Chapter 18
Disclaimer: Not a thing.
Foreword: I'm sticking fairly close to canon as far as some events go, yeah it's uncreative sue me. First time doing something like this. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but the Land of Waves is a basically Naruto coming to his morality about his occupation.
Naruto is a really neat setting because it's fairly contemporary as far as technology goes. The Land of Waves has a mechanical crane, a motor boat, and a shotgun. Konoha has televisions and refrigerators as well as microwaves, I like the idea that being able to generate fire, electricity, and air lead to a weird way of things being invented because they have motors, but not cars. Trains, but not even glider planes. On top of that it's mythological ninjas more so than the historical ninja, the myths had them literally summoning monsters and esoteric magic. You know that Suiton and Katon were names for hiding in water and lighting something on fire during a thunder storm to cause a distraction? There are actual historical texts about strategies and techniques they used.
Most of the cast in the Land of Waves is interesting. Tazuna is a good man forced to endanger child soldiers because a guy ruling his home as a tyrant. Zabuza ,despite everything he does, is very moral for his profession, he's basically a darker Kakashi. He never really tries to kill Team 7 until they show their resolve, he doesn't really try to kill anyone except who he being paid to kill and Kakashi because guy supposedly has an insane bounty on his head. Tsunami has a bigger forehead than Sakura when she first shows up in the manga.
Zabuza is weird because people rank him low as a threat and he's basically a good counter to Kakashi and has him on the defensive because of how Kakashi has four people to protect. Besides Gai every other Jonin would have probably died. Kurenai existed just to prop up Itachi's skill and Asuma really just does knives and gun smoke. He kills mooks, but Kakashi is basically the bench mark of how much a threat you are.
Alright let's go.
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"Oi! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto turned from his place at the head of the group to walk backward with his hand behind his head. They'd walked for roughly an hour from Konoha, the road they were on branched once or twice before merging into a long road.
"Yes, Naruto?" The Jonin was currently doing his best to look aloof and uncaring. He sauntered with one hand his shoulder strap with is left hand in his pocket. Actually bored out of his mind for once, he wondered if Minato had endured a worse agony with them briefly.
"Where have you been? What countries, dattebayo!" The backpedaling boy asked with eyes lit by curiosity. "You're a Jonin so have you ever saved a princess or anything cool?"
"I've been here and there, fighting sometimes and sometimes just delivering something." He answered unenthused. He had saved a few princesses in reality, poisoned a Daimyo-to-be with an Aburame, and returned the remains of a Daimyo to his grieving widow after they were displayed and beaten by the elements by rebels. Those where stories for another time.
"Come on! Can you at least tell us why cover your eye? Did you lose it on a mission or do you cover it to look cool?" He said with a disappointed look on his face.
"Oh this? Maaa… I lost my eye when I did something stupid when I was about your age." He stated without any hesitation in his usual bored tone. He didn't regret losing it, he regretted the replacement that shifted in his skull even when he kept it closed.
"He has a vertical scar across the center of his eye. It must have been something really stupid then, Kakashi." Sasuke remarked from in front of Kakashi.
"Did you lose your eye, Sensei?" Sakura asked hesitantly. She squirmed at the idea of losing an eye, while her inner self wondered if she'd look more striking with an eyepatch.
Kakashi just nodded. He'd had similar questions when guarding rich children, poor mannered nobles, and more than a few ignorant shinobi unaware of the rumors around him. He was surprised at how long it took them to ask about his eye, they'd tried to see under his mask once or twice.
"Lot of you lose body parts? Seems like a super dangerous profession, none of my workers have ever lost a finger working on my bridges." Tazuna joined the conversation with a boisterous question and confidence in his ability as a foreman.
"Every occupation has it's hazards. The Genin Cell was designed to ensure the protection of the Genin while they learn, but accidents can happen. Last year a Genin lost an eye chasing Tora…" He glanced back into the forest along the road. "Fighting isn't always the most dangerous part of the job, a kunai grabbed in haste or poor planning can be as bad as an enemy shinobi."
"Is that how you lost your eye, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto wondered out loud. Kakashi didn't answer, but balanced his hand back and forth to Naruto's amusement. They continued down the path until they approached the long sideroad.
"Umm… Tazuna-san?" Sakura started.
"Huh? What?" The man adjusted his towel to cover his shoulders from the sun.
"You're from the Land of Waves, right?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Well, Kakashi-Sensei are there ninja in that country?" It was a tentative question; the girl was still unsteady with her trust of Kakashi.
"No, not in the Wave country, but in most other countries do. The customs and cultures differ, but Hidden Villages and Shinobi do exist." Kakashi began. "To many countries, the existence of a Hidden Village equates to military power. The Villages themselves receive funding and support from the country they reside in, but are not wholly beholden to the Daimyo of the country. A small island nation like the Wave wouldn't see much interference from the larger nations due to their size and location. You are aware of the Five Great Shinobi Nations correct?"
"OH! Yeah! I got this!" Naruto exclaimed joining the conversation. "The Land of Fire, Earth, Lightening, Wind, and Water. We're the Hidden Village of the Land of Fire, and we have the Hokage as the leader of the village. Other villages have other leaders, Jiji is supposedly pretty strong, right? The Tsuchikage is even older, dattebayo?" Naruto exclaimed in his usual loud voice.
"Don't doubt Hokage-sama…and the Sandaime Tsuchikage is older from what I'm aware of. He was one of the first generations of Shinobi born in a Hidden Village, like Sandaime-sama." Kakashi explained as they meandered down the road.
