Yugao spoke in unison to in thought to give a laugh at what just took place.
"Yeah, so what do we do?" asked Hana a little louder than before.
"We should leave him be for now, but I do have one question." spoke Yugao in a deadly serious tone leaving the other three on edge.
"What?" asked the other three females in unison once more not laughing.
"Why are we talking in unison!" spoke the girl chuckling slightly as the other three stared at her with deadpanned expression before joining Yugao in the giggling session.
Flashback End
"So you six are my guards?" asked an old man who sounded familiar to the blonde haired boy.
"Yes, client-san we are your escorts." spoke Kurenai calmly.
"Hmm, Why are there kids guarding me, they all look so weak. Especially that blonde one in the black." The old man said the last part with a little playfulness in it.
"Hmm, weak? I don't think you should be fucking saying that Mr. Taz." spoke a beast that walked up right behind Naruto's client.
"Hi Ice Fang." spoke the old man with a bit of fear in his voice as he stared at the beast, and took several steps back.
'What are you doing here!' shouted the boy telepathically to his wolf.
'Don't worry your mom understands the situation, and I was just coming to see you off.' spoke the beat mentally without swearing once somehow.
Somewhere else
A redhead was walking down a dark tunnel when she sneezed suddenly. "Damn someone forgot to swear like usual!" the angry woman shouted.
"I doubt anyone, or thing has a tongue as foul as you Tayuya." spoke a rather barrel like man with a baby like face, and three orange strips of hair on his nearly bald head.
"Shut your fucking pie hole Jirobo I know there's someone else out there who knows how to speak properly!" shouted the redhead angrily as the man just gave her a deadpanned expression. Before he just waved her off, and picked up a brown cloak.
Back in Konoha
"How have you been Naruto my boy?" spoke the man with a large grin on his face.
*Good, you, and I think we should start getting you home. Lest you want to anger your daughter again.* wrote the young boy as the man just started to sweat bullets.
"Yeah, I think you're right, let's go! and Naruto, why aren't you talking."
*Personal things old man Taz.*
"Ok" spoke the man as he wasn't the only one to see the written phrase, and he among others chose not to stick their noses any further in his business. They got the hint that he would tell them when he was ready, and he wasn't… yet.
The rest of the journey was walked in silence aside from the bridge builder talking to Naruto, and the boy scribbling responses at inhuman speeds.
The group of seven walked for about two hours on the road before they all suddenly stopped. The road in front of them had several burn marks indicating a fire hit the area whether it was a fire jutsu or just an idiot attempting a forest fire was unknown, but that wasn't what made them stop, and instantly go tense. The thing that did was the blood that littered the road. There was a lot of it, and it was fresh. The six ninjas instantly got into a rectangle formation with Shino and Kiba at the back, Naruto and Hinata on either side of Tazuna, and Hana and Kurenai in the front.
"We move forward quickly." spoke Kurenai calmly as she eyed the forest cautiously before the seven people broke into a jog instead of their slow walk. They stopped jogging after about fifteen minutes of nothing happening, but they were still just as alert.
'Ice Fang you hear me?' asked the boy in his head.
'...'
'...'
'...'
'Damn he's blocking me out!' shouted the boy mentally as the group continued on without stopping.
After twenty more minutes the group came to a clearing in the forest much like the bloodied battlefield they had been on not an hour before. This had only two real differences though. Instead of just blood on the ground without corpses or anything there were four bodies. One man, two teenagers, and one feminine looking kid the genin's age.
The horrifying part though was that the four bodies were missing their heads, and were hanging from the trees by a rope attached to their feet.
The second difference was the smell. This place reeked of death, and evil unlike the last battle scarred path they had encountered. This one had the horrific smell looming over the dirt road just like the bodies the smell accompanied.
Then out of nowhere a chilling wind blew through the road. The shinobi could have sworn they heard a whisper say "Join us." in a low hush voice that once more sent a chill down the spine. It was as if the Shinigami himself had graced the field of battle, and that gust of wind was the messenger saying he had arrived.
Three out of the four genin turned, and puked in a nearby bush. Naruto stood still, and stared at the four before looking at the jonin to see their reaction to the scene before them. The jonin were standing there scared at the sight of it before turning to Tazuna.
"Why are there missing nins in our way?" asked Hana calmly as Kurenai was over with the three genin trying to help them cope.
"I-I-I don't kn-know." spoke the scared man as he still had his eyes glued at the hanging corpses.
While the two of them were arguing however Naruto saw several figures in the distance. There bodies were barely visible due to the fog that had rolled in, but Naruto saw them none the less. The three figures wore masks, and had different colored cloaks on. The first of the three wore a dark crimson cloak and a hannya mask. The second wore a brown cloak with a mask of a boar on its face, and the last figure wore a spiders mask with a black cloak.
Naruto stared at them before they slowly fazed out of existence as if they were never there to begin with, but they didn't take the presence of the god of death with them. Naruto smiled as he knew they were real, and were waiting for him, and his team to get to the bridge to confront them.
