Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any other works that I use for inspiration.
"Speaking"- Speech
"Thinking" - Thoughts
"Speaking" - Non-Mortal Speech
"Thinking" - Non-Mortal Thoughts
Please read the Author's notes at the end.
Chapter 5: Meetings
Land of Waves
Team 7 had safely arrived at Tazuna's home in the Land of Waves. Besides the assassination attempt by Zabuza and co., the trip to the Wave was rather peaceful. They had arrived in the late morning, entering the home to see a woman cooking. She had long blue hair and was wearing a short-sleeved pink shirt with the end of the sleeves and the collar being red. She also wears a long blue skirt.
"My dear Tsunami, I'm home!"
"DAD!" Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, ran to give her father a massive hug. She had been terrified that Gato and his men had been successful in killing her father, but was more than happy to find out she was wrong.
"It's alright my dear... I'm so sorry to have worried you. It's a father's job to ease the worries of their children, not add on to them." Tazuna held his daughter as she shed a few tears.
"It's not your fault dad, I'm just glad you're home safe." Tsunami broke off the hug to wipe her face and straighten up.
"Gosh, I'm sorry for that. My name is Tsunami. Thank you so very much for protecting my father." Tsunami quickly gathered herself and bowed in appreciation for the fine job the team had done.
Before anyone could respond to her, Tazuna threw his arms around both Naruto and Sasuke, to Sasuke's displeasure.
"YEP! These two right here got me back without a single scratch! Gato sent a couple of tough customers, but these two sent them packin'! With them here to protect me, I'm sure we could build the best bridge ever!" Tsunami couldn't remember the last time she had seen her father this excited, or this hopeful. They had gone through their fair share of hardships, and it had taken its toll on both their ability to hope, but it seemed that these boys might have helped with that.
"Lady Tsunami, there is no need for you to thank us, we are simply doing our job. That, and it's been an absolute pleasure escorting and getting to know your father. He's told us much about his life, his work, and his home. Yet, I fail to see how he forgot to mention how beautiful his daughter was." The look Naruto gave Tsunami, along with the kind compliment, had her blushing up a storm.
"Well thank you for your kind words shinobi-san, but I don't even know your names." Tsunami tried to change the subject. It had been a while since she received a compliment for her appearance, so it was understood she was a bit flustered.
"I apologize for our rudeness. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, the gentleman under your father's other armpit is Sasuke." The Uchiha simply bowed as much as he could as the old man just wouldn't let go.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Naruto-san, Sasuke-san. What about the other two at the door?" Tsunami asked as she saw a silver-haired man and a pink-haired girl.
"Oh, yea...that's just the rest of our team." Naruto said apathetically.
Tsunami thought it was strange, but her father was home safe and if she was being honest, that's all that mattered to her. Kakashi however, was annoyed by Naruto's statement. He was their Jounin-sensei, one with probably the impressive resume out of all the sensei the Leaf had to offer. His team should be grateful to have someone of his skill helping them grow as shinobi. He knew that the boys were stronger than they let on, but there was no way that they were so strong that they could continuously disrespect him without a single concern for the consequences.
"My name is Kakashi Hatake. This is Sakura. I am the sensei and leader of this team." Kakashi made a point to emphasize his role. There was a moment of awkward silence after this, but Tsunami helped break the tension.
"You all must be quite tired from your trip. I'll make some more breakfast to restore your energy."
"Thank you very much Lady Tsunami, but Sasuke and I will have to pass at this time."
"Naruto, it's rude to refuse such a kind offer. I never took you for the type." Kakashi thought it was his turn to try to get under the boy's skin. Maybe he would show more of his true personality instead of whatever facade he had going on.
"I apologize to Lady Tsunami. I don't mean to come off as rude at all. My concern is that we are in the land controlled by the man who wants your father dead. It would be foolish not to set up a perimeter and scout for any potential threats and danger. If the enemy knows we have arrived, they could be preparing an assassination attempt right now." Naruto's answer was ironclad, much to Kakashi's displeasure.
He was supposed to be a shinobi renowned for his skill and intellect, yet Naruto was here making him look like a novice. He seemed to have the leadership position usurped from under him yet again by the blonde. He had tried to make him look bad but just seemed to give Naruto another chance to make him look like a fool.
"Please don't apologize Naruto-san. It's quite comforting to know my father's protection is in the hands of such dedicated bodyguards." Kakashi noticed the weird look the woman shot him after Naruto's response. It might have been quick but he noticed it. It was as if she was asking him "Are you sure you're the leader?". Suddenly, three smokeless shadow clones came to being next to Naruto.
"These clones will be securing and guarding the house, while Sasuke and I will go and scout the area." Naruto then reached into his haori and pulled out a map of the Wave, much to Kakashi's surprise.
"I'll also need you to mark the building site of the bridge. I want to make sure that area is secure and would like for us to establish the safest route from your home to the site." Tazuna marked the location on the map and the two boys turned to head out and complete their tasks, but they were stopped by Kakashi.
"Team 7, meet me outside for a team meeting." Kakashi gestured for the boys to walk past him and moved from the doorway. Once they and Sakura step outside, Kakashi closes the door to Tazuna's home and leads the team a little further away to prevent eavesdropping by their clients.
"I have no idea what the two of you are hiding, but we are on a mission! I am you Jonin-sensei, meaning I am your superior and commanding officer. You do not question my command and you sure as hell don't give orders!" Kakashi was stern, even pushing some killing intent to try and intimidate them.
"Did you always respect your sensei, Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi was stunned and could do nothing but look on at Naruto.
"Why would you ask me that Naruto?" Even Sakura could tell that Naruto had gotten to Kakashi, she just couldn't tell why.
"I think you're being a bit hard on us Kakashi-sensei. We are just giving you the respect that you've earned the same way your sensei earned yours." Naruto's face held a smile. Kakashi could've sworn he was standing in front of his sensei yet again, but the feeling faded as Naruto said: "One must earn the respect of others, through their actions and character. So I have to ask, are you worthy of respect? Are you deserving like your sensei was?
Kakashi didn't know what to make of this. He couldn't tell if Naruto was simply trying to irritate him or if his comment had a deeper meaning. It wasn't a secret that Kakashi was the last student of the fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, but the fact that Naruto was Minato's heir was. All this did was raise more questions for Kakashi.
"I see you seem to be having difficulty answering the question… No matter, I'm sure you'll see the answer for yourself." Naruto said as he and Sasuke turned once again to leave.
"Naruto! Sasuke! You will lis-" The boys seemed to have left using the Shunshin.
"Ka-Kakashi sensei...What should we do now?" Sakura asked sheepishly. She could tell that tensions were rising amongst her teammates and their sensei. She didn't know how to help, but she couldn't stand the fact that she might end up useless once again.
"*Sigh* They will be able to handle themselves… The best thing we can do is wait for their return and report. For now, I'll focus on getting you stronger with a bit of personal training. We will start with the tree climbing technique and move on from there." Kakashi didn't want to allow the boys to do what they pleased though he didn't have much of a choice, so instead of complaining, he figured he might as well use the free time constructively.
Elsewhere
Naruto and Sasuke had been surveying the land they found themselves in. To say that the wave was struggling would've been an understatement. Children were littering the street, but not in a whimsical sense. No child was running around, playing, or laughing as one would expect. The children laid on the ground, covered in filthy. Some looked incredibly skinny to the point that one could see their skeleton or veins on these children. Somewhere out trying to steal or offer a service for food or money. There were even a couple of dead bodies lying around that no one seemed to notice. The people, the village, the land itself all seemed like it was dying.