"I heard the Yondaime fought the Raikage when they were still just Jonin, dattebayo. Do the Kage's fight a lot during wars, Kakashi-sensei?" It had the same energy, but the tone was different. Not boyish wonder, but for once more like a question from Sakura.
"Not often from what I'm aware of." Kakashi answered. Kage's usually protected the village as a final trump card or during invasions. " I wouldn't worry about fighting any shinobi on a C-Rank mission." Kakashi reassured her.
"So we won't be running into any foreign ninja." Sakura was relieved as she said this.
To Naruto and Sasuke's disappointment. The latter turned to stare in slight disbelief at Sakura's attitude, it was foreign to him. They were shinobi, they fought and bleed for a living. 'I wonder if Ino or Hinata would have been better suited for our team.' The Uchiha thought turning back around. 'Even the dobe has some ambition more than a crush, Sakura.' Sasuke held some manner of respect for Naruto, whenever they sparred it was a fight even if an easy fight, there was some satisfaction when the Uzumaki took a blow to trade another with him.
They crossed a small bridge over a simple stream soon enough. They were getting more and more into the Southern half of Fire Country more and more stone and steel structures would arise as more manufacturing and port cities arose.
Kakashi saw the puddle as soon as Naruto absent mindedly avoided it. 'Idiots… you had a natural water source and there hasn't been a cloud in the sky for days…' He lazily stepped forward letting himself be separated from the group. He heard one of them land behind him as the chain wrapped around him as the other ran to further immobilize him, he doubted either of them saw the hand seals as they pulled from either side.
"What?" He threw his voice from cover. 'Now was it simply my bounty or do they want Sasuke? Naruto's status isn't as secretive as we'd like, but I doubt Kiri would know… Maybe the bridge builder ran his mouth when he was drunk…'
"One down." One of the Kiri-Nin announced.
Sakura screamed, Naruto stammered at the loss of his sensei in shock, and Sasuke focused as Tazuna clenched his teeth in terror and swallowed. Two horned Kiri-nin turned their eyes towards the group. One cloaked and the other a rough tunic they shared a spiked chain between them connected to clawed gauntlet on eithers arm..
It happened quickly enough. They pulled the chain back and ran toward Naruto still trying to comprehend what was happening. His hand fumbled for a kunai. "Now for this one." Came from their muffled rebreathers. Naruto felt like a child again, like he was five years old and in the orphanage when the cook sent him to his room without dinner and he protested, he feared for his life when the man held the knife then and how he stared at him. He wanted to hit the man in front of him like he wanted to when he was a child, but he froze.
He stepped back as the chain went taut. A shuriken dug into it followed by a kunai stopping the advance of the enemy. Sasuke landed between the two and gave them each a kick and followed as one broke the chain and circled aiming for Tazuna as Sasuke kept pace and intercepted before he had a chance to commit to his route as Sakura took a protective stance over Tazuna. A slash with a gauntlet was avoided and Sasuke managed to land a punch as the enemy tried to recover. Sasuke's free hand dug for another kunai, he went out to parry a coming slash and… the enemy was gone.
"Yo." Kakashi as he intervened, still as ever bored and with both shinobi head locked and unconscious in his arms.
Naruto stared in surprise. 'Kawarimi… Kakashi-sensei used Kawarimi…' He felt stupid as he started to get up, he thought the bi-horned one shoved him down. He saw Sakura blush in relief at Kakashi's survival and Sasuke's annoyance at stopping the fight.
"Naruto, sorry for not helping you right away, your injury is my fault. I didn't think you'd freeze up like that." Kakashi replied in his usual lazy tone, it was the truth of the matter. He was too used to ANBU and higher rank missions where even rookies had fought, he couldn't remember the last time he had green Genin with him on a mission. "Anyway, nice work Sasuke. You to Sakura."
'I was useless…' It all flooded back loses when he was a kid to Sasuke, failure to do Bunshin while Sasuke did it the first time without flaw, or anything else. 'It's his first battle, he wasn't afraid at all, he doesn't have a scratch on him and acts like nothing happened… He doesn't even have dirt on him.' Naruto stared as he dusted himself off.
"Yo." Sasuke called to him. "You all right… Scaredy Cat." He gloated. It touched a nerve; Naruto clenched his jaw at that. A mix of embarrassment and rage met in a swirl.
"Sasuke!" Naruto was ready to fight.
"Naruto, save it for later. Their claws are soaked in poison, try not to move around too much or it'll spread. We have to remove it quickly by opening the wound and removing the poisoned blood." Kakashi informed his student, he likely had something in a medkit for it. Naruto just gazed at the wound with a hate. "Now then, Tazuna-san."
"What! What is it?!" The man asked startled.
"We need to talk…" The conversation focused on the events that had previously occurred. How the Kiri-Nin were after him and how he had endangered his students. He avoided condemning the man. "I'm sure you have your reasons, but when you lie about little details incidents occur. We are now operating outside of our duties." Kakashi explained.
"We aren't ready for this kind of thing. We'll need medicine for Naruto's wound, we should head back to the village and take him to a doctor." Added a nervous Sakura.
"…This might be too much. I guess we should return to the village…" The words inflamed Naruto worse than Sasuke or Kiba ever could along with the look, it was a moment, but it was all it took. That he was a burden, that he was useless, and that he messed up. He brought the kunai to his hand and stabbed. It wasn't as precise as Rin had taught him when she went over first aid with him. There was an audible clap as the blood hit the ground to everyone's shock.
