Duty, Honor, and Truth

by Tyrchon

Young Naruto believes himself alone with no family, he is wrong. Learning the ways of his mother the young boy will embark on a mysterious adventure that could destroy both him and Konoha. What will he do when confronted by his clan's legacy? Slight AU.

21. Chapter 20: Dead Heroes Part 1

Disclaimer: Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

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Duty, Honor, and Truth

Chapter 20 – Dead Heroes (Part 1)

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"Oh god!"

The cry hadn't come from him. He wasn't the one who was beseeching intervention from some divine entity, but as he turned to duck down an alleyway behind two other armed men he couldn't help but silently agree. It was supposed to be easy, a few peasants with pitchforks and kitchen knives. Not like this, nothing like this….

"Aaaaah!"

The sudden screech had come from behind him. Turning just a little to glance over his shoulder the thug felt his eyes widen and cold sweat run down his face. The man who had been only a few steps behind him a moment before was now lying on the ground, two kunai in his back as a figure, barely visible in the predawn mists, dropped down only a few yards away. He couldn't see who the figure was, but he easily recognized the look of terror on the prone man's face. Watching the injured man struggling to crawl, pulling desperately with his bony fingers gripping the stones, the bandit saw his comrade suddenly go rigid before violently being pulled back towards the unknown figure. It had been so quick, so sudden, and yet the fear in the man's eyes before disappearing into the misty darkness was now burned permanently into his mind. That was enough to make him turn and continue running, that look was all that was needed to spur him on, to make him think of his own life.

"Kami help me!"

That had been him, silently imploring. He had never thought of himself as a religious man, far from it in fact. He had never really cared to think about the divine, far more concerned with the earthly. He had grown up on the streets, a pickpocket, living for the easy score and valuing the feeling of elation that came when he felt the weight of a nice fat purse fall into his hand. Graduating to armed robbery and a position as a small time bandit had been natural. Taking the offer to come to the Country of Wave and work for Gato had been just as simple.

The government was corrupt, already deep into Gato's pocket. The people were like rabbits, numerous and easily frightened. All he and the others had to do was rough up a few holdouts, destroy a few buildings here and there, crack some heads open in order to show these people that there was a new boss in town. "Take what you want and remember to give us a percent," that was what he and the others had been told. It was supposed to be easy money. It was supposed to be a simple job.

"Somebody! Help…uuurk!"

It was sharp sound off to his right behind a dilapidated fence, a plea for life in this land of death. Knocking over a trashcan as he continued to run the bandit cursed this 'simple' job.

It had been just as advertised, the people easily frightened and anything he wanted just waiting for him to grab it. He had easily begun to amass more money than he had ever held in his entire life of thievery. What nobles seemed to be left paid him and his fellows no heed, so long as they got their 'fair share'. But that was then….

That previous morning he had awoken to the wonderful life of drinking and thieving that he and the others had grown accustom to. The locals offered no resistance, at least not anymore, so there was no need to worry. However, during the day some of their group had seemingly disappeared in the middle of broad daylight. More likely than not these 'disappeared' men were just lying drunk in some back alley, he and his fellow rouges had reasoned. The laughter and jokes had continued well into the evening and past the witching hour. Dispersing from out across the several blocks they had taken over they had slunk off in small groups to find beds or, more importantly for some, a young warm body to enjoy in one of those beds. In their groggy, drunken haze not a single one of them had guessed what was stalking them from the shadows.

"Sweet merciful gods…!"

Letting out the whimpering cry the thug backpedaled away from the narrow lane he had just been about to turn down. Falling back on his ass what he saw chilled his very bones. A lone figure stood there, sword in hand, blood dripping from the blade to join the puddle growing out from the two corpses at his feet. The thug, his mind sobered due to the fear of being hunted, didn't wait to see the blond head turn to look towards him. Scrambling to his feet and then running for his life through the twisting alleys and side streets of the small town the thug ignored the warm trickle down the inside of his legs. So great was his fear that he didn't care that he had just pissed himself.

Bursting out into the light mist that had gathered in the square, his heart thumping rapidly in his chest and his lungs burning, the thug let out a breath of relief. Gathering in the town square were a number of other bandits and thugs, men he had drank with and with whom he had taken what they wished from the local populace. There were maybe a dozen of them, many holding makeshift torches to fight back the mist shrouded night. Right here, right now this was safe…or as close as one could get he reasoned.

"Where's the rest of your group?!" one man yelled at him, his face sweaty and his knuckles white as his hands clenched around the shaft of a crude spear.

"Back…there!" he felt himself yelling in broken response, his lungs trying to take in the air that his body desperately craved as he pointed to alley he had just exited. "They're…! Who...?! What The Hell Is Going On?!"

"I don't know!" the spear wielder screamed in response, tears actually forming in the corners of his eyes as they shifted frantically about the square. "I Don't Know!"

Following the other man's eyes the thug noted a few more men stumbling out of alleys or running down the main streets towards them. His hands shaking like dry leaves in a strong wind he was barely able to pull out a pair of knives from the waistband of his pants as he joined the defensive circle that the others had formed in the center of the square. He counted roughly thirteen, wait, fourteen men now, but out of how many? He was trying to remember, but all he could picture was the shadowed figure he had just escaped.

"Not enough, not enough…," a man to his right mumbled. "Run…we need to…."

Whatever the man continued to mutter disappeared as he shifted over to a language that the one time pickpocket didn't recognize. Shifting his eyes to the right he saw that the other man had the slight olive skin tone of someone from the western lands beyond the Country of Wind. The westerner seemed to shake frantically as he folded his hands together and dropped down to his knees, his head bowed and his eyes screwed tightly shut. The man was jabbering so frantically in his own language that it was hard to even make out what he was saying. Focusing slightly the former pickpocket thought he could make out a few individual words and guessed the man to be praying. He wasn't sure what 'Diablo' was, but from the fearful tone with which the olive toned thug uttered it, one could surmise that it wasn't something good.

"Aaaah!"

The cry broke the bandit from his thoughts. Turning his head sharply he saw where it had originated from. Not more than fifteen yards from him another bandit laid, a kunai in the small of his back as he desperately tried to crawl towards him and the safety of the circle. Some of the others were yelling to him, trying to encourage him, hoping he would make it to them as they dared not leave the circle lest they be struck down as well. His own voice also joined in as he watched the man crawl with all of his might towards them. However, he felt his mouth suddenly go dry as his voice failed and the square fell silent except for the desperate grunts of the crawling man.

Either unaware or in just too much pain and panic to worry about why the square had gone so quiet, the crawling man didn't notice the figure stalking out of the alleyway behind him. The man seemed so desperate to escape that he probably wouldn't have noticed except the shadow cast by the figure in the misty moonlight suddenly fell over him. Freezing in place the prone man hesitantly turned to look over his shoulder before something silvery flashed past. The surprise and fear frozen on his face was apparent as his head, free from his body, rolled to a stop just in front of the circle of bandits.

"Oh god! Oh dear sweet, merciful Kami."

The quickly muttered prayer or some rendition of it escaped the lips of many of the frightened bandits. Part of it came from the fact that a few of them stood there, looking into the eyes of the severed head of one of their fellow enforcers. The other part was due to the blond haired blue-eyed boy with whisker marks on his face and the headband of Konoha tied securely across his forehead that stood over the body with sword in hand.

Uzumaki Naruto, the hidden heir to Clan Shugorei, the son of Namikaze Minato and Shugorei Kushina, was by no means the most intimidating looking person around. Standing at only four feet ten inches the young blond was rather annoyed at his lack of a significant growth spurt over the past year. That annoyance was compounded by the fact that all of his friends, with the exception of Hinata, had already broken the five foot mark. However, the fact that he was short and only twelve years of age was lost on the group of bandits. They were more concerned with the feeling of malice that rolled off the boy, as well as the multiple copies of the blond that were now appearing all over the place.

Stepping out of alleyways and streets, perching on the edge of roof tops, leaning against the sides and corners of the rundown buildings, at least fifty clones let their crystal blue eyes focus solely upon the ring of bandits they now encircled. Not a single one of the whiskered blonds bore a trace of a smile, not a single hint of triumph graced their faces, only a stern gaze and the uncaring tight line of their mouths. Standing there as the predawn was just beginning to lighten the eastern horizon, one could wonder what was more frightening to the gathered thugs: the fact that they had been hunted down, the fact that they were now surrounded, or the fact that the boy who was surrounding them wore an emotionless visage more appropriate for an agent of death than a twelve year old kid.

"Gato had forty-seven thugs here and in the vicinity of this town," Naruto remarked calmly as he focused upon those gathered in the center of the square. "I took sixteen of you during the day and another seventeen of you over the course of this evening. Of you who stand here now, I only require…."

Anger overcoming fear as the genin's words hit them one of the bandits, a man holding a battered and chipped sword, yelled back, "Fuck you! You're just some kid! Ya see that lads?! He's just some scrawny kid! I bet ya he still sucks on his momma's…!"

The man didn't get a chance to finish the insult. Suddenly letting out a startled gurgle the man dropped his sword as his hands reached desperately for his throat. Watching the bandit fall to his knees the others could easily spy the dark wetness of blood that dripped from his hands as they touched the shuriken lodged in soft flesh. Two of the small star's four points weren't visible, buried in the man's trachea. As his gurgling became more frantic he slumped sideways onto the bloody cobblestones of the square, spasms lightly racking his body.

"I only require one of you," Naruto noted, ignoring the last sounds of the man choking on his own blood. "One of you will tell me where I can find Gato and that one will get to…."

"Yaaaah!"

His fear finally breaking free and overriding the rational part of his mind the former pickpocket let out a feral scream as he charged towards the blond. His action, exacerbated by the reckless desperation to survive, was infectious. Seeing their comrade charging forward, the rest of the group, makeshift torches and weaponry in hand, followed suit. Launching themselves with a desperate fury towards the nearest blond genin they could find. It was a courageous, if ultimately worthless, final act.

Barely making it five steps the former pickpocket suddenly felt a certain degree of weightlessness overcome his body as the world seemed to slow down. As he tried to wonder what was happening time came crashing back in as pain blossomed in both of his arms and the back of his head as he bounced off the cobblestones of the square . Lying stunned the man let his head loll to the side slightly, catching in the peripheral of his blurred vision the sight of his fellow thugs bent and twisted over in the various holds executed by the whiskered blonds.

"Wishing to die on your feet…. I can respect that. Nonetheless, you're still scum."

Hearing the words the bandit shifted his head slightly to look up and see the visage of the blue-eyed Konoha-nin standing over him. Trying to push through the pain that blurred his vision the man noted that his arms and hands were twisted and bent at odd angles in the grasp of the young genin. Without a single precursor Naruto gave the man's right wrist a hard squeeze. The sound of pulverized bone grinding against itself was drowned out as the thug let out an ear piercing shriek of pain.

"Where's Gato!" the young Shugorei heir demanded, releasing the pressure he had put on the man's wrist.

"I don't know!" the thug screamed, tears falling from his eyes. "I swear to Kami! I don't…eaaarghhh!"

Forgoing the man's wrist to twist the man's entire broken left arm, Naruto snarled, "Swear To Me!"

"Eaaaggh!" the bandit screamed before letting out a whimper as the pressure was once again released slightly. "Tsu…Tsuchiro! H-h-he…he met with…!"

"Tsuchiro met with Gato?!" the whiskered Shugorei barked, letting his fingers glide up to the man's destroyed wrist once again.

"H-Hai…," the injured thug weakly stuttered fearful that more pain was about to come.

"Which one is Tsuchiro?!" Naruto demanded his eyes narrowing as they locked with the man's, the crystal blue orbs silently promising pain if the answer was not quick in coming.

"O…o-over there!" the man desperately cried. "Y-you…the shuriken!"

Shifting his eyes over to look at the bandit he had killed only moments before with a shuriken to the throat Naruto's mouth took on an odd grin.

"Him…? Really? Well…shit."

Releasing the man and climbing back up to his feet the blond boy's whiskered face took on the odd visage that confirmed he was deep in thought. Standing there for a moment the small frown shifted into a sly grin.

"Hmmm, it seems that you're telling me the truth," the Shugorei heir commented calmly, the bandit trying to nod in affirmation. "But I need to be sure." Looking around at the baker's dozen of thieves at his mercy the blond seemed to grow a little cheerful as he continued, "This seems to be a good chance for me to get some practice in."

Fearing more pain the debilitated thug let out a pitiful whimper. Hearing the sound Naruto shifted his gaze back down to the bandit as he readied himself to use the Kyogi no Tama.