"It is sad Sasuke...There should be no reason these people are suffering the way they are. This Gato is draining the life out of this once great land."
"It is tragic Naruto-sama. Though this would be a great opportunity to strength and expand the empire."
"It's always work with you, isn't it Sasuke?" Naruto
"A knight's job never ends, not even after death." Naruto wished Sasuke wouldn't take everything so seriously all the time.
"You are correct though. The wave will make a fine addition to the empire. With all the amazing resources here, our science division will have a field day!"
The two continued through the town noticing there were a good amount of mercenaries roaming around. They figured that they were part of the militia Gato had assembled to control the land by fear. They had witnessed the mercs harass and bully wave citizens. Not a single person stood up for themselves, it seemed they just didn't have any fight left.
Sure, they could have easily handled all the hired thugs they had come across, but that was not their mission, nor was it in their best interest. Naruto had grown and learned much about the world, especially the cruelty of it. What he wanted to do was on a grander scale than stopping a greedy businessman from destroying a town. Naruto would have to ignore their blight for now but he knew that they would thrive in the end, and they would thank their king for it.
Naruto and Sasuke had continued to the small mining area of the island. Due to Gato's rule, trading became limited therefore there was hardly any need to mine, leaving them abandoned. They entered and continued down a mine shaft for a couple of minutes until Naruto signaled for them to stop.
"This should be good enough. First, let's set up a barrier." Four Naruto clones appeared, two moving a bit further down the shaft while two moved back towards the way they came. The clones took a rectangle formation and began to run through several hand signs.
"Fūinjutsu: Kanzen'na inpei baria (Sealing Jutsu: Full concealment barrier)" The clones placed their palms on the ground as a sealing array appeared. Each array shot a single line that connected forming a rectangle on the ground. Transparent walls of light begin to form until a rectangular barrier surrounds the two. From the inside, it seemed as nothing changed, one couldn't even tell they were in a barrier unless they were really looking. On the outside of the buried, one couldn't tell there was anyone there. Naruto had designed this barrier during his sealing studies and was incredibly proud. It would refract light and limit sound on the inside so no one could see or hear anything from the exterior.
"Now to set up the gate." Naruto then reached into his haori and pulled out a scroll. He opened and rolled the scroll out on the floor. The scroll appeared to be blank until Naruto started to pour a large amount of chakra into it revealing a sealing complex-looking sealing array.
"Fūinjutsu: Kami no mon (Sealing Jutsu: God's Gate)" As Naruto called its name, a black colored torii gate rose from the scroll. When it finished, it stood at 8 feet tall, with its opening resembling a slowly moving azure whirlpool.
"Are you sure they'll be able to open their side of the gate? From my understanding, it takes a good deal of chakra." Sasuke asked.
"The test showed that it should work fine. Both sides of the gate are connected by the same matrix so the chakra I put into it should allow for both sides to be open. Besides, Malice-san is more than powerful enough to open the gate on her own, so I doubt they'll have any trouble." The two noticed that a red variant of the Leaf's standard ANBU blade gentle fell out the gate.
"That's Kagura's blade. That means the gate was a success." Sasuke walked up and picked up the blade.
"Of course it was! It's a Naruto Uzumaki original, meaning it's a jutsu built for a king!" Naruto crossed his arms and stood with pride at the success of his jutsu.
He had been trying to replicate his father's legendary technique but found that though it was difficult for him. It didn't fit the way he did combat. He couldn't ignore the potential of what may be the most powerful space-time jutsu their world had ever known, so he did what he always did when he found things difficult, go back to the basics.
He was a king and believed that there was a chance that like before, his kingdom might one day come under attack from a powerful and vast enemy power. He would need the strength to protect his realm. So Naruto strived to make his space-time techniques more defense and utility-oriented and was proud of the fruits of his labors, this one being a space gate that would allow one to traverse any amount of distance between the two entry points.
"Pass, I'll send a chain so they know it's safe. Knowing them they would still be a bit hesitant." Naruto sent a chain out which grabbed the blade for Sasuke. It then went towards and passed through the gate. He felt the blade was taken from his chain, so Naruto recalled it.
Along with it out the gate, came 3 people. The first one was an impeccable beauty, a woman with lustrous, medium jet-black hair and the face of a goddess. She had light yellow-orange eyes, and two silver hairpins tied on the back of her hair with the fringe of her hair covering her right eye. She wore a black kimono with a white sash, black fingerless gloves, a white jacket with a higher collar and blue rose-printed textures, black leg warmers, grey shinobi sandals, and a black forehead protector, with the Uzumaki swirl around her neck.
The second one could be described as an elegant, snow-white skinned beauty, with hair to match. She wore a revealing red outfit, showing her midriff, arms, and legs with her white hair tied back by a multi-colored rope with bells attached to it. When she entered the area, she had a white kitsune mask with red marking on it, including an Uzumaki swirl in the center of the forehead. She removed the mask, revealing her ice-blue eyes and enchanting face. She had multiple tattoos that resemble flower petals on the left side of her face and midriff as well as her left leg. To finish off her outfit were her red high-heeled sandals, and the red Anbu blade sheathed on her left leg.
Lastly, was a hulking giant of a man, with spiky, red-orange hair, well-pronounced cheekbones, and his eyes of grey. He wore a sleeveless blue shirt that tucked into his dark grey pants, which, in turn, are tucked into military-style boots. His pants were held up by a red belt with the buckle engraved with the Uzumaki swirl, which matched a strap going across his chest from his right shoulder to under his left arm. This strap held two large cannons to his back. The man was holding a large metal chest in his left hand and he had a metal band embedded a bit of his forearm.0
The three new arrivals stepped in front of and bowed to Naruto.
"Greeting my Lord." Said the large man.
"Greetings Naruto-sama." Came from a white-haired woman.
"Greetings lord Naruto." The black-haired woman was the last one to greet him.
"Bando, Kagura, Malice-san please rise. I'm glad you were all able to make it. It has been some time since we have been able to see each other." Naruto named the individuals in the order they greeted him.
"Greetings to you as well lord Uchiha." Spoke to the woman now identified as Malice.
"Greetings to you too Malice-sensei, Kagura, Bando." It was a rare sight to see Sasuke behaving cordially with others, but these three were comrades that Naruto and Sasuke had made among their journeys outside the leaf.
The three were shinobi who had encountered the cruelty of the world in some way. Malice Rinha was an incredibly powerful shinobi from the Rinha clan, which possessed incredibly powerful and potent medical ninjutsu. The clan also had an incredibly powerful and rare Kekkei Genkai which allowed them to absorb a person's chakra and duplicate their appearance and memories, which she was the most powerful practitioner. Due to the immense power she and her clan held, much like the Uzumaki, the Rinha were targeted. The Rinha hide their secrets well, so well in fact that they had to be taken to their graves. The attacks against the Rinha led to their annihilation, except for Malice, and her only son, Yuto.
Malice had taken her son and went into hiding with her child, in the hopes of protecting him, but it would not be so. A deadly virus began to spread through the world and the 5 Kage at the time felt it best to look for a solution in the way of the Rinha clan. With rumors of survivors of the attacks, they put their best in sniffing them out. One unfortunate night, a group of hunter-nin was successful in finding their hiding place at the time and had alerted the Kage. They had orders to capture them alive and moved in to do so but Malice was alerted and a battle ensued. During the bout, a hunter-nin was successful in capturing and escaping with Malice's son Yuto. During the moment she noticed Yuto had been captured, she was distracted long enough for several of the hunters to land several severe wounds on her. With the last of her strength, Malice was able to use Doton: Arijigoku no Jutsu(Earth Release: Antlion Technique) to create a sinkhole-like effect with her at the center, which was able to drag in and bury the remaining assailants, killing them. With no more remaining strength and blood loss from several wounds, Malice fell unconscious.
