Kasek: Sorry I took so long, couldn't get this chapter to go the way I wanted to, which combined with my regular writer's block and my lack of a laptop (don't worry, I got it working again), caused this chapter to be really late, not to mention not turn out the way I had intended at all.

So, yeah, changed a lot in the old chapters. Tried to get rid of my fanboyish Japanese (for the most part, sama and sensei are still there). Also, Sarutobi is now Hiruzen (its official, folks), so I went back and altered his name just because. Also, I'm referring to the Devil Fruit as the Akuma no Mi this chapter, because I follow the " no Mi" name scheme for the fruits; let me know if this is a positive change or negative. If positive, I'll change it through the rest of the story, if negative, I'll just keep it as Devil Fruit from now on.

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NEITHER NARUTO NOR ONE PIECE

Chapter 14: The Bridge Called Courage

As Sasuke took a step forward, taking out a kunai and griping it in his right hand, Naruto glared at Gatou, and then turned his head to Sasuke. "I should warn you- he ate an Akuma no Mi, too."

Sasuke calmly reached into his back pouch and withdrew a kunai. "I wouldn't worry... I'm an avenger. Killing him... is all I live for at the moment. And if I can't kill this rat... then how will I avenge Hinata, let alone my family?"

Kakashi turned to Tazuna. "Akuma no Mi?"

Tazuna nodded. "Yeah... I was about to tell you about it when Zabuza attacked. Gatou and his two henchmen all have powers born from the fruit, like Naruto."

Haku looked confused. "What is this... Akuma no Mi?"

Kakashi focused his gaze on Gatou. "A fruit that, should you eat even one bite, grants you great power, in exchange for your ability to swim."

Zabuza struggled to get up, succeeding to do so. "If that's so... why should we trust that Sasuke kid with killing Gatoh?"

Kakashi sighed, as he watched Sasuke slowly march towards Gatou. "It's... for Sasuke's pride, I guess. While it was Haku who committed the deed, he wouldn't have if Gatou hadn't hired them."

Gatou pointed his sword towards Sasuke, and then slashed to the side. "So, if you already know about my powers... I guess it wouldn't hurt to bring them out, now, would it?" Gatou sneered, and the sneer grew wider as his nose grew in length, a black dot appearing at the end, and whiskers sprouting from it as well. His ears shifted from the side of his head, and traveled upwards, becoming covered in hair in the process. As his ears began to enlarge, and become near perfectly round, the fur growing all over his body began turning black.

Three of his fingers- as well as his thumb- lengthened, becoming both long and very narrow, while his two little fingers disappeared altogether. His shoes were ripped apart as his feet went under a similar transformation, though he retained all ten toes. Finally a long, thin tail appeared behind him, and Sasuke couldn't help but notice that Gatou now seemed more... rotund. The overall effect was that Gatou had turned into some sort of large rodent creature; he almost seemed... cartoonish.

Zabuza laughed at the new Gatou. "I always figured he was a rat... I didn't know he literally was one."

Gatou snorted. "If you want to make fun of me, go ahead... I'll still kill you all. And by the way, I'm a mouse, not a rat."

Sasuke snorted. "That's even less fear-inspiring than a rat. A rodent's a rodent: how about I just cut you apart and be done with it?"

Gatou turned up his head, allowing a view of his sneer. "I don't think so, kid... I think I'll cut you in half before you even touch one whisker on my nose." In an instant, Gatou seemed to teleport from his spot to directly in front of Sasuke- his sword clashed with Sasuke's kunai, and Sasuke did not seem phased at all by the speed of the attack. Gatou growled, and then noticed Sasuke's red eyes. "Nice eyes, kid... hope you don't mind if I gouge them out."

Sasuke snorted, and reached out and touched one of Gatou's whiskers. "Touch."

Gatou's face contorted in rage. He disappeared, and in an instant, he was behind Sasuke. Sasuke, due to his Sharingan, had seen Gatou move behind him from his right, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid what was coming- instead, he stepped to the left while turning around, suffering a slash to his left side while his right leg swung out at his opponent. Gatou jumped over it, and managed to spin in mid-air and kick at Sasuke, who managed to block the kick, but was pushed back a few feet from the force of it. Sasuke growled. "So, this is the strength lent to people with the power of the Akuma no Mi, eh? Not impressed."

Gatou sneered. "Brat. I'll have you know that strength and speed aren't the only things granted to me by this fruit. For instance... enhanced hearing and smelling. Mice are particularly good at sensing the smells given off by different chemicals in the body. For instance, you reek of fear and hatred right now, though you're doing a good job of hiding the fear. And if you want to see an example of another power granted me by the fruit, well..." He reached up with his left hand and removed his sunglasses, putting them in his pocket. Amusingly enough, his eyes were as big and round as his sunglasses were. He immediately closed them, and his sneer widened. "Why don't you attack me and find out?"