'Why is there so much of a difference…' He could never be like anyone else. Even when Rin taught him, it was always different. 'Why do I always have to be…' He remembered jeers, birthdays alone, the extra classes he had to take. 'I beat a Chunin before graduating… I can do seals…I'm getting stronger, but…' The wound pulsed more scarlet and the wound burned in the air, the iron smell permeated his nose. It hurt. 'I'm not going to be saved again, never. I'm not going to be afraid and run. I won't lose, I won't. Not to Sasuke, not to anyone. I swear it on the pain in my left hand…'
"On this kunai… I swear I'll protect you, Ossan." He flashed the wound with a hungry grin. "We're continuing the mission!" He took out the kunai and put his backpack down and fished for a medkit with his clean hand.
"You better be quick; you might die of blood loss." Kakashi warned in a tone that only his students might know he was joking, but even then.
"I have blood pills for seals, dattebayo." He grunted as he got his bandages out, and poured a little water over the wound before attempting to wrap it. It was awkward with one clean hand.
"Let me see your hand, it's hard to wrap it with one hand." Kakashi wrapped the wrist and slowed as he saw it, he'd seen Rin heal without need for Iryo-Ninjutsu the few times she synchronized with the Sanbi, but Naruto's hand healed to his naked eye, not to Obito's Sharingan.
"Naruto what are you thinking are you a masochist?" Sakura chided him as Kakashi stopped to stare. It was nearly done. He wished he had asked Kushina more questions now, her son was very much like her in that if you pushed she'd tell you.
"Uh…Kakashi-sensei am I gonna be okay? You got really serious…" The boy betrayed any notion of the previous bravery as he worried as Kakashi resumed the wrapping.
"You'll be fine." He reassured him. 'Now I need to figure out how he doesn't explain this to Rin.' He thought to himself, they'd wait for whoever Kotetsu and Izumo sent them for the Demon Brothers. 'Probably a title they gave themselves… Hard to believe these are Kiri Chunin. I could probably interrogate them now, but we've had enough excitement for today.' He eyed Sakura as he thought that.
"Take a ten minute break, someone will be here soon to take them away." He called to his students as Tazuna approached him.
"Sensei… we should probably talk…" The man rubbed his neck as Kakashi gave a glance at the demon brothers.
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The rest of the trip to Uzushio had been slightly strained since the revelation. Izumi held her questions to ruminate. They bailed off the ship as soon as they passed close enough to water walk to the landmark a small island close enough where Rin could use Hiraishin after swimming through the gap in the barrier. To call it a gap was a misnomer, no human being or summon could pass through and enter the Land of Eddies. The final defense of the Uzumaki was a barrier to trap their killers inside to starve, but the invisible barrier had one weakness. A small beach where cucumber bushes grew wildly, where a little girl used to meet a giant.
The invisible field went far. Most cargo ships stayed close despite the rumors of the haunted island. Ships from the Land of Tea ran to the Land of Lightening without worry of pirates due to the rough nightly waves and unhospitable islands causing it to be a poor choice for would be raiders. Ships could safely dip into it as long as crew members avoided the invisible wall.
"I'll be back in ten minutes, be prepared." Rin announced as she took off her pack. They had more than a few supplies for the Outpost Team, who lived on the island for nearly a full two years considering how these trips were planned. It wasn't life saving supplies, creature comforts and small things to help the listening outpost. They could only communicate through Rin or trained seabirds, but even outcasts got lonely.
Her Jonin vest, hitai-ate, and sandals soon joined the bag. The small island was rocky, a small weathered boulder with a healthy amount of vegetation. She cut her foot as she dived in and Isobu's chakra boiled around her as she burst forward. It accepted his chakra, not hers. She needed a tails worth to enter and Hiraishin used his own chakra as well.
The ocean was deep here. Small reefs dotted the way where the Sanbi could enter, reef fish and eels darted in the evening sun. Larger ocean life avoided this path ever since they returned nearly five years ago. There were bones were the Sanbi had dragged whales and serpents to their demise, large hermit crabs made their roost in the skulls of the serpents as they poked their eyes out to look at her shape. It meant more homes as they clicked their claws greedily.
The shallows had more lively corals. Sea fans, sea horses, and sea sponges dominated the landscape with more and more reef fish, a predatory fish made the mistake of trying to make a meal of her. No larger than her forearm and it attempted to take her head on. Rin caught it in her mouth as she kicked toward, there was no need for the cloak other than Isobu enjoying the water more he could feel the brine of the sea as the rocky sea floor merged to sand and she walked to shore.
"You guys are late. We told you about the shipping routes, even saw the ship. Should have been here by noon." A woman's voice called from lifeguard station on the beach. It was on stilts and got repairs whenever Tenzo joined the mission. It's style ever changing as the man brought an architecture magazine with him every time. It looked like a castle with the stone shachihoko he carved last year.
"The ship was late." Rin answered back as she set the kunai. Her current control with the Biju meant each kunai was a one-off. Burnt and useless as the seal broke melted the kunai.
"Sure… We have a regular Lu Au for you guys like the ones in the Land of the Moon." The voice called as Rin gathered chakra. "Wonder what surprise you have for us this year…" The voice trailed as Rin warped back to the rock.
"Fu, you're first. Have they told you what it's like?" Rin didn't really wait him to nod as she grabbed him. A flash and they were back on the beach and the Yamanka held in his stomach better than Tenzo ever had as he coughed spit up.
"Teleportation sickness is a bitch isn't it?" A dark-haired woman with long stepped out from the shack. She wore sunglasses and an ANBU Vest over a bikini with a Fox Mask hanging on her hip that swung as she walked toward them. "Taking it better than Tiger, though. Take a seat, it'll pass soon enough." She brushed her bangs out of her face as she walked towards them.