She soon awoke and retreated to the first place she could find to lick her wounds and prepare to rescue her son. With her medical prowess and ninjutsu, it didn't take long for her to recover, but by the time she was ready to save Yuto, she had learned that it was already too late. They had experimented on Yuto, believing that he might hold some hidden secrets that would allow them to combat the virus and unfortunately for him, their assumption was right. For some reason, Yuto was immune to the virus, and the medics were able to use Yuto's DNA to create a vaccine, but this ultimately cost Yuto his life.
Her husband was killed along with the rest of her clan. Her child was ripped from her in the dead of night for a superficial reason such as protecting the many. She knew though, she knew they tore her away from her son out of fear. Fear of her strength. Fear of their mortality. So she would dedicate her life to make all their fears come true, that was until she came across the pair of Naruto and Sasuke.
They were children, no older than 9 years old at the time, walking without a care in the world in the forest of The Land of Hot Water. Malice had found herself there, developing new arts before taking her revenge against the Kage, but was surprised to find these two wanderings around. Whether it was her motherly intuition or just curiosity she decided to approach the boys but she found herself in a taijutsu exchange with Sasuke. She came out on top after a strenuous round of fighting, but she found herself pretty wiped afterward. She found herself confused when Naruto told Sasuke that there was no need to attack her in the first place if the "chains" didn't. After an impressively formal and regal apology, Naruto introduced himself and Sasuke and offered her their services as a means of atonement for Sasuke's actions. As confused as she was, she was oddly relaxed and joked that they could repay her by supplying her with something to eat. Naruto then pulled out a scroll from seemingly nowhere, unravel it, and used it to summon a box, which opened to reveal some of the finest beef she'd ever seen. There were several different circle seal matrices on the scroll and Naruto used them to summon boxes of vegetables and rice, seasonings, and even one that had cooking utensils, bowls, and pans. Naruto made a fire and quickly made a delicious beef stir fry for Malice and had even managed to make a couple of rice balls, which she noticed Sasuke thoroughly enjoyed.
When Malice had asked them what they were doing out in the forest Naruto just stared deeply into her eyes. She found herself unable to break eye contact with him for what seemed like hours. After a couple of minutes, Naruto blinked and adopted a smile on her face that tugged at Malice's heart. It resembled Yuto's smile. Naruto then told her his whole story, Kyuubi and all. Sasuke followed suit with his tale, with Naruto wrapping up by informing her that they were on their way to his ancestral home, Uzushiogakure. There, they would see if there was anything they could use in their journey to create an empire and take on the world and the hand it dealt them.
Malice sympathized with the boy's cause and while she was still grieving the loss of all she had known, she felt like she had to help these boys. Naruto told her he was a king by birth. An emperor who had his throne stolen from him. He was hindered and abandoned out of the fear of the beast he could become, and now here he was, a child in a killer's world already fighting to make his dreams a reality. Sasuke was left in the dark of all the goings-on around him, which resulted in him being left scarred and alone. The home which his brother had sacrificed his freedom and clan for, left Sasuke alone. He was treated as if he was some glorified object. The leaders and elite of the village referred to him as the "last Uchiha" and "Uchiha prodigy", trying to mold him into a skill tool they could use simply like they used his brother Itachi.
Malice told the boys that she was a strong and somewhat feared missing-nin and that she would be happy to train them in a bit of what she knew, which the boys quickly accepted informing her that they had only trained on their own. She traveled with them to Uzushiogakure and trained on the way and was surprised to find that they were incredibly powerful and a bit more skilled than anyone their age should be. Their physical abilities alone were terrifying from what she witnessed. Along the way, she informed the boys of her story, feeling they were mature enough to understand. That gesture of trust pushed Naruto to reveal to her the Uzumaki chakra application and the Uzumaki time dilation field. Once they arrived at Uzushiogakure, They began their training and bonding, with Malice becoming a mother figure/Sensei to boys, and them becoming her adopted children. She imbued in them all the Rinha arts which the two took too quite well. Sasuke found he was able to use several of the advanced techniques to further his combat ability and Naruto helped Malice in creating a medical Jutsu that could contend with any created by legendary medical-nin, Tsunade. As time went on Malice's desire became to see this new empire come to fruition, for she wanted to see it topple the world that took her world from her. She came to understand what she had lost was gone, but she now had the power and the drive to create a new world, where her boys could never be taken away from her.
Naruto and Sasuke came across Kagura about a year after meeting Malice. The two of them were training through real-life experiences. Malice suggested that the two of them hunt down entries on the bingo book to help hone their skills and help collect funds for their ambitions. They had captured and killed several of the bounties in the bingo book and luckily for them, they happened to be around the bounty collection office in the land of fire, close to the border of the land of tea. The boys had been using the Henge (Transformation) to hide their identities, and after collecting the bounties of their captures they were headed back to Uzushiogakure. The plan was to report to Malice, give her the funds they collected, go back to the leaf for a period, and replace the numerous clones they had left to cover for them. Once they confirmed that everything in the village was normal and that there was no suspension of anything going on, they would head back out of the village to continue on their mission towards building their empire.
Before they could make it back, they came across Kagura wearing her Kitsune mask surrounded by a group of Leaf ANBU. She quickly performed some hand signs as some of the ANBU went to attack her. As the first attack was about to land their attack, they stopped, turned, and began attacking their ANBU allies. In a few minutes, the group of ANBU was fighting amongst themselves, half of them pleading for their comrades to stop and come to their senses, but no avail. By the end, the bodies of the ANBU littered the forest floor. There was only one survivor whose throat was quickly slighted by Kagura.
Believing that the onlookers were back-up, Kagura went on the attack. They fired off several of her knives with her chakra strings attached, making the knives move irregularly towards their target. As the knives closed in, Naruto's Kingusugādo sprang to life, stopping the attack by deflecting the knives and severing Kagura's strings, much to her surprise. Kingusugādo then went and restrained Kagura, wrapping around her and quickly siphoning her energy. The boys approached the kunoichi and using one of his chains, Naruto removed her mask revealing her beauty. The two boys interrogated her, asking for her reasons for attacking them and why she was being hunted by the leaf but found that she was a resilient one. Naruto used his chains to make her kneel, he then dropped his Henge, revealing to her that he was just a 10-year-old boy. Now that both were at eye level, Naruto stared into her eyes and after a couple of minutes, asked her of the wrong the leaf had committed onto her. Kagura couldn't explain it then, but after joining their mission she explained it as Naruto's "Majestic charisma" that got her to reveal her past to them.
She told them of how she was an orphan of the Leaf. One with an immense talent for ninjutsu that could rival Hiruzen Sarutobi, the "Professor" of shinobi. She was skilled in all manner of chakra control and manipulation and quickly learned as many jutsu as she could even those deemed forbidden. Kagura's growth was quick and her strength couldn't be ignored earning her a spot amongst the ANBU at 10. With the privileges granted to her with the rank, she dived into ninjutsu theory, using her intellect to help her break down, reconstruct and improve her application of it. She took techniques like the chakra strings and improved on them heavily for a variety of uses and was able to even improve upon the forbidden genjutsu Sourubein(Soulbane), which would cause its victim to treat everyone around them as enemies. They saw the power of the genjutsu as it dealt with the ANBU in a very efficient manner. She believed that she would be able to continue strengthening and improving upon herself till she was a worthy candidate for Hokage, but when she turned 13, she was betrayed.
