Mind, Magic, and Sword…wait what?
Chapter 7
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
As Naruto began to regain consciousness, he mentally noted that his body ached quite a bit, probably a side effect of using Tōsei's ability to forcibly draw upon the Kyuubi's power. As he tried to sit up, he felt pain shoot through his body, like lightning traveling through his Chakra network, causing him to fall back against the mattress.
"Careful," said a voice from beside him, causing Naruto to turn his head and see Kakashi sitting by him, "you really did a number on yourself, though you did quite a bit to Zabuza in return. I am curious as to how you pulled it off. From what I know of the Yondaime's seal, you shouldn't be able to call upon the Kyuubi's power to that extent under normal circumstances without causing serious damage to the seal."
"Tōsei is a special blade," said Naruto in way of an explanation, wincing as his body objected to his attempts to sit up.
"Here," said Kakashi as he helped the blond to move into an upright position before pulling out a bottle and pouring Naruto a cup of the liquid it contained, "Sasuke says this is an elixir of sorts that should help you recover."
Naruto accepted the cup with a nod of thanks and brought it to his lips, before grimacing in reaction to the taste, but regardless of the flavor, Naruto felt the pain from his injuries fading away as strength returned to his body.
"Remind me to thank him," said Naruto as he sat up, "what have I missed?"
"We've been dividing our time between training and guarding Tazuna," said Kakashi, "and once you're fully recovered, you can rotate in."
"Then I'll start now," said Naruto as he pulled on his jacket and grabbed his sheathed sword, "I need to ensure my skills haven't atrophied during the time I spend recovering."
"Are you sure?" asked Kakashi skeptically, "You took quite a beating from the technique you used against Zabuza."
"Don't worry," said Naruto with a chuckle, "bad taste aside, Sasuke's elixir did its job perfectly. I'm feeling much better."
Kakashi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering something about absurdly talented Genin putting the Medical Corps out of business.
"Fine," he said, "It's Sasuke's turn to guard Tazuna and Sakura's to go and train while I monitored your condition, but seeing as you're fully recovered, you're free to join either of your two teammates in what they are doing while I keep an eye on things here."
"Thank you," said Naruto as he strapped the sheathe to his hip, "I believe I shall go and aid Sasuke then. In a task such as this, the more hands the better."
Kakashi nodded and the blond headed out of the bedroom, but as he entered the living room, he saw a young boy sitting at the dining table, directing a frown down at the table.
"Hello there," said Naruto, "I don't believe we have been introduced. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, one of the Shinobi that Tazuna hired."
"Inari," said the boy in response, "my name's Inari."
"Well then Inari," said Naruto with a smile, "it's a pleasure to meet you."
"It's not going to work you know," Inari muttered to himself, causing Naruto to pause.
"I beg your pardon?" he asked the boy.
"You're not going to beat Gatō," Inari said angrily, "you're going to fail, just like everyone else. So, stop trying to be a hero. You'll just end up dead!"
"Inari stop!" scolded Tsunami as she walked into the room, "They're here to help us!"
Not wanting to hear any more, Inari jumped to his feet and ran off, heading for his room, causing Tsunami to sigh.
"I must apologize for my son, ever since Kaiza died, he's been like this," said Tsunami with a sigh.
"May I ask," inquired Naruto, "who is this 'Kaiza' you speak of?"
"Kaiza was…" began Tsunami before trailing off with a sigh, "Kaiza…I guess you could call him Inari's hero."
"His hero?" said Kakashi curiously.
Tsunami nodded, "He was a great man. We welcomed him into our family after he saved Inari from drowning, and when the dam burst during a terrible storm, he braved the waters and did the impossible, swimming against the current to force the floodgates shut to save the entire town."
"I see," said Naruto, "he truly seems like one who would earn the title of hero. Though I must ask, what happened to him?"
"Gatō happened," said Tsunami bitterly, "when Gatō came here, he forced his will on the people that live here, but Kaiza resisted. Kaiza tried to stop him, and Gatō decided to make an example of him. He had Kaiza publicly executed after having the arms he used to help people cut off."
"I see," said Kakashi grimly, "and considering that nobody seems to want to oppose Gatō, it seems he succeeded in what he was aiming for."
"Until father started work on his bridge," said Tsunami, "Gatō can't let any threats stand and will make another 'example' of father, like he did with Kaiza."
"Not if we have anything to say about it," said Naruto firmly, "I swear by my sword, that I will do whatever it takes to ensure both the bridge's completion and your father's safety."
"Thank you," said Tsunami sincerely as she bowed to the two shinobi from Konoha.
"And in that regard, I will be heading to the bridge," said Naruto as he rose to his feet, "don't worry. Everything will be alright. We'll make sure of that."
xXsceneXx
Upon arriving at the bridge, Naruto saw that an argument was going on between some of the workers and Tazuna that looked rather heated, so he made his way over to where Sasuke was sitting to find out more.
"Trouble in paradise?" asked Naruto.
The Mage in training was currently sitting in the middle of an intricate runic array drawn on the stone surface of the bridge in chalk, his hands clasped together as he focused his powers.
"Somewhat," said Sasuke, "even with our presence here, the workers tasked with building the bridge are spooked. They're afraid Gatō will target them or their families and as such are abandoning the project one by one."
"I see," said Naruto, "is there anything we can do?"
"Aside from our jobs, not much," said Sasuke, "I've tried reassuring them and even set up a detection array that I'm using to prevent attacks or ambushes, but they're just too frightened. But in other news, I see you're finally out of bed."
"Yep," nodded Naruto, "that elixir of yours did the trick. Can't say I liked the taste though."
Sasuke shrugged, "Sorry, but anything that could be added to improve the taste would ruin the effects."
"Pity," shrugged Naruto as he glanced back at the argument, where several of the workers that had been arguing with Tazuna were leaving the construction site, causing Naruto to walk over to see what was going on.
"Damn it all," groaned Tazuna as he glanced at his sake jug, debating the pros and cons of drinking on the job, "can I help you kid?"
"That looked like a serious argument," commented Naruto.
"I guess you could call it that," sighed the Bridge Builder, "looks like I might not be able to finish this bridge after all."
"Why is that?" asked Naruto curiously.
"Well," said Tazuna with a sigh, "my workers are scared of what would happen to them and their families if they continue working on the bridge, rightfully so, considering the power and influence Gatō has, but because of that, I don't have enough manpower to finish the bridge."
"I see," said Naruto, "then I would like to offer my assistance."
"Really kid?" said Tazuna in surprise, "You know how to build a bridge."
"No," admitted Naruto, "but I know how to follow directions," said Naruto, "tell me what you need done and I'll take care of it."
"Heh," chuckled Tazuna, "not sure what one person can do, but any help will be appreciated. Thanks."
"Don't worry," said Naruto, "this bridge will be completed. After all, I have a promise to keep."
To be continued…
So as a final note before I end things here, there will be other canon characters that have been altered like Naruto and his Team. I plan for one member from each of the three other Konoha 12 Teams to be altered, but no more. Part of the fic is the '…wait, what?' factor, and overdoing the changes would detract from that. That being said, some non-Genin might pop up as changed due to ties with the changed ones, but that will be a surprise for later.
Ciao.