Sasuke dashed towards Gatou, and slashed at him with his kunai in every way he could. However, every time, Gatou would move out of the way, as if his eyes were open. Gatou even managed to dodge when his back was turned Eventually, Gatou spun around and tried to use the momentum to slice Sasuke in half; however, Sasuke saw it happening in slow motion with his Sharingan, and managed to jump out of the way in time, a small tear appearing on his shirt where the sword had almost touched him. Sasuke frowned. "A sixth sense, then?"

Gatou pulled his sunglasses back out and put them on his face, and then resumed a combat pose as he began circling Sasuke. "You see, these whiskers of mine aren't just for show. They can detect air currents, and I've refined the ability to the point where I can detect how an opponent is going to attack just by the feel of it!"

Zabuza turned to Kakashi after hearing that. "Is that... even possible?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I'm not a mouse."

Sasuke placed his kunai back in his pouch. "Air currents, huh? Then I guess you better prepare for an updraft, then!" He quickly placed his hands together into the familiar seals- Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, and Tiger, taking a deep breath and tilting his head back as he did so. As he brought his head back forward, he opened his mouth, and flames spewed forth from his mouth, heading straight for Gatou. Sasuke could not see what was happening, but he became very suspicious when he didn't hear any screams of pain. As the fire died down, Sasuke realized that not even a trace of Gatou was where it should've been.

Naruto saw some movement from behind Sasuke, and yelled to his teammate. "Sasuke, behind you!"

Sasuke turned around just in time to witness himself being impaled on Gatou's sword. Gatou sneered as blood began to stain Sasuke's shirt. "Looks like I win, brat."

Sasuke grit his teeth. "Not... yet... I can still... fight!" Gatou raised an eyebrow as Sasuke gripped the back of the blade, and then the both of them yelled out in pain as sparks of electricity flew out in every direction from the sword, causing Gatou to let go of his sword as he tried to get away. Sasuke pulled the sword out of his front, and smiled as he fell to the ground. "At least... I tried... your turn, Naruto... avenge... us both..."

Gatou turned back to his normal form, and rubbed his nose. "Darn it... the smell of burnt fur was overpowering..." He paled when he felt a presence towering over him. Looking up, he saw that it was Naruto in his hybrid form, cracking his knuckles. Naruto grabbed Gatou by the front of his shirt and lifted him into the air with his left hand. He pulled back his right hand, obviously intending to punch Gatou. Knowing that his human form could not survive such a thing, he transformed into his half-mouse form, and braced himself for impact. However, Naruto did not punch him, but instead brought him over to Sasuke. Gatou realized that tears were falling down the sides of Naruto's face.

"Do you see what you've done, Gatou?! Because of you, I've lost my two teammates! How do you plan to make up for this, huh?!"

Gatou sneered as his tail slowly snaked around his sword. "I don't plan... to make up for anything!" He swung his lower body towards Naruto, and slashed Naruto across the chest. As Naruto let go, Gatou fell to the ground, and immediately began dashing towards the three ninja observing the fight, placing his sword back in his hand. "Alright, one of you is gong to die... and I think I know exactly who!"

As Gatou raced towards them, Kakashi dashed to meet him. However, Gatou managed to jump above him, and continued towards Zabuza and Haku. Haku threw some senbon in self-defense, but Gatou managed to avoid those, too. Zabuza realized exactly who he was going for- Haku. He managed to push Haku out of the way, and got stabbed himself. Zabuza smirked as he turned to Gatou, and muttered, "Look behind you" as he collapsed. Gatou realized that someone or something had a good grip on his tail, and he didn't need to turn around to know that it was Naruto. He turned around anyways, and shuttered as he looked into the blood-red eyes of Naruto's most muscular form, which Gatou realized was much taller than his earlier half-fox form. Naruto began spinning, and Gatou began spinning with him. Eventually, Naruto let go, and Gatou slammed into the small wall of the bridge, several cracks forming around him. Naruto walked up to him, and sneered. "I think I just found the best method of execution for you, Gatou..."

Gatou's whiskers drooped. "A-and that would be?"

"To drown in the very waters this bridge is meant to cross... after all, you can't swim." Naruto punched Gatou straight through the wall, and when he fell into the water, screaming, he did not come back up.

Naruto, now in his human form, walked back towards Zabuza, and leaned over him. "Is he..."

Zabuza rolled over onto his back, and coughed up some blood, staining his bandages. "I'm probably not going to make it... but I think it best you hear what Haku has to tell you. Don't mind me."