"Oh, don't worry. This won't…," the whiskered genin began with a fox like grin. "Okay, so it may hurt. I haven't had a real chance to practice on people in awhile, what with how mistakes can leave you…. Well, let's just say you won't be in a position to complain afterwards…or do much else for that matter."

Eyes widening further with fear and desperation, the cry the man began to utter caught in his throat as the blond made a few handseals. The only thing the thug recognized after that was the rather compelling voice entering his mind.

---

"Hmm…"

Standing over one of the bandits he had hunted, cornered, and then decimated, Naruto rubbed his chin in thought. The man at his feet let out a dull moan, but seemed none the worse for wear. Dawn was breaking fully and the evening's mists were already beginning to thin and burn off.

"Better, but still not near the level it should be," the whiskered blond commented, a number of clones standing silent vigil around the square. "Damn jutsu, I need to work on my control…still have to use all the handseals and yet I still can't use it to its full potential."

Looking back over to the men he had practiced on, Naruto could easily follow his progress. The first man, the one who had led the charge and whom had consequently had both of his arms broken was by far the worst off. Lying still, the thug had blood slowly trickling out of his ears, his nose, and the corners of his eyes as they stared unblinkingly up at the lightening sky. If he had been in a hospital he would have been diagnosed as being brain-dead, just as a subsequent number of his fellows would be. In stark contrast the last man, lucky number thirteen, would awaken in a few hours time. The man would have a splitting headache, but nothing worse than the hangover caused by a full night of binge drinking.

"No leads on Gato's whereabouts, but at least I was able to get the truth from all of them," Naruto noted as he turned and walked towards where his few remaining clones were surrounding the square. "Too bad I killed that Tsuchiro guy; guess I should've knocked him out instead."

"Oh, ya think?!" Konoe piped up, the sarcasm quite evident in his gruff voice. "Not every situation has to be resolved with the method of: Kill first, Kill second, Kill some more, and when everyone is dead, try and ask a few questions."

"Hey, I interrogated…well, most of them," the Shugorei heir remarked a little sheepishly in defense. "Besides, the shuriken was by reflex. I thought it'd scare the rest into line."

"It was rather entertaining if you ask me," the Kyuubi no Kitsune noted, the sound of lips being licked accompanying him dark voice. "The fear and panic in their eyes…it was as sweet and delicious as a fine wine."

"Well nobody asked you," the Zanpakuto responded, his voice taking on a tone of guarded warning.

"Hmmph," the Kyuubi seemed to snort in annoyance at being talked back to by the Zanpakuto.

His mood darkening slightly as the demonic Fox let its presence be known, Naruto shifted his focus away from the mental debate. His senses finely tuned due to being not only a shinobi but also the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Youko, Naruto easily picked up on the movement and slight gasps that were coming from behind him and all around the edge of the square. The townsfolk, gaunt and wide-eyed, looked like specters as they stood with the light mist around them, their clothing little more than threadbare rags. Opening the shutters on windows, stepping out from around corners and into the street to peer at the center of the square, their curiosity at the commotion that had caused them to cower for much of the night began to outweigh their fear.

On the edge of the square Naruto ignored the whispered words of these people. Shifting his eyes to the forms of the bandits and thugs who had terrorized the area the blond genin gave a single glance towards the few clones that remained around them. Sharing nods with their creator the blue-eyed blond clones all made the same single handed seal.

"Haien!"

The exclamation was followed by lobbed balls of purple fire. Ignoring the cry of the last two men he had practiced upon and the startled gasps of the townsfolk, Naruto watched the purple flames consume blood, cloth, and flesh as he felt the familiar tug of the clones puffing out of existence once again. It was a useful jutsu, Haien, even though it was impractical for combat. The jutsu was too slow and in the young Shugorei heir's opinion…incomplete. He had originally thought that if he could master the technique to the point where it only required a single seal he would be able to compensate for the low velocity by simple lobbing it directly in an opponent's face. However, some experimentation with the technique had ruled that idea out in a hurry.

Practicing it a few weeks ago Naruto had found that the ball of purple flame was not only wobbly in its trajectory but also rather volatile. Within one of the practice rooms of the hidden facility that was his home he had tried to fire the jutsu from a distance of three feet. The firing wasn't the problem, but the impact of the ball of flame with the stone training block had been. Behaving almost like a liquid, the jutsu seemed to splash as it hit the surface, part of the purple flame shooting back to him and catching the sleeve of his shirt on fire. Shucking off the garment in a hurry as the purple flame quickly began to consume it and move in on the flesh of his forearm the boy had been rather thankful that he hadn't been wearing his usual vest over the long sleeved shirt or Konoe across his back.

"Damn thing acts like an overly full water balloon, hit something with it when you're too close and you get wet too," the blond thought as the flames began to die away. "Chalk up another one to things the clan should've mentioned instead of letting me almost set myself on fire once again."

"You would easily survive such an experience due to my ability to heal your pathetic body," the Kyuubi offered, speaking up with its usual tempting whisper, a hint of mirth in its voice. "You would just be…well, you know…on fire for a while…again."

"Ah yes, engulfed in flames and feeling all of my soft tissue burn off and then regenerate only to be burned off again until the flames are consumed by demonic chakra," the Shugorei heir responded, sarcasm mixing with his annoyance at the demonic interjection. "I don't recall much of being caught in the explosion of the warehouse, but I do remember that part quite well and it is something I'd rather not experience again. Especially since one of the little side effects was me going berserk."

"Hmm, that was rather delightful," noted the demonic fox with a dark chuckle.

"Oh, shut up!" Naruto fired back as the dark chuckle and mental presence of the fox faded.

"You're getting better," Konoe lightly applauded.

"A small victory," the whiskered genin begrudgingly noted. "Just like most of the others."

"A victory is a victory no matter where it happens or under what circumstances it occurs," the gruff Zanpakuto answered calmly, quoting one of the favorite statements of Shugorei Jinjiro.

Reminded of his Hijiji and what the old man had taught him Naruto took a moment to take a few steadying breathes. Konoe had begun to encourage him to begin exerting dominance and control over the Kyuubi as it was invariably linked to him just as the Zanpakuto was. However, trying to command a demon that was untold millennia old was no easy feat.

"Small steps, wear down your foe until you are ready to take complete advantage," Naruto reminded himself. "That's what Hijiji would be telling me."

"W-what…What have you done?!"

The bewildered cry broke the blond Shugorei from his thoughts causing him to blink several times before turning to its source. Standing only a few yards behind him Naruto spotted a man in his late forties or early fifties. The man was thin; his ragged clothing almost falling off his body and his face was covered in a mixture of stubble and grime. However, that wasn't what disturbed Naruto. No, it was that the man was staring at him with a mix of horror, disbelief, and anger.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" the man yelled, many of the other townsfolk warily looking at the young genin. "Gato…!"

"Is little more than a common crook and bully," the whiskered blond retorted calmly. "He only preys upon you because you let him."

A grimace forming on his face at being talked back to by a twelve year old boy, even though that twelve year old boy had just slaughtered twenty men and admitted doing the same to numerous others, the man exclaimed, "That's easy for you to say! You're a ninja, you can defend yourself! What happens when Gato sends more of his men?! What'll happens to us?!"

Breaking his gaze from the hysterical man Naruto let it pass over the rest of the crowd that had gathered. Every one of them had sunken eyes filled with the same fear and worry. There was no fight in them, what anger they held was overtaken by terror. If he so desired he would probably be able to scatter them with a simple yell.

"They are nothing…little better than sheep. Destined to be used and slaughtered," the Kyuubi whispered darkly. "It would be so easy for you to just…."

Giving a mental shake of his head the young Shugorei responded forcefully, "Shut up! I am not like you!"

Letting out a sinister laugh as its voice faded the Kyuubi left one final remark, "As you wish, however…. I do wonder as to why you so insist upon lying to yourself."

Tamping down his anger as he knew the Fox was simply trying to goad him Naruto turned away from the people that were staring at him. As their stares, full of doubt and fear bore into him the blond felt his anger grow. Anger that these people were so cowardly, anger that they would not only not try to save themselves but not support those who were acting on their behalf, anger that they would dare question him and his mission, and yet at the same time a small amount of guilt mixed with that anger. Though he did not want to admit it part of the whiskered boy wanted to agree with the demon he carried and that part made the rest of him feel ashamed.

Not bothering to say anything as he knew it would be pointless to do so Naruto left, disappearing with a single flash step. Looking for a moment at where the boy had stood the townsfolk eventually turned away and shuffled back to what little they had to call a life. They're heads bowed and their bodies stooped, slowly dragging their feet, told of the heavy invisible shackles they had forged for themselves.

---

News of the imminent invasion of the Country of Wave was finally beginning to circulate throughout the entire Country of Fire. At first it had merely started out with rumors, but these rumors had only grown stronger as troop movements towards the eastern coast became noticeable. The lid had finally popped when the numerous newspaper organizations across the country received copies of the speech that the Daimyo had given before his Court. It was the same speech of which copies had been given in advance to the Sandaime Hokage and Konoha Village Council only a few days earlier, a speech that had garnered much debate, a speech that declared and attempted to justify the coming conflict. As a whole, the Country of Fire was now holding its collective breath, waiting for whatever was now to come.

"Has there been any word? Anything at all?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose the Sandaime Hokage felt exhausted as he turned away from the window to look to those whom he had just voiced his question to. Sitting, standing, and otherwise grouped into his office were the six ANBU Division Captains and the three Elders of the council. Everyone, from his old teammates Homura and Koharu to the ever energetic Anko and the ever masked Tenzou, looked quite tired and haggard. The meeting they were having had begun yesterday afternoon with little end in sight as the lightening of the far horizon spoke of dawn. The only person who seemed to be anywhere near calm, collected, and at ease was Danzou, but even the secretive former leader of Ne was finding it hard to stifle his own yawns.

Rubbing her tired eyes Usohakkenki Takara answered slowly, "No, Hokage-sama. There hasn't been any word at all since we checked a few hours…."

'Bam!'

"Then check again!" the Hokage ordered, having just slammed his palms down on his desk. "I want to know why Kakashi's and Kurenai's teams aren't back yet. At the very least we should've gotten word from them by now!"

Rolling her head slightly in the effort to remove the crick in her neck Takara began to stand and move towards the door when she felt a hand touch her elbow lightly. Looking down, the Captain of the Counterintelligence Division met the tired eyes of Utatane Koharu. Giving a slight shake of her head the Elder indicated for the ANBU Captain to retake her seat.

"Sarutobi," Mitokado Homura, pulling his glasses off to rub where they had been resting on his nose, addressed his old friend and teammate. "This is bordering on the absurd…wasting so much time and resources on the whereabouts of two teams of genin. Keeping us up like this and away from the duties that are…."

"Don't tell me this isn't important Homura!" Sarutobi exclaimed spearing his old friend with a harsh glare. "I've got several members of the council, not to mention a few clan heads pestering me about the whereabouts of Teams 7 and 8. Haruno Kisuke is all but hammering down the doors of the tower, wanting to know where the hell his granddaughter is and I'm all but out of excuses to give him! The man is even threatening to petition the council for an independent investigation surrounding these matters in order to find out how they're being handled, who knew what and when they learned of it!

"Kisuke is just blowing smoke," Koharu calmly interjected. "He knows that these things take time. Konoha has been through such situations before."

"Well he's far from being helpful!" the old Hokage thundered, slumping down into his chair hard. "As if I don't have enough on my plate as it is. We've gotten numerous requests from vassal lords spread out all over the country, demanding to know why Konoha hasn't fully mobilized yet and wanting their province to take priority when we do."

At the Hokage's words the room grew quiet. All those present knew that many within the village were growing antsy, wishing to march out to the battlefield with or without orders to do so. To try and relieve some of that tension Tenzou had moved his ANBU Division, the Main Battle Unit, to full alert and ordered them to prepare for rapid deployment within hours notice. At the same time the tiger masked captain had privately ordered those he felt were most loyal within his division to work closely with the small squads his fellow captain, Nekoirazu Kenshin, had deployed from Internal Affairs. Right now the last thing Konoha needed was for a group of shinobi to go AWOL in search of personal glory.

"Hokage-sama," Kenshin suddenly said, breaking the moment of silence. "I know that this was raised earlier, but it may truly be best to list Teams 7 and 8 as Missing in Action. Later we can…."

"No, I'm not marking them down as MIA," Sarutobi replied sharply. "We are going to find out where they are and get them home."

Clearing his throat to draw the attention of those present Danzou spoke, "I agree with you, Hokage-sama. We all know how the MIA list is perceived."