"Ok guy, because Mr. bridge builder here is saying he doesn't know who those ninjas were it's up to you guys to decide if we move on or not. Just know from this point on our word is law. Ok?" asked the black haired jonin.
"Um, sensei w-why are the p-people moving?" asked Hinata as her eyes were wide with fear.
"It's just the wind." spoke Hana before she turned, and saw that it wasn't the wind. The four figures were on the ground, and walking towards the group with kunais in either hand. The group suddenly stopped, and took battle ready stances as they faced the group of seven… headless.
"Wha-What's going on!" shouted Kiba in fear as the pup on top his head whimpered in fear.
"Keep calm, and protect Tazuna!" shouted Hana as the four genin put their backs up against the old man who was now scared of what was going on. He was about ready to piss his pants.
The four corpses charged the two jonin in a heated fight. Hana jumped in front accompanied by her dog while Kurenai stayed behind flying through and seals.
"String Bean Binding Illusion!" Kurenai shouted as nothing happened. she stare wide eyed, and then realized the problem. They couldn't hear or see the jutsu so they were immune to her genjutsus. Hana realized it a moment after, and they both knew they were in trouble.
"All of you get out of here!" shouted Hana as she turned back, and engaged in a battle of Taijutsu with the two smaller teens her dog, and Kurenai were fighting the large man, and the girl.
The genin from teameight were about to till Naruto looked them in the eye. His eyes telling them all they needed to know.
Don't you dare attempt to leave your friends behind.
The genin nodded, and got into a fighting stance, Akamaru jumped off of Kiba's head, Shino let the bugs within his body flood out, Hinata activated her Byakugan, and Naruto got into a low stance.
The jonin didn't notice that the genin hadn't left so they didn't speak at all except for an occasional jutsu every now, and then. Naruto nodded at his three comrades before they charged. Naruto and Kiba went to help Hana, while Shino and Hinata went to help Kurenai.
Naruto was throwing punches, and kicks wildly, but with precision and strength. But every time he let a fist or foot fly it was blocked, and then countered. Every time that Naruto's headless opponent sent him a blow he blocked it too. They were in stalemate.
"W-why are there b-blue strings a-attached to the b-bodies?" asked Hinata suddenly from across the field, and it clicked in Naruto's head. He noticed thin lines of blue attached to the bodies of the people.
Instantly, the boy dodged another punch before rolling underneath the teen he was fighting. He quickly drew a kunai from his pouch, and struck the string, but to no avail as it didn't break. He quickly rolled out of the way of another heel that would have crushed his skull as it slightly dented the ground where Naruto once sat.
The boy had to think quick he knew what he had to do, just not how to do it. Then it hit him, literally as he received a hit to the face from a chakra covered fist. He landed near a tree, and spit out some blood before he grabbed another kunai from his pouch, and stood once more.
Naruto started pumping chakra into the kunai before it glowed a slight blue as it barely could hold any chakra, but it was enough. The boy smirked before vanishing in a blur of speed, and cutting all the wires attached to the corpses. Instantly, the bodies dropped down lifeless like they were. Everyone looked at Naruto weird as they hadn't figured out how he actually made them suddenly stop except the jonin. The stopped, because they were tired.
"What did you do?" asked Kiba with a surprised yet happy expression on his face.
*They were puppets.* the boy quickly wrote as he pulled a piece of chalk and his chalkboard of thin air.
"P-puppets?" asked Hinata still staring at the bodies in a battle ready state incase they tried to stand again.
"They were controlled (huff) by chakra strings." spoke Hana while huffing as she was still exhausted.
"We should get (huff) moving." spoke Kurenai also huffing.
"Ok, you all can stay at my place follow me!" shouted Tazuna as if he wasn't just
in a life or death situation and didn't have a small wet spot on the crotch area of his pants.
After a few hours they arrived at a dock where they ferried a boat across the large
fog covered river. A few minutes later, and the group was in the town. It was very run down, and gave off the alarm of danger. As if just being here could make you lose hope, and it disheartened the genin minus Naruto as he was used to this already. A few more minutes, and the group was at Tazuna's house They entered into the house that was strangely devoid of life.
"Tsunami! Inari! Where are you guys!" shouted Tazuna into the empty house. The man flipped the light on, and saw a note on the table. It read *out to get groceries took Inari with me.* The man sighed in relief. "Make yourselves at home." spoke the man as he turned to the group.
AN: Yay finished the chapter hope you all enjoyed my version of the wave arc so far, and take a guess if you want at who the three figures are. Current harem is: Mei, Yugao, Hinata, Yugito, Kurenai, Anko, Hana, Shizuka, Samui, Mabui, Pakura, Karin, Kin, Karui, Female Kyuubi, Tayuya, Ayame, Tsunade, Kushina, Shizune, Temari, Tsume, Nibi (maybe), Mito, and three others. leave a review or a pm with suggestion and what you would like to see, and see you all next time on The Silent Alpha. Ja ne!