Kagura was a powerful kunoichi, capable of taking on the elite of the elite, but she was also a loner, unable to form any solid bonds within the village. No one truly knew her and for those that did know who she was, it was more so that they knew what she was capable of. She was an enigma. One that was gaining power too quickly for the liking of those in charge. One night, on her return from a solo mission to deal with a band of bandits, she was ambushed by several dark-clad individuals, wearing white masks with void eye holes. After fighting for a while and killing a few of her assailants, she was pinned down by the remaining minus one of them who tried to place a strange-looking sealing tag on her. Luckily, during her skirmish she was able to use her chakra strings to set up an original technique she dubbed Gen riron: Rikōru hōfuku(String Theory: Recall Retaliation), which recalled the string and the knives she had attached to their ends at high speeds. With the opponent focused on her they wouldn't notice the blade-tipped strings coming from their rear. With a quick maneuver of her strings, she was able to strike the throats of her captives successfully killing all but one, who was too wounded to continue their assault. She unmasked the wounded attacker, showing it was one of her former ANBU teammates, and continued to unmask the rest revealing that they were all former ANBU. Using the Saiko Denshin(Psycho Mind Transmission) on the last assailant alive, Kagura saw memories of them watching her constantly and reporting back to a figure that always seemed shadowed out. She dived deeper until she was able to find a memory of the team reporting that she had just finished her mission and was returning. The shadowy figure seemed to be sitting and wearing a hat of some kind. The figure asked if they believed that she would be "useful" to them, to which they answered that they believed she would but she would most likely need to be forced. The figure seemed to become a smidge more clear, revealing the individual to be elderly. The figure then ordered them to "test" her and take her if Kagura proved worthy. In the end, she was forced to cut her jutsu due to the Ningen succumbing to his injuries, but she was sure that the person who had ordered this attack was the ThirdHokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. She didn't have a moment to rest as from the treetops, more of what she believed to be her ANBU brethren descended upon her. With the last of her strength, she utilized the Sourubein(Soulbane) to turn a few of her attackers against each other and fled to lick her wounds.
After some time, she learned that she had been deemed a traitor who in the pursuit of forbidden jutsu, killed her fellow shinobi and fled the village, becoming a missing-nin that the leaf had been sending hunter-nin and elites to end. She wasn't dumb enough to believe that these kids were ordinary and from the physical features of Sasuke, Kagura could tell he was an Uchiha. They were of the same village after all and she had seen many in her time as a leaf shinobi. She deduced that these boys had to be of the leaf of that fact and Naruto's earlier question, but she was still left with the question of how the boy was so insightful? Naruto and Sasuke sympathized with her and much like with Malice, they told her of their tale which also served the purpose in filling in some gaps she had in the history of the village since she had left. Kagura knew of the Kyuubi attack, the loss of the Fourth Hokage, and the reinstating of the Third. She had also heard of the tragedy of the Uchiha massacre, which left a young boy and his wayward murderous older brother as the last of their clan. She was more than shocked to learn that Naruto was the heir of two clans, one of which was envied and targeted for their strength. She was also surprised to learn that the village had used Itachi to stop the coup that the Uchiha had planned, damning him to a life of a criminal and his brother to a life with no family.
Naruto then released her from his chains, they all seemed to understand that they were not enemies. If anything they were kindred spirits. These boys were like her, young but ambitious, setting out to make their way in this world regardless of the troubles they had faced. Naruto then offered her a place in his kingdom, noting many of her valuable traits such as her analytical mind and her skillful application of chakra. He even suggested that Kagura would be able to help him advance his ability as they had similarities. Naruto also promised Kagura that by following him, she would become the leader she once aspired to be, of a force far superior to anything the leaf and the rest of the Shinobi world. She believed in the potential these boys showed, and for the first time in her life she felt a kinship to people, so she decided to join their cause, learning from and growing alongside each other.
Their meeting with Bando was a bit different. The 4 of them had ventured and recruited more members to their cause a year after Kagura's recruitment. From research and rumor, they believed that the ruins of Soragakure(Village Hidden in the Sky) located in the land of sky held a bounty of useful resources and decided to make the journey. On the way, they had come across Bando unconscious gravely wounded and missing his left hand, which looked to have been cut from his forearm. Malice was able to stabilize the man with minimal effort; enough for him to come to and answer their questions. Seeing as the strangers took the time to help him, especially in the condition he was in, Bando decided to tell them his story.
Bando was the child of 2 former scientists from the old days of Soragakure, a village that even in the past was vastly superior to the rest of the ninja world in regards to technology. They had also developed ninjutsu that allowed for airborne battle. The old regime of the village decided to make their place known in the world during the Second Shinobi World War but was ultimately defeated and destroyed by the Leaf at the end of the war. This left the world with the impression that Soragakure had been eliminated, much like with
What was left of the old regime quickly took control of the survivors and began to rebuild the village and their power to one day gain revenge. Bando's parents died as a result of the war, but he dedicated himself to the world of science in honor of his parents and to make a way to defend those he cared about from facing an untimely fate. Bando proved to be a scientific mind of great prowess, it was as if technology or maybe science itself liked him. Unfortunately for Bando, his discoveries and inventions were sold and used to increase the village's strength and funds while under the guise of being wiped out. Bando had recently found out that the village leaders had been doing business with the likes of what he deemed monsters. Among those were the Mizukage and his bloodline hunters, who mercilessly slaughtered anyone possessing a kekkei Genkai and the infamous Orochimaru who had been kidnapping and experimenting on people throughout the shinobi world. Bando even learned that they had sold several of their citizens as guinea pigs for Orochimaru's nefarious purposes.
Bando was upset that his science and his people were being used to harm the innocent, and was furious that it was the leaders of his people who were treating them as expendable tools to further their twisted need for revenge. Bando had spent his years honing not only his scientific mind, but his physical body and shinobi skills and created a fighting style allowing him to capitalize on his inventions. Feeling he had no other choice, Bando loaded up what he needed and went to attack the leaders of his village, in hopes of ending their tyrannical reign and mistreatment of his war-torn people. Bando was successful in getting through most of the guards without fatally hurting them, but found himself swiftly defeated by the current leader of their village, Shinnō. After beating on a defeated Bando, Shinnō explained that with Orochimaru's help, he was able to develop a seal that allowed him to passively absorb nature chakra, and use it to fuel and strengthen his immensely powerful Nikutai Kassei no Jutsu(Body Revival Technique). Using the Jutsu, Shinnō went from an elderly man with long grey hair and yellow eyes to a muscle-bound behemoth. His hair and beard grew wild and much longer, as well as blackening in color. Shinnō's muscles greatly expanded, which caused his clothes on his upper body to burst, leaving him bare-chested, with only shreds of the sleeve around his wrists. All this made him look younger and much more physically fit. Shinnō gloated that he was now the ultimate weapon, demonstrating his power by being able to sever Bando's left hand with a single chop of his hand, grabbing and crushing the now severed appendage being repaired. He had guards dump Bando somewhere in the forest and let the wildlife finish him off.
Naruto was furious. Whoever Shinnō was, he was a leader and that meant a lot to Naruto. The people of this land whether they wanted to or not had put their trust and faith in the old man to lead them to a more prosperous future. Yet, they were being sold off so some psycho could have a shot at revenge against a bunch of innocent people. Naruto told bando that he would take it upon himself to deal with Shinnō and the old regime, but in exchange Naruto wanted Bando to become one of his scientists, to develop new technology for his up-and-coming empire. Bando thought the kid was insane, yet he did have two kunoichis with him, and even Bando could tell they were immensely strong. He didn't know what to do, but when Naruto stepped up to him with that warm smile and his left hand extended for a handshake, Bando felt he couldn't refuse. Bando agreed, but to the condition that no matter what, his science was not to be used against the innocent for nefarious purposes, which everyone was able to agree upon.