At the scarred Elder's words a few of the ANBU Captains found themselves unconsciously nodding in agreement. The list was supposed to be for those whose status was unknown. However, far too often once a name went onto the list it rarely left. When a name did leave it was often because it was finally determined that the person had been killed in action. For many, the MIA list was synonymous with the KIA list. No one in the room had to say it, they all knew what it could mean if the names of two elite jounin and six young genin were added to the list so early in this brewing conflict. Doing so would either be detrimental to the morale of the village or cause the village to be whipped into a vengeful frenzy.

"With such in mind I believe that we must consider the merits of my own proposal," Danzou continued in his calm and collected voice.

"We have already received orders from the Daimyo," the Sandaime responded, his eyes narrowing as he stared across his desk at his old rival.

"Yes, but if you were to petition him to allow us to send in a sizeable contingent…," the scarred Elder countered. "Determining the whereabouts and status of Teams 7 and 8, not to mention the ANBU that were also in-country at the time, would be…."

"A sizeable contingent?" the Hokage snarled. "You want me to send in the nearly three quarters of the Main Battle Unit and a quarter of our regular shinobi. That's not a search and rescue team, that's an invasion force!"

"Invading Wave is the quickest way to get answers," Danzou shot back, his voice maintain its calm tone and quality.

"He has a fair point Sarutobi," Homura jumped in. "The invasion being led by Ryoko-hime has bogged down before it can even get fully underway."

"Though that is hardly her fault by any means," Koharu noted with her perpetual frown. "Storms around the coast of Tea Country are keeping Admiral Koga's fleet bottled in the Southern Port. General Sado isn't able to march in support yet because many of the provincial lords and governors are delaying the release of the different regiments from their provinces."

"Hmm, about that," Danzou commented. "Quite peculiar that those delays are occurring on the parts of the vassal lords…."

"That's what happens when one keeps invasion plans so secret," Tenzou suddenly interjected. "Many of the lords had the regiments spread out to secure sections of their provinces. Recalling them to a central point and then marching them to rendezvous with the main force takes time. Not to mention making sure they are supplied before setting them to march."

"Do not seek to lecture me, boy!" the scarred Elder retorted, his calm breaking for a moment. "I was fighting wars long before you were even a gleam in your parents' eyes."

"I seek not to lecture you, sir," Tenzou replied as politely as he could from behind his tiger mask. "All I am saying is that the secrecy surrounding this invasion has not been wholly advantageous to our side."

"It's as Tenzou says," Bunji jumped into the conversation, hoping to aid the younger captain, knowing that Danzou could not throw such accusations at him. "A blitz may require secrecy to be launched successfully, but it also requires that you have the logistics in place to support your advance. Not even having the necessary troops in place is a major tactical blunder. She can't even blame her political opponents for this mistake seeing as how the delays fall equally between the doves and hawks. No, these delays are the effect of too much secrecy on the Benihime's part."

Behind his desk the Sandaime folded his hands in front of his face as he leaned heavily in his chair. What Tenzou and Bunji both said was at least partially true, but that didn't mean political games weren't also being played. He and Madam Shijimi had cashed in some major political favors on this one, hoping to give an attempt at diplomacy one last shot. However, what truly concerned him was the fact that the delays they had instigated shouldn't have reached as far as they did. At best the delays they had gotten from dove and hawk alike should have amounted at most to two or three days. Having it snowball into being what was now predicted as nearly two weeks was rather shocking. Ryoko was an experienced commander and something of a tactical genius, she should have easily had things prepared in advanced to compensate for any delays. Yes the storms around Tea Country were unexpected, yes some of the vassal lords were delaying on purpose, but that didn't explain all of it. The chances that Ryoko had made an error were slim. That left few other possible answers. Either the conventional military forces of the Country of Fire were indeed that poorly unprepared or….

"These delays are simply one more reason why we should petition the Daimyo to let us send in a contingent," Danzou argued having recollected himself.

"The Daimyo has already issued a deadline for a handover of the operation to Konoha," Bunji countered easily.

"Indeed, pressing the issue could actually backfire," Takara added. "There are many in the Daimyo's Court who remember the attempted coup d'état several years ago. The issue of the division of power has not been forgotten. Some could see a petition by Konoha as a challenge to the Daimyo's rule."

The Sandaime silently clenched his teeth as they were all reminded of that particular point of history. He was connected to it being the Hokage and also on a personal level since his son had been part of the Twelve Guardians at the time of the attempted coup. Asuma's actions had made him very proud and had preserved the peace by avoiding a full out civil war. However, Takara was right. That incident had raised a specter that was not easily shaken off. Though he had a very friendly relationship with the Daimyo and was counted amongst his closest advisors and friends, any petition could be used by a number of political entities who were not so friendly. As much as he was worried about Kakashi, Naruto, and the others who were missing the safety and security of Konoha came first.

"We will carryout the requests the Daimyo has made of us," the old Hokage quietly commanded. "At the same time we shall ready ourselves in case things change. I want messages sent to Princess Ryoko. She may have encountered Teams 7 and 8; she may even have them with her if we're lucky. I want her to know that if she is able to aid us with this in any way, she will have my personal thanks."

"Hokage-sama," Kenshin suddenly spoke up, doing so as politely as he could even though the frown on his face clearly told what he was thinking. "With all due respect it is quite possible that Teams 7 and 8 are…."

"No, they're still alive and out there somewhere," Sarutobi remarked, moving to sit up in his chair and turn it so he was looking out his windows once again. "They're too special to die so easily."

Taking the unsaid dismissal as what it was the ANBU captains and the Elders filed out of the office. On their way out two of them, a single eye apiece, had said eyes narrowed in deep contemplation. Sometimes it wasn't what was said at these meetings, but rather what was not said that was truly important.

---

Despite its economic woes the Country of Wave could boast of having some of the most unspoiled natural beauty. The beaches that surrounded the archipelago nation were a combination of coarse sand and smoothed pebbles, although in some places jagged rock and sharp cliffs rose up out of the sea to support the land. Numerous salt marshes and estuaries existed and were often broken apart by the dense woodland that weaved outwards form the center of the islands. It was rather serene if one did not take note of the suffering that was occurring across the small country and for the moment that was what a certain whiskered blond was seeking.

"Fools! Fools and cowards, the whole lot of them!" the young Shugorei heir mentally ranted as his latest flash step brought him to alight on the branch of a strong hardwood tree. "I should…No! No, no…I…I need to calm down, I need to…."

"Why deny what you feel?" the Kyuubi no Youko whispered with dark seduction. "The strong despise the weak. The weak exist only to serve and then be discarded by the strong."

Stretching out a hand to lean against the tree Naruto worked to steady his breathing as his mind raced with conflicting thoughts, "I…they…I can't. No, it's wrong…it's…."

"It is only natural," the demon offered easily. "You feel it, don't you? In your heart, in your soul…you feel it."

"I…," Naruto whispered, not wishing to admit that what the Kitsune said was beginning to ring true.

"A man feels much within his heart and within his soul," Konoe countered, coming to the mental aid of his creator. "Anger and compassion, despair and hope, sadness and joy, guilt and pride…. Do not overly focus on a single one, but rather balance it equally amongst the others."

Letting out a tired sigh Naruto closed his eyes. Drawing in a long breath through his nose, holding it for an eight-count before releasing it slowly out his mouth, the young genin focused on his breathing. One of the meditative lessons that he had learned early on from Jinjiro was that controlling one's breathing controlled one's emotional state. Feeling the calming effect of the small exercise the young Shugorei heir blinked his eyes back open.

"Shit."

Uttering the curse Naruto strung a few others alongside it, destroying part of the calm that had settled over him. What had cracked the cool collectedness of the Shugorei heir was what his senses were suddenly telling him. He had been so unfocused when he had used Shunpo that he hadn't realized that he had gone the wrong way. Tazuna's home, and the bridge just beyond it, were in the opposite direction. It wasn't too much of a hassle to correct the mistake with an extra flash step or two, but it did add to the thorn of annoyance that he currently felt. Annoyance that was aggravated by the fact he hadn't slept in twenty-four hours and had only three hours of sleep before that.

Over the years medic-nin had drawn up sleeping charts that took into account certain variables like chakra reserve, age, physical fitness, etc. These sleeping charts detailed how much and how often a shinobi should sleep while out in the field in order to be combat effective. Having a startling amount of stamina and endurance, not only for his age but in general, Naruto knew that he was one of the few people for whom the exacting charts did not necessarily apply. However, just because he could stay awake for another day and a half and still be ready to fight didn't mean he liked doing so. No, Naruto, like many other people, enjoyed the peaceful bliss that came with regular sleep.

Stifling a yawn Naruto prepared to execute Shunpo. Ready to shoot off towards the bedroll he so desired the cerulean eyed genin stopped himself. Freezing in place the Shugorei heir pushed his senses out to their maximum. It had only been for a split second, but….

Turning sharply on the branch to look off in a direction that angled away from the town and Tazuna's home Naruto willed himself to focus. There it was…a flicker of chakra. It was faint, but it was definitely a chakra signature. He couldn't identify it, but from where it seemed to be located it was highly unlikely to be any member of the small group from Konoha. That left only a few possibilities.

"So you've decided to come out of hiding," the Shugorei heir noted with a sly grin, his annoyance disappearing as the new hunt began.

---

With the sun now climbing over the horizon the cool mists of the previous evening were beginning to dissipate rather quickly. Feeling the warm, golden rays as they pierced the forest canopy Haku hummed a small melody, one that his mother had often hummed. Picking another medicinal herb the fifteen year-old felt the cool droplets of dew beneath his fingers, remnants of the mist and like the small melody, something that played in his memory.

Though he had devoted his life to Momochi Zabuza, the man who had taken him in and trained him, Haku often felt his mind wander, asking itself 'what ifs'. He had loved his mother greatly, still did for that matter, and despite the fact it had been through her that he had inherited his bloodline limit Haku could not bring himself to fault her. However, he often wondered why she had died, why she had let his father kill her? Had she loved the man so much that she thought him incapable of killing her? Had she forgotten how to defend herself, how to use the gift she had passed on to her son and only child? Over the years he had come up with numerous answers to such questions, but not a single one made him content. The only thing that filled that hole was his service to his new precious person, his master, Zabuza. That and what fond memories he had of his parents were enough…or at least that's what he tried convincing himself.

'Snap!'

The sound of a twig breaking forced him from his memories as it shifted over to thoughts of Kiri hunter-nin. Turning quickly towards the sound Haku released some of his chakra in preparation to fight or flee. His light, chocolate brown eyes shifted around the clearing, seeking the source of the sudden sound. Reaching to the obi around his waste and the senbon hidden beneath it Haku stopped himself. Popping out from behind a bush came a small, reddish-orange fox with dark brown markings on the tips of its feet, ears, and tail. Watching the small creature glance in his direction before disappearing into the bushes once again, Haku let out a sigh and relaxed the tension in his muscles.

Letting himself think about the fox for a moment the long haired teen suddenly frowned and muttered, "You better not have eaten Mr. Bun-bun Fuzzy-kins."

He had two reasons venturing out from the relative safety of the hideout provided to them by Gato. The first was to collect medicinal herbs that grew in the area. The second was to take some serious time to search for his lost pet. The white rabbit had been missing for a couple of days now, much to the young bloodline user's despair, and as he had predicted Meizu and Gouzu were no real help in searching.

"Once I finish here I'll find Mr. Bun-bun Fuzzy-kins, then he'll be safe with me once again," Haku promised with a whisper, turning back to his half filled basket of herbs.

He was a fair medic-nin, knowing a few medical jutsu and supplementing them with the different herbal medicines he had picked up as they traveled. Picking another herb, careful to pull it close to the ground so as not to ruin it, Haku let a small smile grace his face. Zabuza had always complimented him on his skill at healing. The former Kiri jounin, for all his rough edges and dangerous tendencies, freely admitted that if not for his tool's ability to patch people up quickly their little group would have probably failed long ago.

Letting his smile grow Haku felt a touch of pride right before feeling the light touch of razor-sharp steel rest against the side of his neck.

"Gotcha," Uzumaki/Shugorei Naruto stated deviously, the end of his Zanpakuto resting lightly against the neck of his prey.

Trying to fight down the panic blossoming in his chest Haku shifted his eyes to catch a glimpse of bright blond hair. That small glimpse and the chakra signature told him it was the blond Konoha-nin he had encountered only a few days before.

"It can't…how, how did he…?" Haku thought rapidly, unaccustomed at being taken by surprise and shifting his hands ever so slightly towards….

"Unh uh, keep those hands right where I can see them," Naruto stated sharply, his keen eyes catching the subtle movement. "You know, for someone who did an excellent job posing as a hunter-nin, I'm a bit disappointed at catching you so easily. I was kind of expecting a bit more."