Another blink and Rin had Tenzo. The Shodai's genes didn't help him recover any better as he cried a little as he doubled over. "Oh good, you brought Tiger again. We need him to build a couple of things, well the Aburame does." Rin didn't hear the rest of it as she went back to the rock.
"Are you ready?" Rin asked her student who still just stared at her.
"I don't hate you, it's just a lot to take in." Izumi finally spoke a sentence to her. "I didn't even know there was a Kyubi Jinchuriki prior to the attack…"
"If there's anything you want to discuss before we go in, I want you to tell me. There's a lot of things that I'm forbidden to speak of, I don't like it." Rin cautiously waited for a response as the waves picked up.
"Did you know about the Uchiha? What they were planning before?" There was an existential fear in her.
"I wanted some senbei that night, I just came back from a mission and was close enough." There was a pause as the waves got rougher, just the crashing sound as they stood on the rock. "There's more things I can tell you later, but if this is too much for now…"
"It's just odd. Itac… He was always so secretive, I hated that and looking back I just couldn't stand it. It's why I probably won't join the interrogation team. Fightings more honest, you know." The Uchiha sighed. "I don't like the lies, it's the one part of being a shinobi I hate it. Fighting and killing are easier than deceiving someone to their face, I can understand why, but it's awkward."
"You are always my student." Rin put a conviction into those words. "No matter what believe that, the Sandaime put you into my care not because they were fearful you'd be disloyal or because you might be able to help restrain a Biju. Usually people like me aren't given students, I thought that it was some political move initially, but I understood why eventually."
"What did you understand?" Izumi asked.
"You needed a teacher, who wouldn't try to use you for clout or their own gain. Not a friend, but I think he thought I could understand what it's like to have your life changed in the span of so little time. The Yondaime, Minato-sensei, was better than I could ever be with teaching. He could just read people after meeting them for a minute, but I know you. I… I hate pretending to be Ringo, the hidden Senju who Jiraiya discovered, but I can enjoy being Ringo-sensei. It's not a lie when I try to teach you."
"Who would you rather be." Izumi asked. There was a chill in her voice, Rin couldn't tell the full intention of it.
"If it wouldn't start a war, I'd be Nohara Rin." She paused to see if there was a reaction to her real name, Izumi just gave a puzzled frown. "I was born in Konoha before the Second War; a lot of things went wrong. My Jonin sensei was Namikaze Minato and my teammates were Uchiha Obito and Hatake Kakashi. I fought in the Third Shinobi War and became the Sanbi Jinchuriki at the end, we never fully understood Kiri's intentions." She was resolute in her revelation. "I'll tell you as much as you want." She held her hand out.
Izumi took it after a moments hesitation. "Let's talk more tomorrow, this is just…" She sighed. "I want to sleep on it. I'm ready to go when you are." Izumi gripped Rin's hand.
They were back on the beach. Tenzo made a walking stick to steady himself as the Yamanka discussed something with the woman.
"That's a surprise." The Fox masked ANBU broke from her conversation as Izumi calmed herself and rubbed her temple. "I haven't seen my little cousin in years now."
"Tomoe?" A weary Izumi asked as she popped a pouch open.
"This a mission, I'm Fox." Tomoe said in a rather sarcastic manner. "So you're part of the bomb squad this year? I'm surprised they finally let you know about your Sensei." Her scarring was apparent as she stepped forward. Small discoloration marked everywhere on her arms and legs, she had taken up tanning to hide them, but her apparel noted a lack of shame in them.
Izumi nodded.
"Big surprise isn't it?" The woman swaggered over to get a better look at her cousin. "Well, we can talk about that later. How's the rest of the Clan? We get letters every once in a while by seabird, but I'd like to hear the unofficial story." She tapped her shoulder and gave her cousin a pat on the back as she gave her a hug.
"Sasuke is a Genin under Hatake Kakashi and on his first C-Rank." Izumi said quickly and glanced quickly at Rin. "Rui is still talking care of the shrines and teaching Yakumo. Naka is still in the Cypher division. Besides that Hikaku and Ichirai are handling the day to day clan affairs. I can't really speak of the others."
"Under Kakashi, makes sense. We can talk more up at the barracks; I'll give you a full tour tomorrow." Was said with a nod and a disappointed tone as Tomoe lead them up the hill. "We'll also need to have you replace this, Tiger." Tomoe kicked the staircase to cause it to creak. "Salt air just eats away at it even without any iron in it." She stamped her foot again. "Should see some of the wildlife, the Aburame is crazy about everything. They gnaw on everything and know how to avoid the seals."
It wasn't a long trip the stairs scaled a rocky, but hidden path into a level field from their it was a fair distance to the outpost. Small buildings started sprouting out, simple shacks with overgrown gardens with bright tags saying 'Clear' on them. The dirt path they traveled on became worn stone as they approached the outskirts of Uzushio.
"What in the hell is that?" Izumi gave a curious shout breaking of her mood. Her eyes wide at a stone monolith that guarded the outskirts of Uzushio.
"Oh, we didn't tell you two did we?" Rin smacked herself internally. "The Uzumaki had were very religious. The Mask Shrine is a little less overt in their beliefs." Rin tried to sugarcoat it.
"They have a giant statue of a Shinigami disemboweling itself. The Mask Shrine just has some masks that might scare a child." Izumi balked at the explanation. "We have a few statues of Kami and Oni in the Naka Shrine, but this a giant statue of the Shinigami kneeling and spilling it's guts with a smile on its face. This is a little beyond religious."
