Hey everyone, back again with another chapter. Been getting a lot of reviews saying I'm forcing the relationship aspect, but they're just talking. All he's done is flirt with her and she reacted by deflecting and ignoring even though she's conflicted. Was toying around with the idea of having Sasuke go after her to show Naruto "who's boss" but apparently that's not something anyone wants to see. We never see anyone take away from his spotlight before he leaves so honestly there's no telling how he'd react if one of his most devoted fangirls started liking the dead last of his class, who is also his rival. On top of that, he literally says in the show his secondary purpose is to repopulate his clan. I took his and Kakashi's little introduction word for word from the Japanese dub of the show. Why wouldn't he care that the only member of his fan club that's actually from a clan is leaving to go after his rival, who he thinks he's so much better than? But I am a man of the people, so I'll scrap it. There are more surprises and changes to come.
Someone mentioned that people aren't wondering if he's a spy. Well, the third hokage trusts him, also he's under loose surveillance by Kakashi before he is assigned to his team. That is actually canon. Kakashi watched over Naruto secretly until he was assigned to team seven and then he was supposed to keep a closer eye on him, but he felt he could get redemption for failing Obito by trying to save Sasuke from himself.
My opinion of Kakashi has changed greatly since I first watched the show, and my opinion of Naruto's teammates has remained the same. There may be some minor bashing of them in the future chapters, but I don't think I've gone over the top so far. He didn't threaten to kill Sakura, he stopped her from hitting him and told her if she tries it again he'll fight back. Telling her that she was easier to kill than Mizuki demonstrates he's not to be fucked with. Also, Inoichi couldn't notice the gap in Naruto's memories because he was overwhelmed by the insane amount of emotion that he felt through Naruto's perspective when looking through the memories. Naruto had hoped that would be the case, and Kurama showed him how to block those memories pretty well also. Plot convenience, sure, but it's a minor thing and we're already past it. Anyway, I don't own Naruto and this is purely my take on how I wanted things to go if I had my say. I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. Don't worry, there's no interaction with Ino at all for all you who've commented saying I'm rushing things. This chapter is completely the Wave mission.
Chapter 6
Team seven is making good progress despite being slowed down by having Tazuna accompany them when suddenly a memory hits Naruto like a train, and he winces slightly. The mere thought of him being frozen in terror making him grit his teeth and clench his fists. 'It'll be different this time, for sure,' he thinks to himself as they pass the puddle where the Demon Brothers are hiding. Kakashi glances at the puddle but continues walking as if noticing nothing. Suddenly the Demon Brothers pop out from their hiding spot and one launches the other to the other side of Kakashi. They then wrap him in their chains and pull in opposite directions until the chains pass through him and he seemingly falls to the ground in a pile of goopy remains. The rest of team seven and Tazuna gasp, and Naruto turns with a glare and his teeth bared.
"First one," they say and then charge at Naruto, who ducks the incoming chain and sends a kick straight up into one of their chins, sending him flying. Sasuke throws a shuriken to pin the chain to a tree, also throwing a kunai to pin the shuriken to the tree for extra assurance. The chain having no slack causes the first brother to get jerked back, and Naruto is waiting for him. He retrieves a kunai and jumps to meet him on his way down. The brother quickly releases the chain from his gauntlet to allow him to protect himself and blocks the kunai with both gauntlets in front of his face. Naruto forms a clone in midair and they each grab one of the brother's arms. They begin twirling around, picking up speed until they eventually impact the ground head first. Naruto lets go at the last second, however, and puts a kunai through the brother's neck with a smirk.
Meanwhile, Sakura has taken her place in front of Tazuna, and the other brother charges at them. Sasuke intercepts him with a kick to his stomach while he wasn't paying attention to him. He follows it up with a backflip kick to his chest and then a final kick to the chin to finish off the backflip combo. Sasuke has also dispatched his target by pulling his chain while he was in the air and waiting for him on the ground with his knee out. The brother lands on his knee and his back is broken on impact. He bounces off Sasuke's leg and impacts the ground with a thud, gasping and trying desperately to cope with the pain.