"H-hunter…? I…I'm not a hunter," the long haired boy stuttered, opting to try and bluff his way to a better position. "I…I'm an herbalist, I live in the town not far from here and…."

"Bullshit!" the Shugorei heir interjected sharply. "You may be collecting herbs but you ain't from around here, you're clothes are too nice and you're too well fed. Gato's thugs would be lining up around the block to take turns fucking a pretty girl like you if you truly were living in that town. Oh, and there's also that chakra signature of yours…too big to be a civilian's despite hiding it well."

Biting the inside of his cheek Haku, for one of the few times in his life, silently swore. Partially it was because he had stupidly released some of his chakra due to that fox, not thinking afterwards that it could alert any shinobi who might be in the area. The other part was because he had, once again, been mistaken for a girl.

"Okay, stupid move, trying to bluff about being from nearby," Haku noted silently in his pink, sleeveless yukata, his annoyance turning into anger. "But why does everyone always think I'm female. I'm a boy damn it! Just because I like to keep my hair long and luscious and my skin healthy and smooth! And my clothes are just fine thank you very much!"

"I want to know where Gato and Zabuza are," Naruto demanded coolly, ignorant of the angry rant that was building within his captive. "Now we can either do this the easy way or…."

"You won't harm Zabuza-sama," Haku spat coldly, suddenly rolling to the side and away from the blade that had been poised to cut his head off.

Naruto was surprised by the sudden reaction. He hadn't expected his captive to actually roll away and risk him cutting her head off before she could execute the maneuver. Blinking for a moment as he watched the pink yukata wearing shinobi come out of the roll and into a crouch he barely caught the small flash of silver in the sunlight. Bringing Konoe up quickly Naruto smirked as he easily blocked the three senbon that had just been thrown at him. However, that smirk died as he suddenly felt pain erupt in his back.

Letting out a growl of pain as he fell to a knee the young Shugorei reached back with his left hand. Groping at the site of the pain the blond genin's eyes widened as he felt something long, thin, and pointed. His mind reeling, trying to figure out how the senbon had hit him in the back Naruto tried to grasp hold of one of the needles that were thin enough to pass through the ringlets of the chain mail hidden in the vest he wore. His fingers finally able to take hold of one of the senbon the boy's eyes widened in puzzlement as he noted that the weapon felt…cold?

"Eaarggh!"

Hearing the sudden yell Naruto caught sight of his opponent throwing several more senbon at him. Not taking a chance by blocking them this time the Shugorei heir executed a sideways roll similar to the maneuver his opponent had used earlier. Coming up out of the roll the cerulean eyed genin was somewhat shocked to see that the girl had somehow gotten almost directly in front of him. Catching the wrist of his opponent Naruto gave it a twist and a pull, dipping his shoulder before slamming it into the gut of the girl and then flipping her over his back. Not waiting to give her another chance the young Shugorei pushed off from his crouch, pivoting sharply on his left foot as he spun his Zanpakuto in his hand so as to reverse his grip. With Konoe's tip pointing straight down Naruto plunged the long blade as if it were a dagger deep into the right side of the prone girl's back.

'Sploosh!'

His eyes widening in surprise once again Naruto could hardly believe it as his opponent suddenly collapsed into a puddle of water. The realization that it was a Mizu Bunshin came at the same time he felt three senbon dig sharply into his left shoulder. Feeling the needles shift in the muscle as he tried to turn towards where they had originated, Naruto let out a dull grunt.

"I won't let you near Zabuza-sama!" Haku furiously yelled, grasping several senbon in his fists as he charged toward Naruto.

Twisting his face into a snarl Naruto bulled past the pain in his shoulder to point and shout.

"Byakurai!"

Unfortunately for the blond, due to the pain and the way the needles pushed into the muscle of his shoulder the jutsu failed to strike as intended. While the lance of white light and electricity shot forward it didn't pierce the chest of the faux hunter-nin. Burning a hole through the side of the pink yukata the technique seared the soft flesh just over the long haired shinobi's right hip. While it wasn't the killing or crippling shot Naruto had wanted it did cause his opponent to let out a startled scream of pain.

Feeling the scorching burn in his side Haku fought hard not to stumble and crash into the ground. Gritting his teeth the boy pushed forward as hard as he could, thrusting it the senbon that he gripped in his right hand while aiming for the blond genin's left eye. However, instead of a pained scream the squeal of metal on metal met his ears as his initial thrust was parried by the genin's sword. Turning with the momentum of the parry Haku slashed with the pointed tips of the senbon as Naruto moved, cutting an uneven line across the other boy's right cheek and nose. Seeing the Konoha-nin reel back from the strike Haku began to grin only to suddenly feel the wind get knocked out of him as the blue-eyed blond kicked him square in the chest. Taking a few steps back and dropping to a knee to steady himself the young bloodline user wheezed trying to get air back into his lungs. He had an advantage if he could get inside the blond genin' guard. The sword was not ideal to stop his quick, up close strikes with the senbon. Seeing a key to victory the teen did not get a chance to apply it as he suddenly found his opponent almost right on top of him.

Seeing an opportunity, Naruto had used a quick Shunpo to get straight in the face of his opponent. Watching the surprise blossom in her eyes the whiskered Shugorei, Konoe held tightly in his right hand, slashed downwards intending to lodge the sharpened steel of his soul in-between the eyes of the girl. Yet instead of the edge of the blade passing through hair, flesh, and skull it was caught between senbon held up in either hand in a crude scissors block.

"You're pretty good," Naruto commented with a grunt, pushing hard with his one arm as he saw the thin needles chipping and cracking under the pressure. "A far better opponent than all those thugs I decimated."

Brown eyes staring firmly back at blue, only a grunt escaped the fifteen year old. While he took the words as the compliment they were intended to be Haku was far more concerned with trying to keep the blade from inching closer to his skull.

"I take back what I said earlier," the Shugorei heir said with a small grin. "I'm impressed; I didn't think anyone near my age, let alone one who was a kunoichi, could…Unnnh!"

Naruto's head snapped backwards, a foot slamming straight into the bottom of his jaw, as Haku's right leg flew up in a vertical snap kick. His head ringing from the unexpected strike Naruto took oa few steps backwards only to suddenly feel a new pain blossom. Blue eyes shifting to look downwards the Shugorei heir found that senbon had deeply pierced both of his knees. Flopping over to the right, Naruto found his legs locked as the thin needles wouldn't allow his kneecaps to shift and move properly. Instinctively tightening his grip around Konoe, as the Zanpakuto's tip was shoved roughly into the ground, the blond genin tried to keep at least partially upright. Letting out a pained grunt Naruto spat, blood and chips of cracked teeth exiting his mouth.

"Oh by the way…I'm a boy."

Hearing the sudden statement Naruto looked up in disbelief to meet the cold glare being given to him by the person he had assumed to be female. If he hadn't been feeling so much pain the young Shugorei might have decided to indulge the small thread of incredulous perplexity that came from hearing the short clarification. As it was, both the pain and puzzlement were shoved aside as the cerulean eyed genin caught sight of what his foe was doing.

Flashing through several single handed seals, the pink yukata wearing boy suddenly exclaimed, "Sensatsu Suishou!"

As bidden thousands needles of water sudden formed in the surrounding air. Pulled and congealed from the water vapor in the mist and the small drops of dew on the grass and surrounding plants the needles seemed to hover for a moment. As if waiting for….

"Hyoketsu!" Haku suddenly exclaimed, the water needles obeying his command and freezing instantly before shooting in towards their target.

Watching the shards of ice he had created streak forward Haku read the look of horror in the blue eyes of his opponent. Waiting for the frigid projectiles to pierce their target the fifteen year suddenly felt as if time seemed to slow down. Finding it difficult to breathe, as the air seemed to grow heavier, the young ice user watched the blue eyes of the whiskered blond suddenly turn a primal, bloody red.

"Rrrrraaahhh!"

The long cry spoke of feral rage as Naruto felt the chakra of the Kyuubi no Youko course through him. The demonic energy had already been trickling into his system, seeking to repair his broken jaw and teeth, when the young jinchuuriki decided to grasp and pull more of it out. With the proverbial floodgate partially opened the power of the Kitsune pushed out in a wave from the boy's body, obliterating the shards of ice that were only mere inches away from finding purchase in cloth and the soft flesh that lay underneath.

Bracing himself as the wave washed over and pushed past him Haku could barely find the words to describe it. The scroll he had studied with his master had hinted at the secret powers of Clan Shugorei, but it had been vague and rather incomplete when it came to many details. Their power was supposed to come from the swords they carried, but this…this seemed to come from deep within the blond genin. It was a terrible power, dark and ancient; a far cry from what he had sensed from the boy previously. Did this mean that the Konoha-nin wasn't what they had thought? Could he be something…worse?

His attention focused completely on the red eyed genin Haku stared with a disturbed sense of awe. The grunts and growls were animalistic, but that wasn't what was so troubling. No, it was the fact that the senbon in the boy's back, shoulder, and knees were being forced out. Watching the needles pop free of the flesh they had pierced Haku brought his right hand up in the single seal needed for Shunshin. His faith and loyalty to Zabuza demanded that he report this, this…whatever this power was.

"Rrrrgh!"

Letting out a snarl through his clenched teeth Naruto easily saw his foe disappear in a swirl of mist. While part of him seemed to scream at him to give chase the young Shugorei was far more concerned with pushing back the raw demonic chakra that was attempting to flood his system completely. Eyes tightly shut Naruto focused completely on summoning up his own chakra to push back that of the Kyuubi no Kitsune's. Flopping over onto his back, panting heavily as he laid there, the young jinchuuriki finally felt the rush of energy return to the minor trickle it had been before.

"Bastard got away."

"Yes, but your control is getting better," the gruff voice of Konoe commented.

Letting his head loll over to the side Naruto opened his eyes, revealing them to once again be their normal deep, crystalline blue.

"I don't like losing," the whiskered blond noted, his breathing steadying as he moved to sit up. "A draw ain't much better."

"There will be other times," the Zanpakuto replied.

"Oh, I'm counting on that," the Shugorei heir remarked, climbing to his feet and pulling the sword out from where it had been stuck in the ground.

Noting his creator's annoyance, Konoe added, "Look on the bright side."

"Hmm?" Naruto hummed inquisitively, his annoyance and anger at being beaten simmering, as paused from cleaning off the few particles of dirt that clung to the blade.

"At least you now know you didn't get beaten by a girl."

---

"Unacceptable! This is completely unacceptable!"

Red faced with his left forearm in a cast due to his dislocated wrist the crime boss styled businessman let his displeasure be known. Adding emphasis to his ranting Gato slashed the air with the cane he held in his right hand. A few steps behind him his sword carrying bodyguards watched with a palpable nervousness. It wasn't their employer that made them so but rather the man who was the target for the piggish man's anger.

Sitting silently as the short businessman swore and complained Momochi Zabuza had to tamp down the desire to simply reach forward and choke the life from him. He was well aware of the situation; Haku had returned several hours ago and dutifully reported it. It seemed that Hatake Kakashi was not merely content waiting to be attacked. Making it even more interesting was that it seemed the infamous Copy-nin had only sent out one of his subordinates to do the job, the blond one who had stopped him from taking the Hyuuga girl.

"That boy…. Haku reported that he possessed some sort of dark power that manifested itself as crimson chakra," the former jounin silently recalled. "Could that be his power as a Shugorei? Was he preparing to let loose his sword, his soul slayer?"

His annoyance growing Zabuza found that he couldn't answer that question. Information on the Shugorei themselves was hard to come by as is. The scrolls he had on noteworthy clans were secondhand, purchased on the black market. Some of the information was factual, but far more was based upon rumor and legend. He could sort most of the myth out form the facts due to his time spent as a member of Kirigakure's elite Seven Swordsmen. The Shugorei and the swords they wielded had been of great interest to the elite weapon users of the Hidden Mist. Especially since facing a Shugorei in battle and surviving was something only a select few of their number had ever done throughout the entire history of the Swordsmen, going so far back as to when Kirigakure and the other Hidden Villages were merely loose coalitions of roving shinobi and venal clans.

"I will not be denied this chance," the Devil of the Mist silently promised before focusing back onto the man who was still continuing to rant at him.

"I told you I wouldn't accept another failure!" Gato screamed, spittle flying from his mouth.

"The fault lies not with us, but with those pathetic weaklings you use to terrorize the locals," Momochi Zabuza coldly retorted with a certain lack of sympathy. "You hired them and put your trust in quantity rather than quality, so really the fault is yours. Not ours."