The group had been led to the village by Bando, but there were guards at the entrance. Naruto then turned to his followers and informed them that he would be handling this himself, much to Bando's surprise. Naruto walked up to the entrance, to which the guards questioned who he was. When they received no answer, they went on the attack but were quickly dealt when onyx chains shot out of them and wrapped around the guard's necks, slowly suffocating them until they lost consciousness. Naruto then turned to Bando and promised he wouldn't kill any of his people, besides Shinnō. Naruto dealt with the resistance they had met on their way to finally come face to face with Shinnō. The two had a heated exchange about what it meant to be a leader, a king. Naruto spoke of it as a privilege regardless of how one becomes a leader, which Shinnō believed that all those governed were simply expandable for the desires of the one governing. Naruto's words resonated with Bando, and the effort Naruto had put into helping him, and his people. Bando felt that if anyone deserved to be called king, it was someone who believed what it meant, someone like Naruto.
Naruto and Shinnō began their skirmish with Shinnō using his Nikutai Kassei no Jutsu. Shinnō planned on using his impressive spread to try and blitz Naruto but found himself flying several meters back as Naruto outspeed and kneed the man in his face. Shinnō corrected himself and stood once more to find the boy holding a rather large Shuriken. It was about the size of a wheel and had the shape of a common fictional five-point star. It was largely a shimmering onyx in color, but had three dark grooves along one side of each point, the other sides having a dark grey edge. Two red dots could be seen in the middle of the Weapon above the shuriken's central hole, resembling a face. The shuriken started to glow with a brilliant green aura, then Naruto let go of the shuriken as if he were dropping it on the ground, but instead it started to float in front of him and began spinning. It spun faster and faster until it resembled a glowing green buzzsaw. Shinnō mocked that with his enhanced durability and regeneration, no weapon or attack in the boy's arsenal would be able to defeat him, or even do him harm. Naruto stretched his right hand forward and called out Fūton: U~indorōdo no shokei hoīru(Wind Style: Wind Lord's execution wheel). The weapon having received its order for its lord, flew forth to do his bidding. All Shinnō could hear was a loud screeching followed by a sharp pain in his left arm. When he looked down he found that it had been cut through by the boy's attack at the forearm and when he looked back at Naruto, the boy held his missing appendage in his hand. Naruto told Shinnō that there was no escape for him, for when the King sentences one to death there is no escape. Shinnō's arm regenerated rather quickly and he felt he was still superior in the fight, but found himself on the defensive the whole time. Naruto didn't even move after he sent his shuriken after the man. Shinnō ran, dodged, and ducked but was unable to avoid the deadly spinning wind blade. He had most of his limbs severed and regenerated several times and regardless of how strong his medical ninjutsu was, he still felt pain, and he was in a crazy amount of it. In a last-ditch effort to defeat Naruto and his death wheel, Shinnō released the eight gates, but still found himself dodging this shuriken attack. Shinnō took a look at Naruto and was worried as he saw a bunch of onyx chains erupted from Naruto's right forearm, wrapping around it to form a cannon barrel-like structure. Then, Shinnō heard a screeching sound that was so loud it was almost debilitating. It took all his focus to jump over the shuriken avoiding being bisected, but he couldn't dodge Naruto's next attack while mid air. Fūton: Supairaru keshigomu(Wind Style: Spiraling eraser) was the last thing Shinnō heard as Naruto armed, and unleashed a spiraling stream of dense wind chakra that completely engulfed Shinnō's body and continued through the ceiling of the room they were in. When the attack finished, there was nothing left but a clean carved perfect circle in the ceiling.
With Shinnō dead, Naruto and crew dealt with the remaining resistance. Bando took the helm of temporary leader for his people, informing them of the crimes their former leadership had committed and how Naruto had been their savior and liberator. Many were skeptical and rightfully so since he was still a child of 11 or 12, but Bando received the surveillance footage from the room they had fought in, revealing that Naruto had indeed defeated Shinnō, and rather easily. Naruto delivered a speech to the people informing them of his plan to create a new home for him and those who would recognize them as their King. He asked the people for time to earn their respect and recognition and with the help of his allies spent weeks providing medical attention, food, and other necessities they had been deprived of. In time the people saw Naruto for his actions, not his age, and decided that he and Bando had done more than enough to be recognized as the leaders they were. Naruto shared the basics of the Uzumaki chakra techniques to help strengthen the new lot of shinobi that joined their ranks as well as setting up the proper training areas that would help them take their training to heights untold. Malice started training the medics and Kagura focused on the elites. Kagura was going to make an elite force that would be able to completely devour the ANBU or any village equivalent. Bando headed their technological division, focusing on making his king's empire one with no equal. He also was in charge of arms dealing, which was also a way to recruit interesting individuals.
They were all from different walks of life, but they had assembled for the same reason, to make a new world for them and theirs, and destroy anyone who would threaten that. Now they were all here in the wave, taking another step towards their goal and adding to the glorious Uzumaki empire.
"I'm glad to see you're all doing well, and you all seem to have gotten a great deal stronger." Naruto loved to praise his allies and was more than happy to see them grow.
"We have all been training hard and with many obtaining Hatsu, it's only helped push development further. I'm sure you'll be very pleased with the results my lord." Bando answered.
"The Shin'en(Abyss) have also made amazing strides. They have been performing out in the field with a 100% success rate." Kagura was impressed by the elite task force's performance. Through her strict command and rigorous training, she believed that there was no group out there that would outperform the Shin'en.
"The Denryū(Current) have also improved immensely. The degree of their medical techniques and knowledge will make them essential in the field. They truly embody the term "battle medic"." Malice was happy to know that the arts of her clan would yet again be used to protect those she cared for.
"This is indeed good news Naruto-sama. The sooner our preparations are complete, the sooner we can end these shenanigans." Sasuke said, hoping that their days dealing with the leaf were coming to an end sooner rather than later.
"Yes this is great, and to be honest I agree with you Sasuke… I knew being genin would be tedious but between the foolish missions and our foolish instructor, my patience is beginning to wear thin." Naruto couldn't hold his annoyance any longer.
"With that being said, let's get down to business. As you know, from my clone that delivered the scroll to you, we have been tasked to protect a bridge builder from a money-hungry tyrant using a militia to control the land. While Sasuke and I continue with our mission, you three will take out Gato and collect everything he's got. We will give the Wave what it needs to rebuild and thrive and then they will join us." Naruto was exuding his majesty. His charisma felt like a wave of energy that inspired and vitalized those before him.
"You always make things sound so easy my lord but if it is your will consider it done. Kagura and I will handle Gato's assassination." Malice assured Naruto.
"Also, our team was lucky enough to come across Zabuza Momochi and another potential recruit in Zabuza's partner. Zabuza and Sasuke got into a fight-"
"If you can call it that." Sasuke interrupted.
"*Sigh* Sasuke and Zabuza got into it and he ended up pretty hurt. I approached him to join and agreed to pending his defeat in a match between the two of us. What we will do is kill two birds with one stone. I'll show both Zabuza and the Wave that we are allies they can trust by eliminating the scourge Gato in front of them."
"Ah, I see. I'll create a copy of Gato using my Supirittorifurekushon ningyō (Spirit Reflection puppet) and have it lead the militia to your battle site. When you're done with your fight, they'll show up and we will handle gathering the citizens as well." Malice responded.