Kakashi appears before them, revealing he never got hit by the attack in the first place, and smiles. He gives his team a thumbs up. "Great job, team. Naruto, your quick thinking opened up both of them for the attack. Sasuke your ability to precisely pin their chain to the tree allowed for a quick and easy takedown. You two work very well together!" He says with one of his trademark eye smiles. He then turns to Sakura. "You also did well by standing guard of Tazuna-san. I wanted to see how you'd do in real battle so I pretended to die to test you. You all did very well!" He exclaims and then turns to Tazuna. "Is there something you'd like to fill us in on, Tazuna-san? You never said chunin would be after you. So what's the real reason you needed a shinobi escort?" He asks with a chilling tone.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe they just thought you were the enemy," he attempts to lie, but Naruto scoffs.
"I tried to warn you that I saw through your lies back in the Hokage's office. Tell us the truth or we'll return to Konoha and leave you by yourself," he says confidently, knowing Kakashi is going to back him up on his decision. It was the ultimatum Kakashi gave him in his previous life, after all. Kakashi nods behind Naruto and Tazuna starts sweating.
"F-fine, I'll tell you the truth. I couldn't afford much more than I paid the Hokage, so I didn't mention all the details so he would rank the mission lower and I wouldn't have to pay as much. Wave country is being taken over by a shipping magnate named Gato. He runs the black market in Wave country and sells drugs and illegal goods. He has a gang of shinobi and hitmen on his payroll and he doesn't want the bridge to be completed because then his monopoly of shipping would be broken up. He's put a bounty on my head and some truly frightening shinobi are after me for it. If you quit the mission now, I'll be dead before I even reach my house," he explains and Kakashi nods thoughtfully.
"Well, I guess there is no choice but to continue the mission. But take care not to leave out any more details from here on, Tazuna-san," Kakashi says in a calm, yet slightly chilled tone. Tazuna simply nods and apologizes under his breath. They then continue their journey to the boat that will take them nearly the rest of the way.
The boat ride is nearly silent, aside from the comments about how thick the mist is. They dock early and Tazuna looks at the boat master. "This is as far as I'll go. The rest is up to you. See you around," he says, and Tazuna nods.
"I understand. You've been a big help," he says and the boat master leaves just as he took them this far.
"Alright, get me home safely!" Tazuna exclaims and they all nod, beginning their journey to Tazuna's house on foot. They walk for a while, and Naruto is in front. He distinctly remembers how foolish he looked when he threw two kunai, and only one of them had an actual target. He distinctly feels the presence of the one who made him so on edge and searches for the source.
"Kakashi-sensei," he whispers almost silently, and Kakashi walks slightly faster to listen. "There is someone strong in the trees behind us. Be on your guard," he says and Kakashi nods. They keep walking until the unknown foe reveals himself. Suddenly, Kakashi and Naruto both look in the same direction. "Duck!" Naruto yells and they all get down just before a huge cleaver is flung by them and impacts a tree. Momochi Zabuza then lands on the hilt and looks over his shoulder at the leaf ninja. "He's got to be jounin level, at least," Naruto says, careful not to let slip that he knows exactly who this is. Kakashi grunts his understanding and walks towards Zabuza a few feet.
"You're Momochi Zabuza, the rogue ninja of the hidden mist, aren't you?" He asks, but Zabuza doesn't answer. "You three stay back and guard Tazuna-san. This guy is on a totally different level from those guys the other day," he says and begins to lift the headband from covering his eye.