"Why you little," Gato growled, raising his cane as if to strike the seated missing-nin.

"Zabuza-sama…."

Hearing the soft voice Gato immediately froze. Shifting his eyes to his left the man felt his mouth go dry as Haku, followed by the two Demon Brothers, stepped out of the shadows.

"I found this wonderful assortment of fruit," the long haired teen said with a sweet smile, his yukata from earlier replaced with his usual battle kimono. "You should have some."

Smirking underneath the bandages that covered the lower half of his face Zabuza watched his faithful tool walk over to set the bowl on the small end table next to him. It would be another day or so before he was fully recovered, but the mind of the Devil of the Mist was still as sharp as ever. One could hardly miss how Gato was trembling as Haku gave the short man an innocent looking smile.

"You've learned well from me, Haku," the former member of the Bloody Mist's elite Seven Swordsmen thought as he plucked a bright red apple from the bowl.

"Y-ya…you," Gato stuttered in a mix of fear and anger.

"Oh? Gato-san, I'm sorry, would you like some fruit as well?" Haku inquired, his sweet innocence far scarier than any threat he could have made at that point.

Fumbling to recompose himself the short criminal leader tried to do his best to ignore the teen. However, as he turned his attention back to the man sitting on the couch it was apparent to everyone in the room that he was still quite shaken.

"Tazuna was an annoyance beforehand, but now…now he's the proverbial thorn in my side!" Gato spat angrily. "Forty-seven, the Konoha-nin he hired took out forty-seven of my men!"

Opening his mouth to correct the man, Haku refrained from speaking as he caught the subtle shake of his master's head. For whatever reason, it seemed that Zabuza did not want the knowledge that it was only a single shinobi, a boy of twelve no less, who had carried out the task.

"Forty-seven bandits, dregs of society you enticed with the prospect of easy money. It's hardly surprising that they were no match for trained shinobi," Zabuza noted, tossing the apple in his right hand up and down slowly.

"Then get out there and do what I'm paying you to do!" the piggish businessman shouted.

"Oh I plan to," the Devil of the Mist replied, catching the apple and then crushing it easily in his hand. "I took the first group; soon I'll take the second."

Watching the juice and chunks of apple fall from his master's fist Haku unknowingly replaced his smile with a frown. The confidence and excitement being felt by Zabuza and even Gouzu and Meizu was lost on him. All that the young ice user could think of in that moment was a set of cold blue eyes turning a fiery blood red and the simple description his master had given only a day prior.

"Shugorei…apprentices to Death himself."

---

"Keep your guard up Hinata!"

"Damn it all! Don't let such openings go to waste Sakura, capitalize on them!"

Biting her tongue in annoyance as her commands barely seemed to register Yuuhi Kurenai let out a frustrated sigh. Sitting on a fallen log the dark haired jounin watched the two young kunoichi that had been put in her charge. The two girls were sparring and doing a pretty poor job at it as they paused to cling to the trunks of the trees they were perched on. Sucking in air, both of their faces flushed red as sweat trickled down their brows, Hinata and Sakura eyed each other through bleary vision.

Sakura broke the small hiatus, pushing off her tree to shoot forward like a human missile. Pulling her right fist back the pink haired kunoichi prepared to throw a devastating haymaker or that was at least her intent. Though her body was just as tired and sore as her friend's Hinata brought left forearm up to block the scything blow. Wrapping her hands around the pink girl's outstretched arm Hinata pivoted upon the branch she stood, intending to throw the other girl. Not wishing to be thrown Sakura intertwined her legs with the Hyuuga heiress's before stamping her feet down. Trying to brace herself by using chakra to stick to the tree limb while Hinata did the same, only with the intent of gaining better purchase and leverage with which to throw, Sakura suddenly heard an abrupt cracking sound. Catching the sound as well Hinata's pearly eyes widened as the two girls suddenly found themselves the victims of gravity.

"Eeeyyaaaah!"

Letting out startled cries both of the young kunoichi found themselves falling the full ten feet to the forest floor. Landing with a solid 'oomph' the two girls lay stunned for a few moments, rubbing carefully at their backsides.

"Itai…."

Seeing both of her training charges down and cringing at sore buttocks and numb tailbones, Kurenai commanded tiredly, "Alright take a break."

Hearing the order both girls simply slumped backwards in exhaustion, choosing to lay on the ground where they had fallen rather than getting up to walk over to where their sensei sat. This was only the afternoon of the second day of training for them since the meeting held around Tazuna's table. Being told that they would be training had not seemed like such a bad thing at the time. Kurenai, however, while injured had proven to be an incredibly strict instructor. If there was one thing the woman detested it was the idea that kunoichi were inferior to their male counterparts and her training for the two girls reflected her goal to not only disprove that concept but destroy it entirely.

The first day had begun with a demonstration of how to use chakra in one's feet to stick to and then climb a tree without the use of hands or tools. It had seemed easy enough and had proven to be just so due to the above average chakra control that the young Hyuuga and young Haruno possessed. Running up a tree and coming to rest on a thick branch nearly twenty feet off the ground both girls had felt a sense of pride. That pride had turned to a sick worry when Kurenai had then commanded them to walk down the tree instead of leaping from branch to branch in order to make it to the forest floor.

It had been a somewhat hilarious sight to see Hinata and Sakura begin to tentatively step and inch their way down the trunks of the trees they were using. Every few inches or so one of them would falter and suddenly, desperately cling to the trunk upside down like a rather large squirrel. Their hearts racing when they finally made it to the ground Kurenai had then explained to them that they would need to walk up and down the entire length of the tree trunks twenty more times before they would be allowed to move onto the next bit of training. The wide eyes of the two young kunoichi had heralded the bumps and bruises they soon gathered as their rather small chakra reserves were pushed to the limit and beyond. It had taken all day and well into the evening before the two finally made their last trip up and down the side of the tree. Needless to say the two had slept like rocks that night.

This day had begun in a rather similar fashion with the two being told that they had until noon to walk up and down the entire length of the tree trunk twenty times. By the time noon came around both Sakura and Hinata were panting heavily with exhaustion and yet neither were even close to fifteen, let alone the goal of twenty. Kurenai had let her disappointment at them be known by only allowing them a quick lunch before launching into this new afternoon session.

"Easy there Hinata, the canteen ain't going anywhere," Inuzuka Kiba commented, Akamaru and a pair of homemade crutches by his side as the young Hyuuga girl sucked down the contents of the canteen he had brought over to her. Only a inches away Aburame Shino sat with Sakura, watching intently as the pink haired girl drank her own canteen dry.

Looking to her two male students Kurenai breathed out a silent prayer of thanks to whatever deity cared to be listening. Both boys had suffered several deep gashes and severe poisoning at the hands of the two former Kiri-nin called the Demon Brothers. Thankfully Kakashi had been carrying a curative that had counteracted the poison for the most part.

Shino had woken up the morning of the first day of training while Kiba had taken a little longer, most likely due to the fact that he did not have a hive of Kikaichuu living in his body as his peer did. The young Inuzuka had awakened earlier this morning. Although both boys were up and walking around neither one was even close to being ready to fight again, let alone train. The poison had done quite the number upon the two, leaving them rather weakened and easily tired. Shino had been his usual collected self, accepting his current limitations and agreeing to not push himself too hard too fast. Kiba, being Kiba, had tried to shake it all off with his usual boisterous manner. That had ended rather abruptly when he had gotten up from a chair too quickly, stumbled around for a few moments, and finally crashed over on his side having sprained his left ankle in the process. Under fairer circumstances it probably would have been rather comical. As it now stood the two were doing what they could to assist their sensei, their friends, and even Tsunami, although the dark haired young mother had been rather hesitant to accept Shino's help in cleaning her kitchen and had nearly screamed her head off when she had found Kiba cleaning dishes by having Akamaru lick off any culinary remains.

"Well the Kikaichuu can be…disconcerting. Especially to anyone who hasn't spent a good amount of time around an Aburame before," Kurenai thought with a slight shiver, recalling Tsunami's shaky look and her own first time experience working with a member of the bug using clan. Recalling the incident with Kiba, the reason why he was now out here with her rather than inside, Kurenai made a mental note on something else she had to speak with Tsume about. "I don't care what Kiba says, his mother most assuredly doesn't have him and Akamaru clean dishes in such a manner back home."

"A pittance for your thoughts, Kurenai-sensei?"

Hearing the sudden question voiced from behind her Kurenai jumped slightly at the sudden intrusion. Turning her head slightly towards the now recognizable presence the jounin kunoichi spied Uzumaki Naruto sitting on the ground only inches to her right, his back resting against the log she was currently seated upon. Frowning at the certain air of ease that surrounded the boy, Kurenai was reminded all too much of the whiskered genin's sensei. Like Kakashi the young blond seemed to possess the ability to simply pop in out of nowhere, as if he had actually been there the entire time. It was quite the annoying trait.

Silently berating herself over the fact that she had missed the blond boy's approach and presence up until he had spoken Kurenai forced a small smile and asked, "And just how long have you been sitting there?"

"Long enough to see Sakura and Hinata take that little tumble," the whiskered Shugorei commented, putting his hands behind his head as he leaned back some more. "No new thugs in the area to deal with anyways."

Seeing the slight shrug from the boy Kurenai let her fake smile fall away to reveal the frown representing her true feelings. Kakashi had been out practicing with Sasuke while the pair guarded Tazuna when Naruto had shown up yesterday morning. She had been at the stilted house, having gotten word of Shino's awakening, when the blond had arrived. She had already known what assignment the boy had been given and thoroughly disapproved. Seeing him return with hardly a scratch had made her think he had somehow gotten the good sense to come back and ask for assistance before attempting what would be considered suicidal for a genin almost fresh from the Academy. However, the cold look of concern that had been in the blond genin's eyes before he was informed that Kakashi had already left had told her that it was something else. She had demanded to know what that something was.

Although she was injured and unable to use much of her shinobi prowess Kurenai was still a jounin. When Naruto had tried to brush her off, similarly to how he had done the night before, she had put her foot down or rather she had put her left foot across the young blond's face in a swiftly executed outside crescent kick. Catching the whiskered genin by surprise and knocking him onto his ass had amazingly not brought on a major fight, tantrum, or pouting session. Instead it had actually caused the boy to explain to her what had happened after he'd been given the assignment. To say it made her feel uneasy was a gross understatement.

Looking over to where the two girls were resting, worry crossing her face, Kurenai spoke slowly, "Uzumaki…."

"You don't like me that much," the whiskered blond commented unexpectedly, catching the sharp intake of breath that Kurenai suddenly took as the words left his mouth. Dropping his voice to barely a whisper the boy continued, "To carry such bigoted shortsightedness out onto a mission. I'm not sure whether I should pity you or be disgusted by…."

Hearing the implication from the young jinchuuriki Kurenai whispered sharply, "It's not like that."

"Do you think me a fool?" Naruto shot back, his voice beginning to rise though it was still low enough as to remain between him and the jounin kunoichi. "I've gained a keen awareness of how others perceive me. Lying only makes you look stupider in my…."

"You're wrong, I have never thought of you as what you carry," the woman interjected quickly, turning her head to pin the boy with her red eyes. "For the longest time all I knew about you was what I had heard from others."

"That hardly gives me comfort," the boy snidely noted.

"It should, seeing as how the one whose words I place the most faith in is the Sandaime," Kurenai retorted brusquely, before catching herself and taking a moment to let her face and voice soften. "I trust him and believe what he has said, that you are a child that was put into extraordinary circumstances and saved us all as a result. Shino, Kiba, and Hinata supplied everything else I needed to know. I may have never gotten the chance to meet or speak with you before this mission, but they have faith in you and count you as their dear friend. To inspire such feelings is quite commendable and is something I respect."

Turning his head to look directly at the woman, Naruto remained silent. The look of puzzlement that was on his face spurred Kurenai to explain more.

"What I disapprove of is your mixture of arrogance, disregard for authority, and brashness, not to mention that Kakashi tends to look the other way in regards to it," the dark hired jounin said sternly.

"Hmmph," the young genin grunted.

"And there it is again," Kurenai noted firmly. "Kakashi was wrong. He shouldn't have sent you on that assignment."

Letting a low growl emanate from his throat Naruto challenged, "I got the job done. That group of scum won't ever torment the town or anyone else ever again."

"That may be true, but at what cost did such a victory come?" the dark haired kunoichi interrupted. "You are still only a boy of twelve…you shouldn't have had to do such a thing."

"They aren't the first ones I've killed," the Shugorei heir remarked slowly, "and they certainly won't be the last."