"I agree with the sentiment this is more than I was briefed on." Fu added taking sight of the statue, the decorations faded and many of the flowers gone, made it look like a monument of decay.
"It's supposed to represent escape from death by rebirth… The Shinigami freeing them from its stomach voluntarily." Tenzo added. "There used to be a flower garden by its feet, but from what we can tell it got destroyed during the invasion. The intestines were a fountain. The Uzumaki were creative in their worship, to say the least." He said hiding his irritation at having to explain everything, again.
"The personal shrines in the houses are more unique. Wonder what the Shodai's wife had… Weirdest one I've seen so far is the Shinigami making himself smile while holding his own head. Imo has been going nuts over all the texts we've been getting our hands on." Tomoe explained to the newcomers.
"Imo?" Izumi asked.
"One of the Sarutobi Clansmen. ANBU codebreaker extraordinaire. Thought they would have given you an explanation of the operation here? I'm team lead of this operation, got about five others under my command. Imo, the Aburame, and Onikuma Iyo do most of the work going through houses, trying to break into new sectors, and general studies of the island. Imo and the Aburame usually will give you the lowdown on what's off limits in detail, I'll say this once though: The Eastern Beaches are a no go zone, snails and other things will try to eat you and suck your chakra dry, have the Aburame with you, if you go there. We have the safe zones marked with these." She raised a bright tag. "Nearly everything is trapped, whole island is rigged, Uzumaki made sure this was a roomy grave. We're still finding more bunkmates."
"Who are the other two." Fu asked looking at a line of overgrown buildings with faded technicolor spirals decorating them, small markers denoted scattered on them. The group started moving towards the outskirts of Uzushio
"Cook and a medic. Hyuga Kugi is medic and lookout. Cook is an older ANBU, good guy, named Ryo this is his retirement package." Tomoe laughed at that. "He's also in charge of the graveyard, you find anyone tell him." They walked up an incline towards a large temple and a neat set of buildings. "The temple is secure, as are all of the buildings in the area. A few clicks that way is the memorial to the north, guest barracks have been cleaned, they are east of the temple.
"You didn't mention the Aburame's name." Fu brought up.
"You'll understand why." Tenzo told him as a fireflies started illuminating the darkening outpost. They grew more numerous as they approached the temple forming large clusters around the group.
"She's the ecological researcher of the group. All these are special ones she bred over the last four years we've had access to the island. Despite everything she knows what she's talking about, she speaks with my authority." Tomoe added as a large fast moving object moved towards them.
"Ah! Senju-san welcome back I have been most eagerly awaiting your arrival!" Came the ecstatic call from small woman with a large bundle on her back who grabbed Rin's hand and shook it violently. "Newcomers as well! Let me introduce myself I am Aburame… Tiger-san! Good, good!" Her head whiplashed as she turned on her heels to face Tenzo. "I will need another cultivation building set up if you do not mind. Much has been discovered!" The eager Aburame alarmed Fu and surprised Izumi.
'What's on her back.' Thought both the ROOT member and the new Jonin.
The unusual Aburame sported the standard attire for a clan member. A Dark green coat that covered most of her body and black pants just covering her knees with boots instead of sandals. Angular glasses and dark messy hair masked most of her face. She wore what looked to be a termite mound on her back, with insects pacing out and in at a rapid pace. She wasn't tall, barely coming up to Rin's breast-line.
"Is that a corpse, Aburame-san?" Fu asked noticing a bone-white section of the mound.
"AH! I forgot to introduce myself again! My name is Aburame… OH! Senju-san! We recently discovered a large amount of medical texts; Imo has been hard at work ever since you left. We have cleared roughly 15% more of Uzushio since your last visit!" She shook with happiness and adjusted her glasses.
"Aburame-san, again is that a corpse?" Fu reiterated with no hostility or irritation, but a small amount of sickened curiosity in a vestigial form as his expression changed for the briefest of moments.
"AH! Forgive me! Forgive me! One of the discoveries was one of my relatives still alive on the island. Truly a wonderful surprise wouldn't you agree?" She clapped her hand cheerfully.
"One of her clansmen was found dead outside the temple, but his kinkaichu survived. Her breed of the insects are descendants of one of his queens, so when we arrived at the temple they co-mingled." Rin whispered into Izumi's ear who nodded slowly who watched the smaller woman continuously fail to introduce herself as she jumped from topic to topic.
"So why does she carry him around…" The lack of sensei was noticed by Rin who hid a frown.
"They can't all live within her body and the toll on her chakra would be immense." She whispered back. "Oddly enough I've asked enough Aburame about it. They don't see it as odd, most of their stationary hives back in Konoha are actually a sort of graveyard." The revelation caused Izumi to balk in disgust.
"Oh! Please, Ryo-san has prepared a variety of dishes for you." The Aburame joined them in their walk and asked more and more question only to interrupt herself to inform someone of something. Tori gates and spiral stone streets marked the temple district where Konoha had set up the outpost. A fair amount of radio equipment and a windmill powering it stood near the low roof. A few masks hung on a board covered by a pavilion off from the main temple.
The outpost was a villa built on the remnants of a torched building near the temple, built primarily by Tenzo. The peristyle was his idea to the allow air to circulate from the winds that blew across the Land of Eddies. Kugi had criticized the design and asked for a more dignified housing leading to something that was more at home in the Hyuga Clan Compound then Uzushio.