Naruto looked at Haku, who smiled. "That girl... I didn't kill her. Well, I tried my best not to, anyways. Go to your friends, I can take care of things here."

Naruto gave a grateful smile, and rushed back to Hinata and Sasuke. Tazuna came over, and locked eyes with Zabuza. Zabuza smirked. "Sorry about the whole 'trying to kill you' business... it was nothing personal. You, too, Kakashi. Good fight."

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "You know, I think I might actually miss you when you're gone."

Zabuza coughed again, and smirked. "Heh. We shinobi die, it's part of our job descriptions. I wouldn't mind a nice grave, though..." He turned his head to look at Haku. "Hey, Haku. If you want, why don't you go with these people? I'm sure Konoha would be more appreciative of a shinobi with a Kekkei Genkai than Kiri ever was... well, if Kakashi agrees to it."

Kakashi looked on as Naruto managed to get Sasuke up, and hefted him onto his shoulders. "Well... If Naruto forgives you..."

Sasuke smiled as the two of them walked towards Hinata. "I saw what you did to Gatou... you sure he didn't survive that?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah... people like me and him can't swim. It's part of the curse given to us by the Akuma no Mi."

Sasuke shook his head. "Still... I would've preferred a more definite death, like cutting off his head."

They kneeled next to Hinata. Naruto lifted her head, and both he and Sasuke smiled when he saw her eyelids flutter open. "Na-Naruto? Sasuke? Are we... still alive?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah... I beat Haku, Kakashi beat Zabuza, and me and Sasuke beat Gatou when he showed up."

Hinata smiled. "That's... good. I'm just glad that everyone is safe."

Sasuke nodded his head. "And everyone else is glad that you're safe... Hinata."

Zabuza called out to them, his head now in Haku's lap. "Oy, fox-boy... can you come over here for a bit? I need to talk to you."

Hinata looked at Naruto and Sasuke inquisitively. "Huh? I thought you said..."

Naruto smiled. "They're not after Tazuna anymore. They gave up. I'll see you later, okay?" Hinata nodded, and Naruto rushed back to the group of adults. "What do you want?"

Zabuza looked at Haku, who merely nodded. "So, you beat Haku, huh?"

Naruto stiffened. "Well... I guess... I did..."

Zabuza closed his eyes in thought. "...that Devil Fruit must really be something, then... to give a kid like you the power that it does... I could feel the demonic energy all the way from here..."

Kakashi noticed Naruto stiffen. Looks like Naruto knows that it wasn't the Akuma no Mi that gave off that energy... either way, I'll have to report it to the Hokage.

Naruto nodded. "Y-yeah..."

Zabuza sighed as he opened his eyes. "However, you're not going to be able to defeat your opponents with your bare hands every time. So, I have a proposition for you."

Naruto looked surprised. "A proposition?"

Zabuza coughed again, more blood spilling from his mouth. "As you can see, my time here is pretty much up... so, why don't you take my sword, Kubikiri Hocho? Those other forms of yours look like they could swing it around, and I don't want it to just gain rust on my grave."

Naruto gulped. "Y-your sword? You said this was a proposition, right? What do I have to do in return?"

Zabuza smirked underneath his mask. "Well... I want you to take Haku to Konoha. Be his friend. He's always had a kind heart... he'd do well in a village like yours."

Naruto smiled. "I think I'd want to do that even without the offering of a cool sword like yours..."

Zabuza's smirk remained. "Well, then, do we have a deal?" He lifted up his sword for Naruto to grab by the hilt. Naruto transformed into his his standard hybrid form, grabbed the hilt, and lifted it over his shoulders. "Deal."

"G-Grandpa!"

Everyone turned to where the noise had come from- standing there was Inari, and just about every man from the town, all geared up for battle- Inari himself was wearing a pot on his head, a crossbow in his hands. Tazuna looked about to cry. "I-Inari.. you... everybody..."

Inari looked around. "Umm... where is everybody? Don't tell me it's already over..."

Zabuza looked at him as Inari walked over, the rest of the men following him. "'Fraid so, kid... all that's left is for me to die here... then, the curtain on this play can finally close."

Inari's eyes widened as he took in Zabuza's features. "Are you... the demon Zabuza?"

Zabuza chuckled. "The demon Zabuza, huh? Hey, maybe I could go get a job torturing Gatou in hell, if they'll let me."

A man spoke up. "Gatou's... dead?"

Naruto grinned. "He fell off the bridge without being able to so much as float. I think he's dead."

The men began crowding around Naruto. "Whoa, does he have the power of the Akuma no Mi, too?" "Are you supposed to be some kind of fox man or something?" "Thats real fur alright... creepy." "I wish I had powers like that..." Naruto, blushing, reverted back to his normal form, laying Zabuza's sword carefully on the ground.