Hearing the conviction in the boy's words Kurenai cringed. Despite all the rules, despite the codes that governed her as a shinobi, things that had been drilled into her since entering the Academy, she couldn't bring herself to believe whole heartedly that a shinobi had to disregard all of their emotions. To her, doing so was what had caused numerous tragedies as those who carried them out had ultimately severed their connections to their humanity. Sitting there Kurenai could not help but feel an innate sadness; that the boy behind her was being set upon a similar path.

"Answer me this."

The quiet softness with which Naruto had suddenly spoken surprised Kurenai. Gone from that simple statement was any trace of brashness, arrogance, and disrespect.

"Would you have preferred that they had been tasked with it instead?" the blond Shugorei said softly, turning his head to nod in the direction where Sakura, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, and Akamaru all sat together cheerfully. "My hands are already coated in blood. If theirs remain clean for just a little bit longer because of what I do…. I have no problem with that."

Kurenai was silent for a moment as she rolled the thought around, looking over to where her students, Sakura included, sat. They were so young, barely out of the Academy and yet thrust into a world of violence. She had been little older than them when she had taken her first life, killing in the name of Konoha while on a mission during a war that had taken a number of her friends and former classmates. It was inevitable, that these genin would have to do the same. That didn't mean she had to like it or that she wouldn't try to at least delay it. However, at the same time Naruto was just like them. Was it fair to trade him for them?

"Naruto…."

"It's okay," the blond genin said quietly.

"No, no it's not," Kurenai corrected her voice a mix of kindness and concern. "You're not a weapon. You're not just some…."

"Thank you."

"Thank you for…for that," Naruto repeated as he began to stand up.

"Naruto…," the senior kunoichi trailed off, wishing to say more to the boy.

"Oi, Naruto!"

The energetic yell by Kiba halted whatever else Kurenai had been preparing to say. The small group of genin had spotted their friend as soon as he had stood up and were now walking or in Kiba's case hobbling over.

"Kiba, what took you so long?" Naruto noted with a wry grin, his voice losing the hushed quality it had just carried. "Shino woke up yesterday. Don't tell me you're letting yourself fall behind?"

"In your dreams!" the young Inuzuka boy crowed, Akamaru adding several barks to rally at his partner's side. "I'll be kicking ass again soon enough, just you wait and see!"

"Smelling ass is more like it," Shino deadpanned, causing the group of friends to suddenly laugh at Kiba's expense.

Hearing the laughter of his friends Kiba looked to his male teammate and said in annoyance, "I liked you a lot better when it seemed you had no sense of humor."

Silently shrugging in response Shino leaned over slightly onto the single crutch he had underneath his left arm.

Inadvertently pushing her fingers together Hinata spoke up in her usual soft voice, "Ano…Naruto-kun, um, well…."

"So, did you stop by to train with us a little?" Sakura asked sideling up to her teammate, beating out the Hyuuga heiress.

"Actually I was just stopping by to report to Kurenai-sensei in regards to my assignment," the blond Shugorei fibbed.

"You got an individual assignment?" Kiba suddenly asked, having not been told the details of all that was going on since he had woken up just that morning.

"It's not much, just patrolling the area, keeping a lookout for Gato's thugs and the like," Naruto lied through his teeth. "Rather boring stuff actually."

Hearing the lie Kurenai kept her face schooled in a calm mask. She had agreed with Kakashi on not telling Sakura and Hinata about the true nature of Naruto's assignment. She had extended that to include Shino and Kiba as well. There was no need to tell them that their friend was hunting down, interrogating, and then disposing of the thugs Gato had hired. She may not have agreed with the assignment, but she did agree that the other genin were not ready to know what Naruto was really doing. It seemed that the blond had also been informed of this and was now doing his best to allay their questions and concerns with the usual friendly warmth that had been described to her.

"Anyways, I got to get back out there," remarked the young Shugorei heir. "Kage Bunshin just aren't the same as being out their yourself."

Taking on a small pouting face, encouragement coming from her other half, Sakura hummed batting her eyes slightly, "Can't you give me a few lessons? Please?"

Frowning slightly at the pink haired girl, Hinata hid it as she looked to Naruto and quietly asked "Ano…Naruto-kun, um…do you think you could help me? I…well, um…Please?"

Feeling a tad uncomfortable as both girls seemed to look at him with puppy dog eyes, Naruto responded slowly, "Um…well, you see…I. Um…."

"I think having you help out would be a great idea," Kurenai suddenly interjected from where she sat, mirth playing in her crimson eyes. "Both Hinata and Sakura need help sparring. They're getting so used to fighting one another that their beginning to accommodate each other's bad habits. Besides, you told me there hasn't been any sign at all of Gato's men."

"Um, well…."

"Please, Naruto/Naruto-kun," both young kunoichi asked sweetly.

"Alright," the blue eyed genin acceded. "But only for a little while."

Watching with a distinct pleaseas Naruto was nearly dragged out into the middle of the small clearing by Sakura, Hinata blushing as she moved quickly beside them, Kurenai silently noted "This won't just be good for them Naruto, but for you as well. You may be willing to sacrifice part of yourself to keep your friends from dirtying their hands, but the road to hell has always been paved with the best of intentions. Keeping the bonds with your friends strong will help you hold onto your humanity and hopefully save you before you have the chance to fall. Uchiha Itachi, Orochimaru, and that butcher, Shugorei Jinjiro…. Do not follow their paths, paths of needless bloodshed and sorrow."

Not knowing the irony in the last part of that thought Kurenai adjusted her seat on the log. Letting a small, hopeful smile form on her lips Kurenai watched Naruto prepare to have a light training spar with Hinata and Sakura. Both girls were looking ready to give it their all, somehow catching a second wind as they looked to the blue eyed blond. Shino and Kiba taking seats next to her on the log Kurenai felt her smile grow a little more. She had a good guess as to why the two young kunoichi were now so intent to impress their friend.

"It's rather cute really," the senior kunoichi thought with a hidden giggle as she watched the two girls eye their shared target.

---

"Itai…."

Hinata cringed at feeling the slight strain of her muscles as she removed her jacket. Tossing the garment over to the side the young girl stood in her dark pants and training shirt. She was looking rather forward to getting into the small bathroom down the hallway in order to soak her tired body.

"You got tossed about quite a bit today."

Looking over her shoulder towards the familiar voice the Hyuuga heiress easily spotted her pink haired training partner standing there. Sakura was stripping off her red dress, showing the small, white tank top and tight black shorts she wore underneath.

"Ano…you got tossed around just as much as I did," Hinata responded politely.

"More by Naruto than by you," Sakura retorted quickly.

Hearing the quick, snappish statement Hinata bowed her head slightly. In their sparring before Naruto had shown up she had barely tied with Sakura even though she was using the famed Hyuuga Taijutsu style while the other girl used the basic style taught at the Academy. Hinata was just thankful that her father had not been present to see her perform so poorly. It was bad enough that she felt she had embarrassed herself in front of Naruto.

After agreeing to help them Naruto had spent a few hours sparring with the two genin kunoichi before resuming his assigned patrols. Kurenai had directed them, offering advice and making corrections as needed. The two girls had tried nearly every Taijutsu technique and trick they knew and yet they had not scored anything better than a glancing blow against the blond. On the other hand Naruto had tossed them around as if they were sacks of potatoes and the worst part was he had stayed on the defensive for the most part. Throughout it all the whiskered genin had stopped periodically to supplement Kurenai by offering his own advice and helping to correct their forms, this being more in the case of Sakura since Hinata had been using her family's style, the Juuken Ryuu. It had proven to be a rather educational albeit painful set of lessons.

"Na…Naruto-kun was…he was very helpful," Hinata stuttered, recalling the advice her crush had given to her throughout the spar. "Especially…especially what he said, the one thing he told the both of us at the end."

Recalling that particular piece advice Sakura did her best impression of the blond, repeating his words, "Remember you two, out there against an opponent you have to capitalize on what advantages you can get. One big one will be that your opponents are likely to underestimate you because…well let's face it…you're girls. Use that, use that moment of underestimation on their part to find something big to hit them with and keep hitting them until they stop getting back up."

Hearing the rather spot-on impersonation Hinata covered her mouth as she let out a small giggle, "Hai, that's it."

Cracking a toothy grin Sakura agreed, "Yeah, if he hadn't had a good point there I might have been offended by that 'girls' crack."

"Naruto-kun can be…he can be a bit blunt," the Hyuuga heiress commented. "He means well though."

Nodding in agreement Sakura suddenly froze up as part of her psyche let itself be known.

"Don't be fooled," Inner Sakura suddenly spat. "She acts friendly and innocent, but it is a trick!"

"Wha-what?" the pink haired hesitantly wondered.

"She seeks to lull you into a false sense of security," Inner Sakura whispered darkly. "She desires him…our beloved."

With that one thought, dwelling precariously in her mind, the pink haired girl's smile disappeared to be replaced by a deep frown. Letting her head dip slightly so that her eyes were shadowed by her hair the young kunoichi's fist unconsciously clenched.

"Hinata, you like Naruto, don't you?"

"Eh? Well…um," the young Hyuuga stuttered blushing at the sudden question. "Na…Naruto-kun is…um, he's…he's very friendly and…."

"More than a friend," Sakura remarked pointedly, her eyes shifting to look through the stands of her long hair and give the other girl a sidelong glare. "You like him more than just a friend, don't you?"

"Ano…I…."

Before Hinata could finish she doubled over as Sakura suddenly drove a fist into her stomach. The wind knocked out of her, Hinata felt her hair suddenly pulled in an iron grip as she was slammed hard onto the floor. Gasping for air a sudden weight landed roughly on her chest causing her to let a raspy cry. Sakura, her eyes cold flecks of sea-foam green, stared down at the pearly eyed girl she now knelt upon.

"You think you can fool us? You think we don't know what you're scheming?!" Sakura snarled, tightening her grip on Hinata's dark hair. "Weknow the truth; you want him, trying to steal him from us!"

Hinata could barely hear Sakura, the blood was pounding in her ears too loudly as she desperately gasped for air. Letting out a wheezing whimper the young Hyuuga felt the weight on her chest shift for a moment before seeming to intensify.

"We won't let you," seethed the pink haired girl madly, both of her knees now positioned fully on the smaller girl's chest. "You will not take him from me!"

"Na…Naruto-kun," Hinata, tears falling from her eyes, barely breathed out, her voice barely a whisper and yet somehow heard by her attacker.

"He is mine!" the long haired kunoichi growled. "Why would he ever desire a weakling like you when he can have…?"

"Stop it!"

That singular command, not spoken and yet echoing across her mind, made the pink haired girl freeze.

"What, you dare to interfere?!" Inner Sakura raged at her creator.

"S-stop…please stop!" Sakura seemed to almost beg. "I…I don't want this,"

"You're weak; you don't know what you want!" Inner Sakura screamed.

"I know that Naruto is a kind person," Sakura retorted quickly. "He wouldn't want this!"

Within the pink haired girl's mind Inner Sakura seemed to rise up, dwarfing her creator as she roared, "You foolish little…you're just as weak as…!

"Sakura!"

Having heard the thump of Hinata hitting the floor and then the muffled sound of loud voices from downstairs, Kakashi burst into the room with Kurenai only a step or two behind him. Seeing his student crushing the life out of her friend, the jounin moved almost instantly, tossing the pink haired girl across the room. Hitting the wall with a 'thud' before landing on the floor Sakura looked up, slightly dazed, before slumping over limply.

"Hinata!" Kurenai cried worriedly, rushing over to her student.

Greedily trying to breathe in the air that had been denied to her Hinata barely noticed her teacher reaching underneath her to prop her up into a sitting position. Eyes filled with unspilled tears Hinata could barely focus on her sensei's face. Unable to choke back the fear that had racked her, the small girl began to sob.

Cradling the Hyuuga girl in one arm Kurenai looked over to where Kakashi was bent over. Kneeling by his student the jounin felt along Sakura's neck. Finding a slow, but steady pulse the man glanced over his right shoulder, letting his single eye go straight to Kurenai. Rubbing small circles on Hinata's back in an attempt to calm the girl Kurenai caught the glance and nodded in understanding. Sakura was merely unconscious.

"Hinata?" the older kunoichi asked soothingly. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Sobbing slowly Hinata had her eyes screwed shut, content on merely crying.

"Thank god Kiba and Shino are outside with Sasuke," Kurenai thought as she tried to give the small girl in her arm more time to calm down. "This is confusing enough without them trying to choke the life out of Sakura."

Deciding to try again to get some answers from her student, before her or Kakashi's other students decided to show up unexpectedly, Kurenai quietly asked, "Hinata, I need to know, are you alright?"