"I assume you're Kakashi, the copy ninja of the sharingan. Sorry, but, I'll have you hand over the old man," he says coolly and Kakashi narrows his visible eye. He then lifts the headband and reveals his sharingan. Zabuza turns his body the rest of the way and looks Kakashi dead on. "I never thought I'd see the sharingan this early. When I was in the ANBU of the hidden mist, I carried a bingo book with me. Inside it mentioned a certain ninja who has copied a thousand jutsu," he says plainly and continues to stare at Kakashi. Sasuke looks at his sensei with intense eyes, trying to figure out how he has a sharingan. "Let's end the talking now. I must kill the old man immediately," he says, which causes the three genin to surround Tazuna with kunai drawn. "But it appears I must defeat you first, Kakashi," he observes, and removes his sword from the tree, repositioning to be in front of Kakashi on the surface of the water. He then builds his chakra and whispers "Ninja art: hidden mist jutsu," and the battlefield is covered in a thick mist that hinders vision past a few inches.
"The mist is getting thicker!" Sakura yells, and soon Kakashi is gone from their view.
"The land of waves is surrounded by the ocean so mist rises easily," Tazuna explains, and Naruto steels himself for what is to come.
"Eight spots. The larynx, the spine, the lungs, the liver, the jugular, and subclavian veins, the kidneys, and the heart. Which vulnerable spot would be good?" He asks from within the mist. This is to rattle the genin, and it works on Sasuke and Sakura, but Naruto is prepared for this kind of scare tactic. He knows Kakashi won't let him hurt them. Suddenly an extremely intense wave of killing intent washes over them and Sasuke contemplates killing himself in order to free himself from the terror he's nearly frozen in.
"Sasuke," Kakashi states, aware of what the Uchiha is about to try. "Don't worry, I'll protect you with my life," Kakashi says, and Sasuke stops dead in his tracks.
"I wonder about that," Zabuza taunts, and suddenly he is in the middle of the formation. "It's over," he states, but Naruto doesn't wait for Kakashi to act, he slashes at the jounin with his kunai in order to make him block, and Naruto then transfers his kunai to his mouth to free his hands.
"Shadow clone jutsu," he announces, and suddenly there are a hundred clones all with their own kunai. This gives the rest of the team time to retreat with Tazuna, and Naruto stalls Zabuza with his horde of clones. The real Naruto makes a few hand signs and inhales deeply. "Wind Style: Needles of the Wind!" He says and spits out hundreds of invisible needles made of wind chakra. Zabuza responds by putting his sword in front of him as a shield, covering his whole body. Kakashi then rushes him and stabs him in the side with a kunai. Zabuza almost looks defeated, but the wound is dripping water and Naruto shouts, "Sensei, behind you!" Pointing at the real Zabuza. His water clone dissipates and the real one swings his sword through Kakashi, cleaving him in half. He looks smug, thinking he won, but soon the remains turn into a pool of water themselves.
Zabuza is frozen in place, contemplating just how Kakashi was able to copy him in this thick mist when a kunai is placed at his neck. "Don't move. It's over," Kakashi states plainly.
"Did you say it's over? You won't beat me by simply copying me. It's true you're good, but," he trails off and suddenly the real Zabuza is behind him. "I'm no fool," he finishes before he slashes at Kakashi. He simply ducks the attack and Zabuza spins around to continue the attack, using the hilt of his sword as a pivot point, he kicks Kakashi in the chest and sends him flying. "Now!" He says simply and begins sprinting toward him, to catch him in the air to cut him down. He stops dead in his tracks when he notices the spikes in the ground Kakashi had set. He then jumps into the water and Kakashi surfaces a moment later.
"What's with this water? I can't move," he asks, and Zabuza rises to stand on the surface just behind him.
"It's the water prison jutsu," Zabuza explains while making some hand signs. Suddenly an orb of water surrounds Kakashi and he is trapped within. "Now, I'll deal with you later. Having you able to move makes it far more difficult," he continues, forming a water clone from the pool of water he's standing upon. "You act big and tough wearing a headband as if you're ninja, but the real ninja have hovered between life and death. In other words, only those who are listed in my Bingo Book deserve to be called ninja," he finishes and his clone disappears. He then targets Naruto, who catches the kick, and the clone twists around to deliver a follow-up attack, but Naruto releases his foot while he's rotating. He then looks at Sasuke and he nods. He throws a flurry of shuriken, and jumps above him while Zabuza is deflecting them. He keeps his focus on Sasuke, which allows Naruto to sneak around and kick him in the back of his knee, causing him to fall to one knee. Sasuke then brings his kunai down but, the clone brings up his sword in order to block it and uses his full strength to send Sasuke flying back. Naruto remembers his plan in this moment and forms about a hundred clones, all making a reckless push with kunai from all directions, huddling around him. He quickly sends them all flying, and Naruto uses this distance to fish the demon wind shuriken from his bag.