"Welcome to Uzushio!" Came the call of an older man. "Everything's just about finished, guessing Tenzo there lost his lunch?" He laughed in an old, rough voice to Tenzo's increasing frustration. Clean shaven and with aged eyes, and hair with only a touch of black left in it stood next to a fire. He motioned towards a dining room that had its doors open and the table was filled with dishes. Roasted vegetables, fish: smoked, grilled, some fried, fresh boar roasted and in steamed buns, crab, and local fruit. "Find a seat anywhere after you've served yourself and Imo will give the newcomers the briefing."
Rin talked with Tenzo while the Sarutobi clansmen lectured about the dangers of the island. How the only fatalities were due to an Inuzuka rapidly aging after ignoring the warnings and walking into a space-time seal after chasing down a fox. The ninken reduced to a pile of bones by the time they found the both of them. Shoko, the Aburame, gave an inspired lecture on the ecology of the island, how despite the deadliness of the surrounding Marine Life the Uzumaki reportedly lived in harmony with them and that most of the wild life on the island was of no real threat beyond boar and Tokage-raions.
"Another Dojutsu user is a blessing really. Tomoe-taicho just checks for a minor change in the seals and your sensei is a very good seal mistress, but we only can make so much progress by ourselves." Ryo refilled Izumi's glass before sitting down next to her. "Never I'd be here again. I've been trying to get back here for ages, you know."
"You saw Uzushio before it was destroyed?" Izumi asked as she chewed a boar bun.
"Part of an exchange program, Leaf and the Whirlpool were close allies. The previous Kyubi Jinchuriki was part of that deal. I got off the island to petition for more aid after we found a few scouts from Kumo." He pouring something on his plate.
"Did you see any of the fighting?"
"The initial invasion was Kiri, thought it was just a raid. Issue was they mixed in with the refugees from the east side of the island. Then there were cases of shipments coming in with Iwa Shinobi hidden inside, they targeted everyone." He picked at his food a bit looking into the fire in the center of the courtyard. "I was sent with another letter of aid directed to the Sandaime after the intial letters got no response, I don't blame him for not responding, we were at war. I asked several times to be transferred to the front instead of training Academy students in some foreign village." He sighed at the memory. "Big wave hit the island as soon as we got far enough away, Mizukage came down worse than the typhoon and the tsunami."
"What happened after that? I heard that the Raikage was reported as well." Izumi stopped her meal to listen. "If it's not too much to ask I'm curious, Ryo-san."
"Ryo-san? Please Ryo is fine." He objected to the honorific. "Old bag of bones like me isn't a shinobi anymore really. I'm here because I know the island and I can cook." He admonished her. "Back to that, Raikage's tend to be rather foul tempered. Uzushio stopped the Land of Lightening's expanse into Hot Springs country and the islands to the North. I never saw him here, but we have reports and enough ruins to prove it. It wasn't really an alliance, looking at everything. Just a free for all…" He shook his head before biting into a piece of grilled fish.
"Can I ask why you're here? It seems like an odd mission to give a retiree." Izumi asked as politely as she could.
"I don't really know myself. I've had Hatake-san ask me that." He finished chewing before starting again. "I had students here, maybe I'll find one living around here. Maybe it's because I left and could have died here, like Shimi, at my post like a true shinobi." He shrugged as he ate, his eye glanced at Shimi on Shoko's back. "Something I have to do, not sure what it is. Maybe something I forgot."
"So it's a service to the Uzumaki then. They told me you handle the burials. Is it hard? After everything with the Uchiha Clan we had to make up our minds for a burial or not." Izumi asked.
"I found a few of my students remains. It's odd what you remember. Small necklaces, articles of clothing that haven't been eaten by the elements, and even a few of them had the Leaf symbol on them. Heh." He shook his head. "Uzumaki and Kaigara were good folks, if a little odd, but they really saw Konohagakure as friends… Others clans were little more in line with Konoha's beliefs, saw the Shinigami worship as eccentric." He chuckled for a second. "We have the whirlpools on our flak jackets, they used to have our leaf on the front of theirs. They used to have one of us pin it on them when they graduated from their Academy." He swirled a cup and watched the small whirlpool that came into existence before vanishing.
"I'm sorry for that. I can't really imagine what that is like." Izumi replied. "After the Massacre, I never had to see the aftermath."
"I've had my share of tears, but there's something in being able to lay old ghosts to sleep." He crossed his legs and hummed something. "Glad to be some use as I get older, too. Best advice I can give really, don't just fish and play shogi all day when you get old, Izumi." Ryo gave her a side glance.
"I've heard similar sentiments and I can agree with it. Currently I'm trying to figure out where I go from here. I've been given offers to join interrogation, barrier, and even guarding the Daimyo." Izumi gave a brief gaze over at Rin. "This whole situation is just a mess." She laughed. "I'm helping a another Jonin with her team currently, a more stereotypical Aburame needs the most help with Taijutsu."
"Hahaha, I can imagine." Ryo slapped his knee. "Was quite the shock when I found out we took the Sanbi, but it's not really thieving when someone puts something in your pocket, is it? Kiri was never really known for their intelligence though. All the blood goes on their hands!" He laughed at his own joke for a good while.
Rin watched her student as she caught up with the current operations. Tenzo was commissioned to repair and build more structures for the duration of the mission along with his other duties, to his misfortune and frustration. It was nice evening all things considered; Rin ate little though as Isobu fidgeted in the back of her mind as a small voice whispered to him from the depths of her mind.
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"Ah! I forgot!" Naruto exclaimed as the boat traveled through the fog.
"Not so loud. Why do you think we're not using the engine and hiding in the mist." The boatman reprimanded the Genin.
"Sorry, but hey ossan? Do you guys have Mizuichi in the Land of Waves?" Naruto asked peering into the sea.