Stifling a sniffle the young girl rubbed at the front of her shirt, "My…my chest hurts."

Seeing Kakashi intently looking over his student Kurenai carefully asked, "Can you lift your shirt up so I can see?"

Not saying anything Hinata merely clutched the hem of her shirt and tentatively pulled it up. Catching sight of a thin, white bra Kurenai shifted her position. Using her own body to shield her student's modesty Kurenai moved her hand from behind the girl to gingerly touch the angry red mark that blemished the slight swell of Hinata's budding breasts.

"Does it hurt when I do this," the crimson eyed woman inquired, carefully probing the girl's developing chest. Receiving a small cringe, but nothing more than that Kurenai comforted the girl, saying, "You're going to have a large bruise for a couple of days, but nothing seems to be broken."

Giving a small nod Hinata pulled her shirt back down.

"I have some creams that will help," the jounin kunoichi offered, giving her student a reassuring smile and catching the small nod of thanks. Moving back to to her puzzled concern the older kunoichi asked, "Hinata, what happened?"

"I…I…I don't…don't know," the pearly eyed girl hiccupped. "We…we…were talking. About training earlier…and then…."

Going quiet, a new set of tears falling down her face, Hinata wrapped her arms around herself. It was a simple effort, instinctively done out of a need for comfort and defense.

"She snapped."

Looking back over towards Kurenai and Hinata, his hand resting on Sakura's head, Kakashi repeated himself, "She snapped at you and then lashed out, didn't she?"

Hearing a trace of regret in his voice Kurenai watched as Hinata wordlessly nodded in agreement.

"This is my fault," the grey haired jounin mumbled. "I should've seen it coming."

"Ano…is…is Sakura…is she alright?" Hinata cautiously asked; her innate kindness and compassion evident and a little surprising to both Kurenai and Kakashi.

"She's just been through a lot," Kakashi said, deciding that part of the truth was better than an outright lie. "I'm sure she didn't mean to harm you, she just…."

"Hinata, why don't you go to the bathroom and begin your bath," Kurenai suggested, catching how Kakashi trailed off. "I'll be in shortly with that cream and then we'll talk about this some more."

"Sensei…?" Hinata whispered slowly.

"It'll be alright, trust me," the dark haired kunoichi told her student comfortingly.

Waiting a few minutes after Hinata had walked out and shut the door Kurenai finally looked straight at her peer, "Tell me everything."

Kakashi did just that. The grey haired jounin told his kunoichi counterpart how Team 7's mission had begun, how it had fallen apart, and what Sakura had been threatened with. He told of how the young Haruno had locked herself into her bathroom, how he had needed to break the door down, and how he had then taken her to deal with her fear.

"I was stupid," the Copy-nin stated with a sigh as he let his fingers comb through his unconscious student's pink hair. "I thought that if she was given something else to focus on, like training, she'd be alright. I thought she could hold it together until we got back to Konoha, but then…."

"But then you had to come to Wave and things just went to hell," Kurenai finished for him. "You should've told me this as soon as I awoke."

"I meant to, but…," Kakashi said, his voice falling as he looked down at Sakura's face, so innocent now that she was sleeping. Not like it had been when he had burst into the room.

Being a Genjutsu specialist Kurenai had worked hard to understand the human psyche. She started out mainly so her techniques would be more potent, but over time it had evolved into something of a hobby for her. She wasn't a certified psychologist nor was she a Yamanaka, the one clan in Konoha that specialized fully in understanding the how and why of the mind. However, right now Yuuhi Kurenai was the only one with the knowledge that was needed.

Letting out a tired sigh Kurenai remarked slowly, "Post traumatic stress disorder, from what you describe that's what it initially seems."

Nodding in agreement Kakashi responded, "That's what I'd guessed, but for it to progress to such a violent stage so quickly…."

"Continued stress can do that. Dealing with PTSD isn't an exact science even for a fully trained psychologist. It can manifest quickly or a person can carry it for years without a single problem only to snap over something as simple as spilt milk," Kurenai commented as she sat in thought. "It can also be exacerbated by other psychological difficulties. Do you recall anything in Sakura's medical file about her mental health?"

"It was fine," the jounin said blinking his single visible eye. "No problems were listed and she passed the regular psych evaluations at the Academy. If there was a problem it would've been noted."

"Maybe," the crimson eyed woman stated slowly. "Or maybe the problem was covered up. Sakura is a Haruno after all. They hold a good deal of power as Konoha's premier merchant clan. Her grandfather is the head of the family. If she had a problem he could've used the Haruno's connections and purse to hide it."

Shaking his head Kakashi dismissed Kurenai's suggestion saying, "I doubt it. Both Sakura's mother and grandfather are incredibly protective of her. I had a meeting with them after she was assigned to Team 7. While publicly they are supportive of her choice to be a kunoichi, privately they are less than pleased by it. If she had a problem they would've used it to try and keep her from becoming a shinobi. No, if she had a problem then I doubt they knew about it."

"Hmmm, so she may or may not have something adding to her PTSD," Kurenai noted, mulling probabilities over in her head.

"I'm open to suggestions," the Copy-nin stated. "But we should probably keep Sakura and Hinata separated for awhile."

"Agreed."

Rising to her feet Kurenai moved towards the door. She had a few thoughts on how to help the pink haired girl, but the majority of them required that they get her back to Konoha. Right now though she was more concerned for the young girl she had just sent to the bathroom. Hinata's physical injury was minor, but mentally it could be worse. Hinata put absolute trust into her friends. Having that trust betrayed, especially considering how her family interacted, could be devastating. She might not be able to tell the young Hyuuga heiress all of the details, partially because she herself wasn't sure of all of them yet, but Kurenai knew she had to tell the girl something.

"I'm going to go and check on Hinata. Let Sakura sleep for now," Kurenai said softly. "When I get back we'll talk more about what needs to be done."

"Do you think we should mention this to the others?" Kakashi asked, already guessing the answer, merely wanting to hear it confirmed by someone else.

"No, for now we'll keep this as quiet as possible," the jounin kunoichi answered, knowing that it would be a distraction that they didn't need. Potentially divisive, having the genin feel they needed to choose sides, choosing between friends should they found out. Right now it was up to them, the jounin-sensei, to coach things along and make sure it didn't all far apart.

"Whenever I start to think things can't possibly get worse here I'm proven wrong," the grey haired jounin suddenly remarked with a tired sigh. "I'm really starting to hate this country."

Turning slightly to look at the man as he stared down at his student, his eye filled with a unique sadness, Kurenai couldn't help but agree.

---

Morning in Tazuna's home was only mildly the same as it had been over the last few days. Tsunami had stepped outside to hang out the wash load she had just finished. Inari had disappeared quickly after breakfast, but it was easily surmised that he was out somewhere moping as usual. Seated around the table inside were the members of Team 8. Shino and Kiba didn't know what it was exactly, but they had picked up on the slight tension that was in the air. Both Kurenai and Hinata were going through the motions of the day, preparing for a new training session.

The talk in the bathroom between teacher and student the previous night had been rather odd. Hinata had surprised Kurenai with the depth of her kindness. While the young girl had still been quite frightened, her concern for her friend had pushed it aside. At first Kurenai had worried that Hinata was unconsciously assuming blame for the incident, something that wasn't that farfetched considering Hinata's relationship with her family. Being firm the jounin kunoichi had tried to get the point across that what had happened was in no way the young Hyuuga girl's fault.

"Sa..Sakura is…she's a good friend. She…she wouldn't…. Something…something must have happened…t-t-to make her do this. P-p-please…please help her Kurenai-sensei."

Recalling Hinata's plea from last night Kurenai looked across the table to the young pearly eyed kunoichi. At times Hinata's innate kindness and compassion seemed to border on being simply naivety and foolishness. However, it could not be denied that the girl had a unique gift when in came to being insightful about others. Many would say that such perception was a product of her bloodline, but Kurenai disagreed. Hinata's gift was not the same as the cold discernment showcased by many of the Byakugan carriers.

"So, what's on for today?" Kiba asked suddenly, deciding to break the silence that filled the room.

Blinking her crimson eyes as she was brought out of her thoughts Kurenai took a moment and replied calmly, "Well I have a few light exercises for you and Shino to do so you can start getting your muscles back into shape."

"Ano…what about me," Hinata inquired softly.

"I have a few simple Genjutsu that I can teach you despite my injuries," the jounin kunoichi answered, cringing slightly as her left arm shifted in its sling.

"Are you not teaching Sakura today?" Shino asked, his voice it's normal neutral tone.

"Kakashi has a few things for her to do this morning," Kurenai responded, falling back on the story that she and Kakashi had concocted. "When this afternoon comes she and Hinata will switch. It should be a good learning experience."

The truth was that Kurenai would indeed be seeing the pink haired girl in the afternoon, but not for training. After speaking with Hinata the previous night Kurenai and Kakashi had discussed options. What they had come up with was keeping the two girls separated for the time being. Hinata would indeed be doing some cross-training, but not so with Sakura. Kakashi would take Sakura with him to the bridge and try to talk things over with her while Sasuke was preoccupied with training. In the afternoon the young pink haired genin would return to the house to have a diagnostic session with the older kunoichi.

It was anyone's guess as to how that would turn out. Normally shinobi with psychological problems had short careers. Too often their problem manifested in a way that caused them to hurt themselves permanently or even fatally. Even with help the stigma often caused them to accept early retirement. Sakura seemed nice enough and Hinata did care about her as a friend. Part of Kurenai really hoped she could indeed help the young Haruno girl.

"Man, I can't wait to get my strength back," Kiba commented loudly, his crutches leaning against the back of his chair. "Naruto and Sasuke always get the good assignments!"

"It is due to necessity, not favoritism," Shino stoically remarked, reaching around for the single crutch he still needed.

Running his hands through his hair as he let out a small cry of frustration the young Inuzuka exclaimed, "I know that, what I was saying was…."

Whatever Kiba had decided to say was lost to her as Kurenai thought to the other genin of Team 7. Sasuke had left with Kakashi about an hour ago to guard Tazuna and to work on awakening his latent Doujutsu. The young Uchiha heir seemed to be getting increasingly frustrated over not unlocking his Sharingan yet. Naruto on the other hand was also not in an incredibly cheerful mood. Back out there, trying to track down Gato's thugs with the hope of finding the man himself, the whiskered blond had left very early that morning in order to canvas the other side of the island. Since clearing out the nearby town and running into the fake hunter-nin no other contact had been made with the enemy. This had drawn Kakashi's suspicion and Kurenai had found herself agreeing.

Losing nearly fifty men was not the end of Gato's criminal empire. It was estimated from what intelligence Naruto had gathered and from what little Tazuna knew that Gato had several hundred bandits and thugs throughout Wave. The man also had the ability to call in hundreds more from elsewhere if needed. The losses that the young Shugorei had inflicted might have made the criminal leader mad, but they were far too little to scare him off so soon. The fact that Gato had yet to send a group to reclaim the town Naruto had 'liberated' was disconcerting. Reprisals should have been swift considering what Tazuna had told them regarding Kaiza standing up to Gato and taking out a handful of the man's thugs.

"This could very well be the calm before the storm," Kurenai cautiously thought, having already discussed the possibility with Kakashi the night before. "But hopefully with Naruto out there we can get some kind of advanced warning. I just hope he doesn't try to do too much. He's still just a kid and this is…."

"Aaaaah!"

"Kaasan!"

The sudden cries that broke Kurenai's thoughts were unmistakable. Rising to her feet so quickly that she knocked her chair backwards Kurenai was outside before she had even realized what she was doing. Surprisingly enough, Hinata was only a few steps behind her while Kiba and Shino were trying their best to grab their crutches and hobble out to join their sensei and teammate.

Standing there on the lip where the porch of the house connected with the small dock Kurenai bit her lip in frustration at what she saw. Halfway down the dock two thugs were standing, Tsunami on her knees between them as they let their hands rest eagerly on the hilts of the katana that each wore on their hip. While seeing Tazuna's daughter held hostage was bad, it wasn't the worst thing about the situation. The other ten bandits who were waiting on the shore near the end of the dock were.

"Inari!"

"Kaasan!"

Hearing the sudden cry Kurenai easily spied Inari only a few feet from her. The boy was struggling to rise up from his hands and knees, as if preparing to charge the two sword wielding thugs next to his mother. Kurenai prepared to step forward to grab the boy but was beaten to him by Hinata. While she felt some pride in the way the young kunoichi was trying to comfort and protect the young boy Kurenai felt a certain trepidation at her student's action. If the thugs hadn't noticed the Konoha-nin coming out of the house then they certainly had noticed them now.