"I'm glad we're on the same page Malice-san. Bando, you'll scout the island for all the resources that will prove fruitful for us."
"Of course my lord. Before we depart I would like to provide you our latest innovations." Bando placed the case on the ground to reveal 2 pairs of armored boots of black, a black visor with gold trim, and a small black box.
"We were able to finish the boots you requested and were able to add the sealing matrices as well. They will be able to conduct your chakra with no issue. We also finished your visor. It's fully equipped with audio and visual recording equipment as well as the latest in our sensory equipment including chakra and heat sensors, though I doubt you'll need it. For lord Uchiha, because of your visual prowess, I felt it best to give you a pair of our new wireless chakra transmission communication devices. You can refer to them as the CTC pods for short." Bando opened the small box revealing the two small ear communication devices, then handed them to Sasuke.
"Amazing, I didn't think they would be ready this soon!" Naruto picked up his new piece of equipment and marveled over it like a kid with a new toy.
"Yes my lord, due much to your sealing expertise we have our chakra transmission communication network fully up and running." Bando answered.
"How does this work Bando, I'm only familiar with the wired communication device." Sasuke placed a pod in each of his ears.
"Both of your devices are equipped with multiple sealing matrices, many of which were made by your majesty. Because of your constant use of Ten, the devices will passively siphon the chakra around you to work. The visor while equipped will help you fend off visual genjutsu and the pods will do the same for auditory genjutsu. Just think of who you would like to speak to and you'll be patched through to them via mental connection but it will only be auditory. If you need to get a message out to more than one person, deliver it to the operator and it will be broadcast to the appropriate channels." Bando explained.
"So we will be able to communicate with each other while our mission is going on. This is perfect! If it wasn't for you guys I'd be just a lowly peasant. It's because of all of you that I'm proud to call myself a king!" Naruto proclaimed. His court, providing their cool and collected round of smiles.
Though on the inside, they felt a bliss they only came to know after dedicating themselves to Naruto. His praise, his happiness, it was like a drug that only made them better. They trusted him because before any of them could, he gave them all his trust with no question. They would do whatever was necessary to see him where he belonged, at the top.
"I'm excited to test out these boots, Bando. I remember when we got to test the prototypes and the maneuvers I was able to manage were something I would like to add to my repertoire." Sasuke said as he finished putting on his pair and channeling his chakra to them. Suddenly, Sasuke performed several high-speed dashes, leaps, and other maneuvers, with each new move happening alongside noises reminiscent of miniature explosions.
"As you can see lord Uchiha, you can pull off all the moves you had during your testing phase with no concern of wear and tear. Uzumaki durability seals are a marvel the world over." Bando himself couldn't figure out the science behind the seals per se, but Naruto would always suggest that he believe in a bit of magic. They were meant to be a paradox and seals were one way to do so.
Naruto put on his boots and did the same, channeling chakra to the result of a humming sound. Naruto with a gust of wind ascended off the ground but corrected himself before going too high.
"WITH THESE I'LL BE ABLE TO BE THE LORD OF THE SKY, AS WELL AS LAND AND SEA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Naruto flew around back and forth, having the time of his life.
"I'M GLAD YOU'RE PLEASED, MY LORD!" Bando had to scream over the sound of the air jets coming out of the boots. Naruto then landed and stopped the flow of chakra to the boots.
"We are all glad you are pleased with Naruto-sama, but I feel it's best we carry out our respective missions. I will use my Hatsu to help me find Gato's hideout. Then I and Malice-san will take him out allowing her to create a copy." Kagura was eager to get to work. She wanted an active opportunity to show Naruto that his trust was well placed in her. Plus, she really really enjoyed his praise.
"Kagura is correct. The sooner this is done, the sooner we can join with Bando and help with the island scouting." Malice added. She may have been like his mother, but she too enjoyed doing her part in pleasing her King.
"Perfect everyone, let's all do our best! For the glory of the Empire!" Naruto shouted, performing a right-hand salute. With everyone following suit.
"For the glory of the Empire!" With that Naruto had his clones disable the barrier.
"We will leave first and will signal you when you can head out. Oh and if you manage to see any scumbags, and you can get it done clean…" They understood their lord's orders.
"Of course my lord. I am always more than happy to clean up the realm for you." Kagura said seductively.
"Then I leave its cleaning in your elegant hands. Good luck to all of you! Come Sasuke." Naruto and Sasuke turned and decided to use their new equipment to have a bit of fun before heading back to Tazuna's house. A loud boom was heard as both boys took off for the mine shaft entrance, vanishing from the Malice, Kagura, and Bando's sight in an instant.
"It's hard to believe that our king and his strongest knight just became teenagers." Bando said as he closed up the metal chest.
"Naruto-sama is no mere teen, he is a true man. A king in more ways than one." Kagura responded with a bit of attitude.
"Now you two, before we get distracted, our king has given us a mission. It's our job as his court to turn his will into reality." Malice told the two.
"You are right Malice-san. Let us move forth to execute our lord's will." The three eagerly awaited until they received their signal to begin their missions.
A Week Later
All remained peaceful in the land of Waves as team 7 continued their mission to protect Tazuna during the bridge's construction. Kakashi had bombarded the boys with questions on where they obtained Naruto's new visor and the new boots they were wearing. Naruto responded that they had come across a giant with a kind heart, and that said giant was gracious enough to give them these accessories. Kakashi surmised that it was some story he had made up that would quickly get Kakashi to stop pestering them.
Upon their return, Naruto and Sasuke were introduced to Inari, Tazun's grandson, and Tsunami's son. Inari was a young boy with spiky black hair and dark-colored eyes. He wore a green jumpsuit with a yellow shirt and a simple pair of sandals. He also wore a blue and white striped hat under the brim. The boy was rude from the start, ignoring Naruto's introduction. It took a bit of self-control for Sasuke not to put a dent in the child's skull just to teach him a lesson. They learned later that night from Tazuna that Inari's demeanor was due to the death of his stepfather, Kaiza. Kaiza as Tazuna described was a man of the people. He was brave and generous and would put his all towards everything he did, even defying Gato when he first came to the wave. Tazuna even compared him to Naruto, saying they shared similarities. Forgoing against Gato, he was publicly executed brutally, having both his arms cut off to enhance his suffering. After a while, they finished him off, all while Inari was watching in the crowd. After that, Inari became a lot more pessimistic, believing that hope was just for fools with a death wish. Tazuna asked the boys to be tolerant of his grandson. Inari was scared and didn't know how to properly handle his trauma so he lashed out. Naruto and Sasuke could understand this better than Tazuna could ever know, so the boys did as Tazuna asked.
There had been a couple of other developments that occurred within the week. Team 7 would split each day to execute their tasks with Naruto escorting Tazuna to the bridge, Sasuke guarding Tsunami, and Inari at their home with Kakashi taking Sakura off to train. He had Sakura practice the tree and water walking techniques, which due to her low chakra reserves and seemingly high chakra control she was able to master in about 2 days. He decided to move on to elemental manipulation and tested her affinity which turned out to be earth. From there Kakashi began instructing Sakura in 2 low-rank earth jutsu, the Doton: Gōremu no Jutsu (Earth Release: Golem Technique) and the Doton: Iwakageiseki (Earth Release: Rock Shelter). The earth golem would help increase her attacking potential while providing a means to protect her as well while the rock shelter jutsu was meant to help increase her defensive capabilities.