Zabuza coughed. "That boy... using his powers, he not only defeated Haku, but he killed Gatou. He is... the savior of your country, I suppose."

All of the men seemed really pleased with this, and began excitedly chattering, each attempting to shake Naruto's hand or pat him on the back. Kakashi smiled. "Well, his first C-rank mission and already he's famous."

Zabuza coughed up even more blood. "Oh... I guess it's time for me to leave."

He felt what felt like a raindrop land on his face. Looking up, he saw Haku crying. "Don't waste your tears on me... I'm the past, now. You have your whole life to look forward to- if you have to cry for something, cry in happiness that you are able to live."

Haku nodded, and then Zabuza slowly reached up to his bandages and pulled them off, revealing his smiling face. Snow began falling all around them, causing the men to stare up into the air in wonder- it was summer. Haku wiped his tears. "I... suppose you're right. Technically, as a shinobi, as a tool, I'm not supposed to be crying at all..."

Zabua closed his eyes for a second, and looked into Haku's eyes. "You never were able to kill your heart... maybe it's for the best that you never become a true shinobi. Keep your heart- show people who you truly are. After all... shinobi are human, too."

Haku nodded once again. "I'll take that... as your last orders, then..."

Zabuza smiled as he reached up and stroked Haku's face. "There... that's a good attitude to take... we had a good run, didn't we? Goodbye... Haku... my... son..." Zabuza's hand fell down to the ground, and while Haku's tears had stopped flowing, the snow increased until one could only see a few feet in front of oneself.

--

Two weeks later

The shinobi all stood in front of Zabuza's grave, Haku at the forefront, now dressed in the same clothes he had met Naruto in. "I guess this is goodbye... father."

A lot had happened in the two weeks since the battle on the bridge. For one, the bridge had been completed. Even though it hadn't been long enough for anybody to really use it, the entire country seemed in a much better mood.

Zori and Waraji, after being released, went on their way to find a new job. They were sure they could find one- though Naruto's suggestion was that they join the circus as circus bears. While Zori seemed to resent being called a bear ("Koalas are marsupials!"), they still seemed to be considering it when they left- after all, making children laugh for a living would be a good way to make up for making Inari cry for so long (not to mention that Zori kind of looked like a clown as it was).

Haku helped Hinata recover using his great medical skills that he had learned back in Kirigakure, though even after two weeks she still needed to keep her neck bandaged. Naruto and Sasuke took turns at her bedside, while the other would help with building the bridge. The men were all impressed by Naruto's Kage Bunshin and hybrid form, which he used to great effect to speed up construction by bringing the men their materials whenever they needed some.

After the bridge was done, Team 7 and Haku were all ready to leave, and were seen off by Tazuna, Inari, Tsunami, and Giichi. It was hard to say good bye, especially for Inari and Naruto, though they eventually managed to do so, albeit tearfully. As the ninja walked down the bridge, Tazuna smiled. "That boy managed to change Inari's heart... and Inari changed the people's hearts... that boy gave us a bridge to 'hope', named 'courage'. Speaking of bridges... we need to name this bridge. And I think I have the perfect name for it, too."

Giichi looked surprised. "Oh? What is it?"

Tazuna smiled. "How about... the Great Naruto Bridge? Yeah, that's a good name."

Giichi smirked. "You sure about that name?"

Tazuna's smile didn't falter. "Heh... this name is in hope that the bridge never crumbles... and will one day become a super-famous bridge, whose name is known throughout the world..."

--

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed as he read Kakashi's report. "Well, all seems well and good, but... Naruto seems to be more and more aware of the fox inside of him, huh?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes... the fox's powers react to the hatred within his heart, and alter the nature of his Akuma no Mi powers. I personally saw a shorter hybrid form, while from what I gathered from Haku, Naruto turned into a miniature version of the Kyuubi itself."

Hiruzen nodded. "Yes... it looks like I'll have to have a talk with him about that soon... also, does Naruto seem interested in that sword he received?"

Kakashi smirked. "He spent quite a lot of time practicing with it... he seems to like it. I even taught him how to seal it into a scroll so he can carry it with him."

Hiruzen smirked. "I see... maybe I'll give him some tips on that while I'm at it... well, if that's everything, you're dismissed."

Kakashi shok his head. One last thing... while it didn't seem to affect him at the time, Sasuke has recently been very upset over his loss to Gatou. I heard him complain to himself that, if he doesn't have the power to save his friends, how can he avenge his clan? You might want to see him about it." He turned around and walked out the door, closing it behind him.

Hiruzen sighed as he looked out the window. "The Kyuubi... the Akuma no Mi... this is all too complicated. I hope the strain doesn't provide too much for Naruto..."