"Hey Zouri, looks like we won't have to go searching now," said the first sword wielder, a man with an eye patch over his right eye and a tattoo crawling over his left shoulder to spread across his chest.

"I hear you Waraji," Zouri, the second sword wielder, remarked. "I just love it when things turn out easy for us."

"Please, leave us alone! Tsunami begged only to get slapped across the face.

"Kaasan!"

Shifting her gaze over to where Hinata and Inari were Kurenai saw the young boy struggling as the Hyuuga girl held him tightly to her.

"Hey! What do you think you bastards are doing?!" Kiba yelled as he and Shino finally made their way out onto the porch, Akamaru right by their side letting out several barks and growls.

"Four? I thought there were only supposed to be one or two?" Zouri commented, moving a hand up to rub at the stocking-hat atop his head.

"Eh, looks like Zabuza ain't as high and mighty as he wants everyone to believe," Waraji replied, licking his lips in anticipation. "Besides, look at 'em! Two brats on crutches, a woman all bandaged up, and a slip of a girl!"

"Yeah, if they ain't the sorriest group of ninja I've ever done seen," laughed Zouri as he let his thumb touch the guard of his sword.

"Sorry?!" growled Kiba angrily. "I'll show you, you bastards!"

"Kiba!"

Turning her whole body sideways as her broken collarbone didn't allow her to turn her head Kurenai shot the young Inuzuka stern glance. Seeing the boy clench his teeth but nod just the same the jounin turned back towards the enemy. Her message to both boys had been clear, 'don't do anything stupid and wait for my signal'.

"If I only knew what that was going to be," Kurenai silently grumbled.

Right now things were pretty bad. If she wasn't injured Kurenai knew she could deal with the two men and the group of bandits behind them easily. Sleeping would seem a chore in comparison. However, her injuries and the fact that they had a hostage were limiting her greatly. She also had to worry about her two weakened students and the small boy that her other student was currently protecting.

"Alright, if I move in fast and hit those two then Hinata can grab Tsunami and get her and Inari back into the house. Kiba and Shino can cover us with kunai and shuriken. The dock means we can bottleneck the other thugs," the crimson eyes jounin thought quickly before a cold tendril of doubt weaved its way into her guts. "But what if something goes wrong? If I only get one the other will skewer me and possible Tsunami as well. Hinata would have to fight him as well as the others. Can she do that? Can I risk it? No, I'm not going to miss; I'm going to get them both. Hinata can do it, she's grown a lot and…."

"No!" Tsunami suddenly shouted. "Leave them alone! If you…if you don't then…then I'll bite off my tongue and…."

"Shaddup!" Waraji drawled, striking Tsunami hard enough in the back of the head to send her into a silent daze.

"Kaasan!" Inari screamed, tears steadily falling from his eyes as he tried to break free from Hinata and run to his mother.

"No choice," Kurenai resolved, tensing her body and preparing to attack. "It's now or…."

"Aaaah!"

Before she could launch her assault several screams shattered the silence. However, the screams were not from Tsunami or Inari, neither were they from any member of Team 8. No, these were the screams of desperate men being slaughtered.

Looking past the two sword wielding thugs to the group behind them Kurenai felt her eyes widen in shock and horror. Turning sideways to follow the gaze of the jounin both Zouri and Waraji felt their eyes widen in a similar manner. The group they had left on shore was being cut to pieces as blond sword wielding clones descended upon them from the forest. As the last bandit let out a gurgling screech, his throat was sliced open and his guts hanging out, a familiar whiskered genin suddenly appeared on the dock between the two remaining thugs and the shoreline.

"I don't like preying upon the weak," Naruto remarked, his voice calm and yet holding a dark undertone. "But then again, I despise scum like you."

Standing there the blue eyes of the young Konoha-nin seemed to burn with a cold fire. Flanked by the clones that stood upon the shore Naruto held his hands in his pants pockets, his Zanpakuto still sheathed across his back.

"You little bastard!" Waraji growled taking a step towards the blond. "Who the fuck do you think you are?! You're nothing more than…!"

"I'm the guy who a few days ago killed that entire group of thugs Gato had in town," the Shugorei heir stated, dangerously calm as he interrupted. "I'm the guy who only a few moments ago wiped out the group he sent to retake that town. I'm the guy who just now slaughtered your group of friends back there. And I'm the guy who's going to kill you as well. That's who the fuck I am."

Waraji and Zouri weren't sure at that moment, as they looked at the twelve year old boy, why their guts seemed to tighten into knots or why cold sweat formed on their brow. Maybe it was how his clones had just killed the group they had been leading, how he had just listed off killing so many others, how he had spoken in such a chilling manner, or how he stood there without a single hint of fear. Maybe it was a combination of all of it. Whatever the cause, both men swallowed hard as they grabbed the hilts of their swords.

"Y-you're…you're full of it!" Waraji stammered, recomposing himself enough to shoot a singular glare at the boy. "That…that was…you used just some sort of ninja trick!"

"Y-yeah! You ain't but nothing!" Zouri yelled, not realizing how foolish he sounded. "You're just some ninja puke! Besides, we've got a hostage and…."

Blinking in surprise both thugs could not hide their shock as the blond genin in front of them suddenly disappeared.

"You had a hostage."

Spinning around at the sound of the voice the two men were even more surprised to now see the same boy standing between them and the house. Adding to their alarm was the fact that he held Tsunami bridal style in his arms. It took several double-takes by the sword wielding bandits to realize that the woman they had been holding hostage in-between them was indeed no longer there.

"Such speed," Kurenai breathed out, shocked by Naruto's movement. Being a jounin she had been able to follow it, but still….

"Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered, her voice showing her surprise and joy.

"Kaasan!" Inari yelled as Naruto set Tsunami down on the dock only a few feet from where the boy was.

Wiggling his way free of Hinata's grasp, the girl too stunned to keep her grip tight, Inari ran to his mother. Coming out of her daze Tsunami spied her son. Opening her arms the dark haired woman gathered her son into the deepest hug imaginable, whispering soothing words mixed with thanks.

"It's as I told you Inari," Naruto suddenly said as he pulled his Zanpakuto free of its sheathe and turned back to look at the enemy. "These guys are nothing but bullies. Stand up to them, show them you aren't afraid, hit them hard enough and they'll think twice about coming after you."

Looking up from his mother's grasp the tears that Inari looked to the older boy he had yelled at and called stupid. Turning his head slightly Naruto threw the boy a warm, toothy smile.

"Y-you little bastard!" Waraji suddenly screamed, grasping the hilt of his sword and charging. "I'll kill you!"

"No, Waraji don't!" Zouri cried.

Disappearing just as quickly as before, Naruto used Shunpo to appear on the other side of the eye-patch wearing thug before the man had even gotten more than five steps. Waraji stood, seemingly frozen in place, the pupil of his eye seemed unable to fix on anyone spot. Opening his mouth to say something the tattooed thug found himself unable to speak as he suddenly coughed hard. Blood coming from his mouth and dripping down his chin and off his scraggly goatee the man's eye glazed over. Falling down limply the man's mind barely registered the wound that had pierced through his back to leave his chest a bloody blossom right over the spot where his heart had been.

Flicking Konoe to remove the little bit of blood that was on the blade Naruto didn't need to turn and look to know the outcome. Senka was a move that, utilizing Shunpo, allowed the user to deliver a piercing strike at the blind spot of an opponent's back. It was a near perfect way to quickly kill an opponent with minimal effort and had been preferred by many Shugorei for just such a reason. Naruto knew, as his attempt to use it against Kakashi had failed, he still had much work to do in order to master it. However, against a simple thug like Waraji it was more than adequate…almost overkill really.

"Holy shit!" Zouri breathed out fearfully before turning and running as fast as he could down the dock.

Watching the final bandit stumbling and falling over himself as he tried to reach the shore and what he imagined to be the relative safety of the woods on it Kurenai turned to look to her students. Preparing to address them and shake them from their shock Kurenai suddenly picked up something in her peripherals. Naruto seemed to be watching the retreating man like a hawk. At that moment the jounin kunoichi's mind clicked.

"No, Naruto wait!"

It was already too late though, the boy had used Shunpo. Only a few mere feet from the end of the dock, Zouri tripped over himself yet again. Catching himself with his hands, leaving himself in a slightly crouching position, the sword wearing thug suddenly noticed a pair of sandaled feet standing only a few inches in front of him. Eyes wide with fear the man brought his face up and let out a whimper at what he saw. Standing there, holding Konoe in his right hand, Naruto had his left index finger, a small point of bluish white light on it, pointed directly at the thug's head.

"Hey," the Shugorei heir stated calmly. "You know that light…at the end of the tunnel? That ain't heaven."

Before she could yell, before she could try and halt the whiskered blond, Kurenai saw the head of the stocking-hat wearing thug split open like an overripe melon. Standing there, Naruto let the Byakurai he had just fired die out as the body slumped over onto its side. Sheathing his Zanpakuto in one, swift motion Naruto began to walk back up the dock, Kurenai's crimson eyes on him every step he took.

"W-why…? You…you shouldn't have done that," the dark haired jounin whispered as the young genin came to a stop only a few feet away from her.

"He would've gone back to Gato and returned with an even larger group," the blue-eyed Shugorei remarked, not a trace of regret in his voice. "Gato's decided we're all too much of a problem to leave alive. I'm sorry I wasn't quicker in getting here, but only one guy from the group that I intercepted knew that a second group was coming here."

Seemingly unaffected or just able to shake off his shock faster than his teammates, Shino spoke, "If Gato sent a group here to capture Tazuna's family and finish us off then…."

"Yeah, he's sent others to the bridge," the blond jinchuuriki answered with a nod. "Five will get you ten that it's Zabuza and his crew."

"N-naruto…," Kiba said in a voice tainted with shock and awe, looking past his friend to the corpses left in the boy's wake before looking directly at the blond. "H-how…why? I…you…."

Ignoring the Inuzuka boy Naruto looked directly to Kurenai, saying, "Gato only sent the one group here and I've already taken care of the one headed towards town. I've got to go. Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, and Sakura…."

Giving a nod Kurenai swallowed what she wanted to yell at the boy, understanding the situation they were all now in, saying instead, "We should be able to handle things here for the time being."

"Alright then, but I'd like to take some extra backup," the Shugorei heir stated, turning to look away from the Kurenai and at the younger kunoichi of Team 8. "Hinata…. Are you with me? Are you with me, Hinata?"

Hearing the question Kurenai felt her mouth go dry. She had grown protective of the shy girl, but she knew what the situation was right now. While she wanted the young Hyuuga heiress to remain here, relatively safe and away from battle, she knew that the girl was right now the healthiest and most capable member of Team 8. Looking over to the genin kunoichi Kurenai saw the small battle being fought beneath those two pearly eyes. It was easy enough to tell that Hinata was troubled by fear, fear of the unknown, of death, of even the boy whom she admired and wished to hold close to her heart. And yet at the same time the normally timid girl was torn by her sense of duty, her compassion, her desire to help her friends, and of course the desire to stand with the whiskered blond she so admired and cared for. It was anybody's guess as to….

"Hai, Naruto-kun."

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At the bridge mist had already rolled in to cover it and all those who stood upon it. The sudden atmospheric change amidst the warm morning sun was not missed by those who were observing. Far back in the woods, atop the cliff the bridge was only a single span away from, a well camouflaged group was watching carefully. They had seen the group of former Kiri-nin takeout the workers who had already arrived on the bridge earlier. They had seen the three Konoha-nin and the old bridge builder arrive several moments later. Now it seemed that the camouflaged group's boredom was about to end.

"Whoa, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" a young combat engineer asked before getting pulled down to the ground.

"Yes, now stay down!" one of the scouts assigned for protection and observation whispered harshly as he released the other man's shirt sleeve. "What do ya think Sarge?"

Watching the mist begin to thicken and hearing yells beginning to echo out of it a grizzled recon sergeant replied, "I think this what we been waiting for. Get a message back to the Benihime, she's gonna be real interested in this."

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AN: So there it is, Part 1. Yes, yes I know it's a bit late coming. Blame the delay on the fact that I've tried really hard to refine this chapter into the exhilarating scenes that have been running through my head ever since I first began to imagine this story. I'm particularly glad to finally get one particular scene written and posted. The scene where Naruto fights outside Tazuna's home and executes Zouri almost mafia style has been kicking about my head for the longest time and is one of the handful of scenes I first imagined when this story was a mere brainstorm. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Part 2 is coming. As always feedback, commentary, critiques, general thoughts, etc. are always welcomed and appreciated. 500 here I come.

Tyrchon

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