Sakura gave her all to training. It was clear to her that Naruto and Sasuke were in a league all their own, she was even convinced that they had surpassed their sensei in terms of strength. She knew if she wanted Sasuke to even acknowledge her, she would have to give him something to notice. With that being said, Sakura had made respectable progress. She was able to form a golem that was about a foot taller than her and was quite strong when Kakashi spared it. She was also able to pull off a decently reinforced rock shelter that took a couple of hits from Kakashi before breaking down. Kakashi and Sakura had tried to get the two boys to join in on the training, but they would use the mission as an excuse not to attend.
Now, the team was having dinner alongside their gracious hosts. Kakashi and Sakura had recently returned from a day of training so Sakura was covered in a light layer of dirt and looked pretty exhausted.
"Damn Kakashi, what did you do to the little lady?" Tazuna managed to ask through his snickering.
"She went through a hard day of training. Sakura gave it her all today and I'm proud of her." Kakashi delivers his signature "eye" smile.
"So tired…." That was all Sakura was able to say, not able to lift her head off the dinner table.
"Well after a hard day's work, it's important to eat a healthy meal so everyone please eat your fill." Tsunami walked over and placed more bowls of food on the table.
It was then that Inari walked through the front door and into the kitchen.
"Inari, you're home late. Where were you?" Tsunami asked.
"Out…" Inari answered in a low tone with a hint of attitude.
"Out where young man?" Tsunami didn't appreciate the way he answered her.
"Just out! Leave me alone!" Inari shouted as he walked past his mother and tried to go up the stairs to his room.
"Inari…" The atmosphere in the room shifted. It was colder and the air seemed thinner as well. Everyone turned to look at Naruto, who called for the boy.
"Your mother has asked you a question, you will answer her honestly and with respect." Naruto said and proceeded to eat his dinner.
"S-SHUT UP! I DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU! YOU'RE NOT MY DAD!" Naruto applauded the boy's guts. He knew he had to be feeling the effects of his aura yet he was still able to shout at him. Naruto placed his bowl on the table and walked over to Inari.
"You're right...I am not your father, but I've heard a good deal about the man. He was brave, strong, kind. If I had been fortunate enough to have had a father, I would've hoped he would have been like Kaiza." Inari's eyes began to tear up.
"SHUT UP! You don't know anything about my dad! You don't know anything about me!" Inari lashed out after hearing his father's name and started to pelt Naruto with his fists.
"I wasn't lucky enough to grow up with a mother or father but there were those who have come into my life, each one having an incomparable impact on the person before you. I'm sorry your father was lost to you, but he gave his life for the people of his land. It may seem as if they have forgotten, but the people of the Wave aren't the type who would spit on the legacy of such a great man, and you shouldn't either." Inari stopped his tantrum and continued to listen to Naruto, with tears flowing down his face.
"Your grandfather is doing just as your father, as well as those who are helping him. These are your father's people Inari. They might have been knocked down, but they haven't forgotten Kaiza's sacrifice and you shouldn't either." Naruto kneeled to eye level with Inari.
"I know you must miss your father, but he lives on in your Inari. Kaiza lives on in all those in this land who are doing their best to live. So you shouldn't give up no matter how tough, no matter how sad, you must try and try…" Inari's eyes lit up when he heard his father's old words. Tazuna had told Naruto of Kaiza's favorite phrase during one of their conversations.
"If you do that, even if you die, the proof of a man's life will remain forever…" Inari wiped his eyes and spoke out in the most positive manner his mother and grandfather had heard from him in a while.
"Don't forget those words Inari. Age doesn't make you a man, it's your actions, and the correct action would be to apologize to your mother for your earlier behavior. I'm sure this has been hard on her as well." Naruto smiled and rose, gesturing towards Tsunami.
The mother was a bit overwhelmed. Tsunami knew Inari was struggling after Kaiza's death but didn't know how to help him. Inari shut down, trying to push everyone away to not be hurt again. She had been dealing with her grief but pushed it below the surface to appear well and cheery for the sake of her son. She began to doubt her abilities as a mother, she even wondered if it would have been better for Inari to have lost her and kept Kaiza.
"Mom...I-I'm really sorry for how I acted...I-I really missed dad… and I didn't know wh-" Inari tried his best to apologize and give his mother an explanation for his behavior, but he was cut off as Tsunami kneeled and wrapped him in her motherly embrace.
"It's alright my dear. I understand...I miss him too…I'm just glad that I have you Inari" Tsunami was overjoyed. She believed that Inari would be alright and that now time would be able to heal his wounds. Tsunami looked at Naruto while she was still hugging Inari and gave him a bright smile. She couldn't thank the boy enough, he showed her late husband the utmost respect, even without meeting him. Naruto also was patient and sympathetic when it came to Inari, even though he was just a shinobi on a job.
"Thanks a lot, Naruto." Tazuna had walked up to the blonde and placed his hand on his shoulder. Tazuna didn't have too many people he respected in his life, but he felt that Naruto had earned it in spades.
"No need to thank me Sir Tazuna. A king takes care of the realm, for he is nothing without its inhabitants." Naruto said, as he crossed his arms and gave a sage bow.
Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke just looked on as events developed. Sasuke sported a small grin while the other two just stared blankly. Kakashi felt that Naruto's speech to Inari held a bunch of underlined messages. Naruto spoke about sacrifices, fathers, and how the people of the wave wouldn't disrespect Kaiza's legacy. Kakashi also thought back on the conversation he had with Naruto about respecting his sensei, coming to the conclusion that Naruto must have known about his father.
This revelation frightened Kakashi to his core, for if Naruto knew of his father, he most likely knew of the tailed beast secured within himself. With this in mind, the suspension that the Kyuubi could have been behind Naruto's alterations became a more likely possibility. Naruto's choice of words made Kakashi worry more. The way he spoke, it sounded as if Naruto felt the village had disrespected his father's legacy somehow. Kakashi felt it better to keep this to himself and report to the Third upon their return.
Sakura's opinion of Naruto began to change once again. She went from thinking he was a nobody when they were kids, to an annoying nobody in the academy, then to some kind of monster or demon once she was assigned on a team with him. Now she thought that maybe it wasn't as simple as him being one of those things, and maybe she didn't know the first thing about him or Sasuke for that matter.
"Well, it's a beautiful night to go for a stroll so I think I'll do just that." Naruto said as he turned for the exit with Sasuke rising from the dinner table to put his dishes in the sink.
"Thank you for the meal Lady Tsunami. We will be back after checking the perimeter." Sasuke gave a polite bow as Naruto and he exited.
The two walked off into the forest until they came to a glade. They were then greeted by two familiar figures that were coming from the other side.
"Zabuza Momochi and his mysterious partner, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Naruto asked as Sasuke put his right hand on his blade.
"I'm all healed up from what the other kid did to me. You and I made a deal so I'm here to see it through." Zabuza grabbed his blade with his right hand and gave a downward swing of it, in a show of intimidation.
"I'm sorry to ask, but do you mind if we hold off till tomorrow?" Naruto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Do you think I'm a fool boy!?"
"No I don't, that's precisely why I'm asking you to wait. Tomorrow, we will have our bout on the bridge. But there has been a change." Zabuza didn't think they were about to try anything, but he still didn't like how things were playing out.
"What change would that be?" It was Haku that took a step forward. She would not stand if someone was trying to pull one over on her master.
"You see, we initially planned on recruiting Zabuza to our cause, but we knew nothing of a follower. And while it is nice that you said you would join if Zabuza did, we know nothing of you or your abilities. So the same way Zabuza would like to test my abilities, I would like to test yours." This was unexpected. Neither Zabuza nor Haku would've guessed that the boy would put so much thought into this.