"Sasuke, catch!" Naruto yells and throws the shuriken to Sasuke, who immediately notices it's truly a transformation of the real Naruto. He gets the idea and switches it mid-jump with a real one, throwing it at the real Zabuza, it flying right past the clone. Zabuza catches it with his free arm that isn't sustaining the water prison and smirks behind his mask.
"It won't be that easy," he claims and then notices the second flying toward him. He jumps over the second shuriken, which is actually Naruto. He releases the transformation once past the real Zabuza and throws a kunai back at him. In order to dodge the kunai, he must remove his hand from the water prison, and Kakashi is then free to rejoin the battle. Zabuza curses and begins spinning the shuriken he caught in an attempt to kill Naruto, however, Kakashi blocks his spinning and keeps him from attacking.
"Your strategy was outstanding, Naruto. You've both grown up," he says as he holds Zabuza there, unable to attack. He then collapses the shuriken and pushes with all his might in an attempt to pierce Kakashi, but he simply flings it away. They both jump backward, and Naruto returns to his post in front of Tazuna. Zabuza quickly begins a sequence of hand signs, to which Kakashi copies with his sharigan. Soon two water dragons do battle between them, and they both dispel, causing a large explosion of water. When the water clears they are grappling, sword against kunai. They break the stalemate by jumping apart, and Kakashi copies every move Zabuza makes the instant he's doing them. Every hand sign, every rotation, even simple body posturing. Eventually, he puts Zabuza under a genjutsu that shows himself behind Kakashi, staring evilly at himself. "Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!" He says and Zabuza is sent flying back, caught in the vortex Kakashi threw at him. It sends him flying across the water and into the wooded area behind him. It also destroys nearby trees and the wind created by the jutsu is making it difficult for the genin to stay in position in front of Tazuna. He ends up colliding with a tree as the jutsu ends and Kakashi sends numerous kunai into his body, landing on a tree just above him.
"It's over," Kakashi states simply, and looks down at the defeated rogue ninja.
"Why? Are you able to see into the future?" He asks, stupefied by the sequence of events that just unfolded.
Yeah… You're going to die," he claims, raising a kunai and ready to strike. Just then a couple of senbon needles impact Zaubuza's neck on either side, rendering him in a near-death-like state. Naruto isn't fooled but remembers what Kami said about interfering with major events. Everyone looks up at a masked figure standing in the trees as he falls to the ground.
"You're right. He died," the masked figure says. Kakashi jumps down beside the body and checks for a pulse but finds nothing.
"He's definitely dead," he states and turns to the masked person, who simply bows their head.
"I thank you. I have been waiting for the chance to kill Zabuza," they say calmly despite it being a lie.
"By the looks of that mask, you're a hunter nin from the Hidden Mist," he says, never taking his eyes off them.
They raise their head once more, "Impressive. You're very knowledgable," they start. "That's right, I'm a member of Hidden Mist's hunter unit, whose mission is to hunt rogue nin," they explain, and Kakashi rejoins his team while they disappear and reappear beside Zabuza's body. Then they pick up his body and look at Kakashi once more. "Your battle is over for now. I must get rid of this corpse, for it holds many secrets. Now then, please excuse me," they say and suddenly they disappear with the body.
This one took significantly longer because I didn't want anyone acting out of character so I had to rewatch the four episodes these fights take place in. Also, that wraps up round one against Zabuza. The next chapter will be the real battle and conclusion to the Wave mission. Will things be the same? Or will Naruto decide to change history starting here? Stay tuned to find out