"The coral or the sea dragon?" Tazuna asked in a concerned tone.
"My sister wants a horn. Does it cost a lot?" Naruto asked flicking his wet hand dry.
"How old is your sister? We haven't had a sea dragon around these parts in some time. She read about them in some fairy tale?" Tazuna raised an eyebrow at the idea of someone like Naruto in charge of a child.
"?. Neechan is probably as old as Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto cocked his head back perplexed at the man's tone. Tazuna just shook his head and looked at Kakashi.
"She's a very well regarded medic and sealing expert." Kakashi gave the excuse to dispel the notion of stupidity letting the man come to his own conclusions.
"How far are we from the Land of Waves? We've been in this fog for so long." Sakura asked.
"We should see the bridge soon, at the base is Wave Country." The boatman replied. "Keep your voices to a whisper."
"Wow, it's huge." Naruto said in hushed amazement. The bridge towered over the ocean like a monolith, cranes stretched off its bulk like small sensory nubs, and the sound of small waves reverberated under the bridge.
"It's amazing." Sakura added. The supports towered nearly a fifty feet over head like the great trees back in Konoha and as sturdy. Sakura wondered how far down they went and what started to live under the bridge.
"It's the hope of the Wave." The boatman said with a certain lust to his voice. It reminded Kakashi of when he arrived as reinforcements in the Land of Snow, Naruto of when he finally got his allowance from the Hokage and could eat at Ichiraku, and Sakura of her father talking about some battle he saw as a younger Genin. The tone was of want despite how hushed, they didn't need to see his face.
"Tazuna-san, we should continue our conversation before we arrive. Why were your assailants after you?" Kakashi returned to the topic of why they were on the mission. He had given Naruto his chance to show his resolve, but he would not walk head first into a possible ambush without knowing details. "If you don't tell us, I can call off the mission once you get ashore." There was no laziness in his eye, just intent.
"I don't have any choice, but… no, I mean I would like you to know." Easygoing, drunk Tazuna disappeared, replaced by a different man. "Just as you said, this is probably outside your job description. In reality, a super terrifying man is after my life." Tazuna solemnly stated. Kakashi's interested was piqued as he narrowed his eye slightly.
"Super terrifying man?"
"You've probably heard of his name before at least." His breath parted the fog in front of his face briefly. "A shipping magnate by the name of Gato." Kakashi's eyes widened in shock at that.
"Gato! Of that Gato Company? He's one of the richest men in the world!" It raised alarms in Kakashi's mind. Things like how the mission was cleared came across his mind, the routes that had been given to Izumo and Kotetsu, and the safety of his team.
"The hospital avoids buying from his company don't they? I've heard nurses complaining about not getting stuff when they order from one of the suppliers?" Naruto asked enthusiastically not noticing the mood.
"Yes, of that Gato Company. On the surface, he's an executive of a large shipping company, but in reality he deals drugs and other illegal goods using gangs and shinobi. On top of that, his despicable business ruthlessly takes over countries and enterprises through coercion or worse methods. It was about a year ago when he truly set his sights on this country." Tazuna explained. "He used money and violence to enter the country, some of his boats previously did business, but it was different before anyone knew it all sea traffic and shipping were under his control. Control of the ocean in an island nation means control of wealth, politics, and the people." He paused. "The one thing he fears is the completion of the bridge. The bridge we've been building." He gazed up at the leviathan, his masterpiece.
"I see… Since you're the one building the bridge, you've become an obstacle." Sakura bit her thumb as she thought.
"So the ninja before were Gato's men." Sasuke briefly looked at Tazuna before facing Kakashi.
"So if he's a bad guy why didn't you tell the Hokage." Naruto sat back with a puzzled expression on his face adjusting his headband.
"Naruto has a point. He's a dangerous man who uses shinobi do his dirty work. Why did you hide this from us?" Kakashi returned to the client.
"The Land of Waves is a poor country. Even the Daimyo is broke because of Gato. Of course, we don't have much money either. We can't afford to make a request for a B-Rank or even higher missions. If you quit now, I'll definitely be killed. Probably on my way home to my family." Tazuna started to lay it on. "But hey, don't worry if I die, my cute nine-year old grandson will just cry for a few days." Sakura and Naruto grew uncomfortable at this." Oh! And my daughter will just grieve in solitude for the rest of her life cursing Konohagakure and all the Konoha Shinobi." He laid it on thinker as he laughed at the reality of what could be. "But don't worry it won't be your fault! Ha Ha! Not at all." Kakashi deflated at this, he could knew Sakura would be easily swayed and Naruto already made his mind up.
"Well…" Kakashi rubbed the Leaf on his hitai-ate for a moment and looked at his team. He weighed his options and damned Naruto for looking so much like his father. "I guess we have no choice then." He admitted defeat. He hid his worries as they reached the dock, how the mission request had made it into the mission pool was the most worrying.
'Either a low-level Chunin or a paper pusher is on Gato's pay roll…' Kakashi gave a careful look over his students. They weren't unskilled, but he had half a mind to abandon the mission once Tazuna was safely home. 'But then I can't really face either of them when it's my time, Rin would be a little heart broken at my callousness, either way really I'm looking at a fight…' His eyebrow twitched at the possibility of explaining to Minato or Obito his reasoning on both moral and strategic grounds. 'If we get attacked, it'll likely be a Jonin this time…' The thought agitated him, three Genin were easy picking for a Jonin of Kirigakure.
His anxieties grew greater as Naruto decided to throw a shuriken in the woods. He followed Sakura's warning with his own. "Please Naruto, don't use your shuriken so recklessly. It's dangerous." He chastised the student followed by an outburst from Tazuna.