"What sort of test were you thinking of? Will I have to go against your friend?" Haku asked, looking towards Sasuke.
"No, I believe he has done his part. I believe a better test of your abilities would be to see how you fare against Kakashi Hatake."
"You want me to fight your team leader? I don't understand."
"I told you before what type of person we were looking for to join our empire, but we still have standards. Hatake is the best Konoha has to offer, and if you can best him then there's no question of whether you belong among our ranks." Even though it was the dark of night, Zabuza and Haku saw it in Naruto's deep blue eyes.
He was a leader, making every choice, analyzing every factor for the sake of those that called him King. Zabuza wouldn't admit it but Haku knew, for she felt it as well. Maybe a King wouldn't be so bad.
"We gotcha...You and I will have a go while Haku deals with Hatake." Naruto grew a large smile on his face confusing the two.
"Haku...That's a beautiful name for such a beautiful Maiden." No one could see but Haku was blushing rather brightly under her mask.
"Then it's settled. We will meet tomorrow on the bridge. You both have a lovely night, and welcome to the Empire." Naruto said as he and Sasuke turned around and left.
"He seems rather confident doesn't he Zabuza-sama? Do you believe that he will be able to best you?" Haku knew they weren't normal shinobi, but she knew first hand of Zabuza's true strength.
"I guess we'll know tomorrow. Come on Haku, let's find something to eat." Zabuza was anxious, but he knew whatever happened, tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.
Next Day
Team 7 had been up bright and early to match Tazuna's schedule. The moment the sun rose meant it was time to get to work. Tsunami had gotten up early as well to make sure they all went off into the world with full stomachs.
Inari was up early as well intent on joining his grandfather on the bridge and providing whatever assistance he could. Naruto's words sparked a new fire in the young boy; he wanted to help his homeland much like his father did, even if it was something small here and there. Tazuna had his reservations about it, but with one word from Naruto about how there was nothing to worry about, Tazuna was more than happy to have a day together with his beloved grandson.
Kakashi and Sakura also planned on joining for guard duty today. Kakashi believed it was a good idea for Sakura's training to include on-the-job training including the guard work her teammates had been in charge of. Though Sakura was disappointed to hear that Sasuke would be staying back with Tsunami. With most of the team off guarding Tazuna and Inari, Tsunami would become an easier target, so Sasuke would be her guard.
With that, the group left for the bridge and managed to arrive with no complications. The other workers soon arrived and the work on the bridge continued. Kakashi hadn't checked up on Naruto during the week of guard duty but was a bit surprised to find that he and the 4 clones he had summoned were interacting with all the people on the bridge by their first names, shaking hands, and even having a crowd of them laughing at some of his jokes.
"Regardless of anything, it seems he got Sensei's charisma…" Kakashi's train of thought was broken when he heard some screaming at one end of the bridge.
"ASSASSINS!"
"IT'S GATO'S THUGS!"
"RUN! THEY'LL KILL US ALL" The workers on the bridge were scrambling, trying their best not to end up victims.
"Everyone, there's no need to worry. These two are not here to hurt you." Naruto projected his voice over the bridge so all could hear him. They then watched on as the two new arrivals walked up to Naruto, Tazuna, and Inari who were standing behind his grandfather. Kakashi and Sakura rushed to their side
"End of the bridge good?" Zabuza asked.
"Good for what? What's going on Zabuza?!" Kakashi shouted as he pulled out a kunai.
"That's perfect." Naruto then summoned a smokeless shadow clone.
"Sir Tazuna, Inari, these two are here to see me and wish you no harm so please relax. We will take our business away from everyone. And please do not worry about any damage to the bridge, I have taken the appropriate measures to ensure its safety." Tazuna just began to laugh.
"Well if the king has spoken, then there's nothing to be worried about right?" Tazuna held a gleeful grin and extended his fist out with Naruto matching his actions.
"Of course, a King is his word."
"NARUTO WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Kakashi had hit his limit. He wanted answers and he would get them.
"Yea Naruto, this isn't some kind of game. We got to take this seriously." Sakura said sheepishly.
"Come Kakashi, we are just going to have a little meeting." Naruto said as he, Zabuza, and Haku used the Shunshin to get to the end of the bridge.
"Son of a bitch! Sakura, you stay with Tazuna and the clone, I'll be back." Kakashi shot forward using his own Shunshin.
When Kakashi arrived, he saw the two assassins standing in front of Naruto.
"Naruto, this is a direct order from your commanding officer! Answer my questions now!" Kakashi moved to get near Naruto but was cut off when Haku appeared before him.
"Your opponent is me, Kakashi Hatake." Haku said, assuming her fighting stance.
"Damn it Kakashi-sensei, it seems the enemy has engaged us both. I'll have to wait till I've dealt with my opponent." Naruto said in a sarcastic tone.
The temperature seemed to drop or maybe it was rising? The air thinned, or was it thicker? The atmosphere fluctuated, as Naruto reached for the short blade by his side. As he drew his sword they were all thrown by the fact that the blade was far longer than its sheath. In Naruto's hands was a Nodachi with a deep blue blade and a black hilt, wrapped in bandages matching the blade.
"Fun'iki: Kanreizensen(Atmosphere: Cold front)." Naruto swung his sword and everyone felt a chill. Suddenly a wall of ice formed, separating Naruto and Zabuza from Kakashi and Haku.
"NARUTO!" Kakashi shouted. The ice wall was thick to the point that Kakashi couldn't see through it.
"That is most ironic. Who would've thought that Zabuza would be facing an ice user as well."
"As well?" Kakashi asked, staring at his masked opponent until he felt a sharp pain in the back of his left arm. He checked it to find he had been struck with a senbon, but his opponent didn't throw any.
"I would hope you take this match seriously, Kakashi Hatake. If you get distracted for just a moment, you will die." Haku said as she decided to end this quickly. Kakashi was still a Jonin level threat, and she took no threat lightly.
"One lucky shot and you think you've won, big mistake." Kakashi raised his headband revealing the Sharingan in his left eye.
"I see. You are special Hatake, but not the same way we are." Haku said as she made a single, one-handed sign.
"What are you talking about?" Kakashi could feel it get colder and colder and could tell that Haku was building up chakra, but couldn't tell for what. Suddenly, they were surrounded by what looked like mirrors, reflecting the two combatants in each one.
"The ones you call Naruto and Sasuke. They are like me, special in a way that the world fears. Now that we've begun our meeting, you too will know that fear."
Chapter 5 End
Author's Notes: Hello everyone thanks for reading the 5th Chapter of Naruto: Paradox!
Thank you to everyone kind enough to review the story and give me your thoughts and opinions. I appreciated and loved all the feedback I got and will try to do my best to implement those changes.
I'm happy I was able to write a longer chapter this week and hope that you all enjoyed it and will be going over a few things from this chapter.
The three characters I used for Naruto's allies were Malice from Naruto Shippūden 3D: The New Era, and Kagura and Bando from Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2. I have changed their background stories and personalities to fit my story but felt it would be best to stick with characters that will be easy for people to find visual references for.
The new equipment in the chapter includes a pair of visors similar to the one Renji Abarai wore in his first appearance in the Bleach anime, and the boots worn by Master Eraqus and Terra in Kingdom hearts.
The shuriken and Nodachi forms of Paradokkusuejji are based on the same forms of Tsubaki Nakatsukasa from Soul Eater with different color schemes.
If there is anything that you, the reader would like me to address or do to enhance or better the reading experience please let me know. Again, thank you all for reading, and have a Paradoxical day!