Kakashi sensed it before Naruto threw a kunai, he moved the brush to see what it was. A moderate-sized snow hair was struck dead. It's white coat painted red as blood ran down from its head. and the gears in Kakashi's mind started as Sakura abrasively reprimanded Naruto.
"Well… the Land of Waves is poor right? This way Tazuna saves money for tomorrow. I mean rabbit is good, it won't go to waste, Sakura-chan!" Naruto awkwardly apologized as he raised his hands towards an angry Sakura. A few jabs from the angry girl led Naruto to hid behind Tazuna as Kakashi thought on the rabbit and it's snow white fur…
"GET DOWN!" Kakashi commanded as he saw the briefest movement and heard the air rush towards them.
Naruto tackled Tazuna safely into a bush as Sasuke and Sakura avoided the object. Naruto rushed behind him as quickly as the object imbedded itself into a tree further in front of them as Sasuke and Sakura took their own position closer to Tazuna. Kakashi met the assassin's eyes as he landed on the handle of a large sword.
"Well, if it isn't the Missing-Nin of Kirigakure, Momochi Zabuza-kun." Kakashi playfully spoke. It was an old tactic from ANBU, keep your calm and mock them. If he was an idiot he'd take the bait, but it'd likely just draw attention. 'Either way works.'
He stopped Naruto from charging in. The simple act diverted attention and meant escalation, Kakashi didn't need the Sharingan to read the man's body language. Confident and proud, barely looking at them and letting them see his back. The man lived up to half of the stories told about him, Kakashi could not tread lightly: his team was too green, and a liability to him at this level.
"You'll only get in the way. Get back, this is on a different level." Kakashi commanded all of them. He moved his hand towards his hitai-ate.
"You must be Sharingan no Kakashi then." Was the simple reply to the movement as Sasuke turned his gaze towards Kakashi. "Sorry, but the old man is mine." Zabuza let his glance wander to Tazuna who's breathing was audible.
"Get in the Manji position, protect Tazuna-san. That's the role of the team in this situation." Kakashi brought the Sharingan to view. "Zabuza, fight me." The copy wheel took in the world around it, the details of the leaves more apparent as his brain processed the influx of information. A slight glance at Naruto getting in position let Kakashi see his expression change in a fraction of a second, the slight swallow, the reflection of Sasuke's face as he explained the Sharingan in greater detail in Naruto's eyes, and Zabuza's movement before it began.
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Jutsu List: Nothing new I think.
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Author's Note: I deleted a draft of this chapter. I'm not gonna do the Zabuza fight because yeah basic premise is that it's going like it did so far, Zabuza outmaneuvers Kakashi, Kakashi gets rescued, and what not. Only thing I changed is the rabbit getting killed because Naruto has better aim. Rabbit meat is good, and you don't really need a knife to clean them.
The Hidden Whirlpool and the Uzumaki are kind of a free spot. All there is known is that they got killed off, they had the Reaper Death seal, and they had Red-headed women. So yeah, they worship death, but not in the murder happy way. More in an odd death is just a path thing. I'm half and half on it. The names of the crew on Uzushio have some meaning. Imo was a monkey that learned to use salt, Ryo can mean survive, Iyo is a shortening of Iyomante a ritual bear sacrifice of the Ainu people and Onikuma means demon bear, and Kugi means nail.
This is one of those chapters I just want to push out because yeah I need to move shit along and I could drag this on by rewriting the entire fight, but I'm not going to because I'm lazy and it's uninteresting to do. Part of fanfiction and derivative fiction is changing stuff to have fun or give greater insight into characters/ rewrite them if you want to. I like certain characters and I hate certain characters. Mostly I hate Shikamaru because Kakazu deserved better, him choking Ino and Choji is my favorite damn thing. THE FUCKING SHOULDERS ON THE MAN, TAKE YOUR SHITTY TONING AND BULKING OUT OF HERE. FIVE HEARTS MEANS FIVE TIMES THE GAINS! HE PROBABLY JUST BUYS CREATINE AND REPLACES HIS KIDNEYS EVERYTIME HE KILLS SOMEONE, DIDN'T EVEN WANT CHOJI'S DISEASED HEART! So in short, Kakazu was Unga Bunga strong and the Akatsuki suppression arc felt out of place for Kakashi's character to support them going off half cocked for revenge.
On another note: Why didn't Kabuto bring back any Uchiha besides Itachi and Madara? Give Sasuke a moment with his mom again. The Sound Four thing with Kabuto was just out of left field with them being inside him, should have just had them as his bodyguards and been short work. Sasuke's entire character arc is him being pissed at being played and how he wants his family back, have Zombie Itachi and Sasuke fight mom and dad. Basically Sasuke being angry at his mother's corpse being defiled and a heart to heart with him. Blah blah Naruto was my best friends kid and because of Madara blah blah, are you okay, do you want to do this. Stuff with someone actually trying to ask Sasuke what he wants and meaning it, not Itachi gaslighting him or mindfucking him or someone placing a shard of their soul in him. Just his mom asking how he's doing and Itachi not being the most important person in his life for a moment because Mikoto was a 10/10 Mom for like the three scenes she had.
Yeah, Orochimaru is weird because the curse seal is putting a piece of him into someone. He dies everytime, but it's memetic in a way. He's cloning himself on a person with a part of the real him as a template. Anko had the oldest fragment before he started giving one to everyone, like cutting a piece of himself off until he's barely recognizable, but he's immortal in some way.
Have a Blessed Day everyone!